Having come this far, are the Boston Celtics destined to be blown to smithereens?
ESPN's Tim Bontemps set a low ceiling for the Celtics in the 2021 NBA playoffs Wednesday, calling them "fodder" ahead of their first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night by beating the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Boston will face second-seeded Brooklyn in the first round of the playoffs in a best-of-seven series, which Bontemps gives them no chance of winning.
"First-round fodder," Bontemps wrote about Boston. "Any hopes the Celtics were going to make any attempt at a competitive series in the first round ended with (Jaylen) Brown's season-ending injury. Now it's just a matter of avoiding the embarrassment of a sweep against the high-powered Nets."
Given Boston's struggles throughout the season, it's hard to argue against Bontemps' assessment. Maybe the C's will win a game or two against the Nets, but don't expect much more than that.
The Celtics and Nets will tip off their first-round series Saturday night in Brooklyn.
