Nets slow to heat up in Game 1, but still managed to burn Celtics

There was nothing extraordinary about the play of the Nets’ Big 3 — Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden — in their first playoff game together, and that’s why their Game 1 first-round victory over the Celtics might be an ominous harbinger for the rest of the NBA.

They were far from their best, missing shots right and left in the first half, but they knew it wouldn’t last and it didn’t as the superstar trio asserted itself in the second half and simply dominated. The Big 3 scored 33 combined first-half points on 34.4% shooting (11 of 32), but they rebounded in the second half for 49 combined points on 57.7% shooting (15 of 26) and took over the game in the third quarter when they scored 28 of 31 Nets points.

"We couldn’t make shots I felt like," said Durant, who scored 32 points on mediocre 10-for-25 shooting. "I know I missed a lot of bunnies that felt good leaving my hand. But we stuck with our defense."

Harden, who totaled 21 points on 5-for-13 shooting, admitted he was caught off guard by the presence of the first big crowd allowed in this pandemic season, a sellout of 14,391 that was loud from the start.

"In that first half, shots just didn’t go in," Harden said. "Maybe I’m speaking for myself, but the crowd just kind of threw me off a little bit. It was pretty loud in there. The vibe was what we’ve been missing, and it just threw me off a little bit. That second half, we got more comfortable and shots started to fall when we needed them to."

Of course, Durant, Harden and Irving all are used to the biggest of stages. But they’re human, too. Launching what could be a historic postseason run with the "superteam" they have formed came with a new level of excitement and anticipation.

"You feel it in the air that it’s playoff time," Durant said. "Guys are understanding how much it takes each possession for us to be on a level of playing great basketball. It’s a good place to be right now. I’m glad we’re here and I’m glad that we got this first one."

It also was the first playoff game as a coach for first-year head coach Steve Nash, who said he anticipated a case of playoff nerves. "I think it’s more the occasion," Nash said of the slow start. "Everyone is excited, and the place was packed. Maybe we just rushed and were a little impatient to start the game. They haven’t played much together.

"It was an exciting evening for everyone to walk into the gym and see that many people. Our fans were outstanding, and I think it was all new, off to a fresh start and we just really weren’t sharp offensively."

Still, the Nets played great defense, and when it was time for the Big 3 to assert themselves, they scored the first 22 points of the third quarter. "Kevin was extremely aggressive and got to the free throw line at the start of that third quarter," Irving said. "When one of our leaders sets the precedent, sets the tone, then we follow suit. He started attacking the rim, and it started opening up the rest of the floor for us, and we made timely shots . . . I feel like we’re in a good position."

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.