“The Brooklyn Nets are about to beat Boston Celtics in 7 games” - Skip Bayless backs Kevin Durant and Co. to defeat Ime Udoka’s men in playoffs

Skip Bayless thinks the Brooklyn Nets will beat the Boston Celtics in seven games in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. The Nets sealed their place as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with their play-in tournament win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following the victory, Brooklyn has now been given a better chance by many to win against the in-form Cs in a seven-game series. Fox Sports analyst Bayless is one of them. Here's what he said on 'Skip and Shannon: Undisputed':

"The Brooklyn Nets are about to beat the Boston Celtics in seven games in a Game 7 in Boston," said Bayless. "Last night was all about, 'we will flex our firepower, our big two, and we'll do just enough to get by these poor little Cleveland Cavaliers,' cause' I think they have little to no respect for the Cleveland Cavaliers."

Bayless continued:

"In the fourth quarter, if it ever got close, guess who, the best player on the planet just said, 'just give me the ball and get out the way,' and he (Durant) made the shots to stave them off."

Nets superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant displayed their offensive prowess from the get-go against the Cavs. While Irving ended with 34 points on 12 of 15 shooting, Durant bagged 25 points and dished out 11 assists, shooting nine of 16.

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Analyzing Brooklyn Nets' chances of beating Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics went on a terrific run post-Christmas eve. They were arguably the best team across the NBA alongside the Phoenix Suns. They were the top defensive team, the second-best offensive team since Christmas and the best in net rating.

The Celtics blew teams apart, including the struggling Nets, during that stretch. Jayson Tatum played at an MVP-caliber level, while Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams complemented him well. Boston is favored to win against Brooklyn again, but only by a slender margin, though.

The Brooklyn Nets, meanwhile, came out strong against the Cavaliers in the play-in game. Durant and Irving did most of the damage, which has tipped the scales in favor of Brooklyn and Boston going the distance in the first round.

The Brooklyn Nets' hopes of getting past the Boston Celtics will depend on how impactful Irving and Durant can be. The matchup will be between Brooklyn's offense and Boston's defense.

If Durant and Irving can counter Ime Udoka's defensive schemes, the Nets could beat the Cs in the first round for the second straight year.