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| The Celtics and Nets will always be tightly linked because of the massive trade the two teams made this summer which sent Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Wallace (not pictured) from Brooklyn to Boston in exchange for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry |
When: 7:30 pm; Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY
TV: YES Network
Interestingly enough, both teams doing battle at the Barclays Center tonight won their most recent preseason games by a margin of exactly 30 points. The Boston Celtics dominated the Knicks 111-81 on Saturday night while the Brooklyn crushed the 76ers yesterday. However, that point of commonality isn't the most notable one between these two Atlantic Division foes.
The biggest news of the NBA's offseason, coming on draft night (June 28th), was clearly the blockbuster trade made between Boston and Brooklyn that sent three former All-Stars to Brooklyn in exchange for a reality TV star, former 1st-round draft pick, an intense NBA veteran with a distinctive voice, and a journeyman guard/forward. The Nets traded Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Gerald Wallace, and Keith Bogans for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry, all three of whom are NBA champions in their own right.
The deal forever changed the futures of both the Celtics and Nets, in vastly different ways. The storied Celtics, winners of a NBA-high 17 championships, most recently one in 2008, are now entering a rebuilding phase, which began with the June 28th trade. Long gone are the veteran-led Celtics as the team's best player, Rajon Rondo, is merely 27 years of age.
Conversely, the exchange catapulted Brooklyn from a team on the outside looking in to a team on the inside looking out. The talent brought to Jason Kidd's squad with Garnett, Pierce, and Terry makes the Nets a downright scary team to defend for any NBA team. Whenever players of their caliber come to a new team, the level of play is increased exponentially, which should (for the Nets' sake) translate in more postseason success.
Tonight is the first time that all seven players involved in the trade still on the Nets and Celtics will be seeing their old teammates since last season, so emotional may be a proper descriptor for the evening for at least some players. Paul Pierce will be in the game facing his old team after sitting out of yesterday's Nets win over Philadelphia (due to rest) but Garnett and Terry won't be in action (rest and knee surgery, respectively).
On the other hand, only Keith Bogans (thumb) is expected to sit out of tonight's game so it looks like MarShon, Gerald, and Kris will get to play in front of their former home fans. Excited to hear the reactions they get from the crowd.
Probable Lineups
BOS- Avery Bradley (PG), Jordan Crawford (SG), Jared Sullinger (SF), Jeff Green (PF), Brandon Bass (C)
BKN- Shaun Livingston (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Paul Pierce (SF), Andray Blatche (PF), Brook Lopez (C)
Final Thoughts
Gotta love reunions of players with their former teams. Never gets old, and means something exciting (maybe a scuffle of some sort?) may happen this evening.
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