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Kevin Durant was not meant to miss this match-up, but he will be watching his Nets team play from the sidelines for at least two weeks as he recovers from an MCL strain, including this Thursday night clash at the Barclays Center.
It is a blow which will put pressure on those around him, with Joe Harris, Seth Curry, Patty Mills and Kyrie Irving tasked with the tall order of denying an empowered Celtics side from clinching another victory atop the Eastern Conference.
Indeed, Joe Mazzulla's team have been switched on for weeks, proving why they are such a compelling case for the playoff finals with Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown leading the line.
If that is not enough to make Brooklyn fans a little queasy, then perhaps the return of defensive stalwart Robert Williams III will do the trick.
Given that the Nets are 34-31 without Durant's agelessly brilliant performances, and the Celtics have not paused for breath in their winning endeavours, it is going to take either a breathtaking performance from Irving, or an impressively woeful one from Tatum to swing the tie in the Nets' favour.