As it stands right now, Brooklyn trails the Celtics by just 3.5 games. With the two teams facing off on Monday, the Nets can get that lead down to just 2.5 games. No one thought that the Nets would be in the position they are now when the season began. The Nets were projected to be a 10-11 seed in the Eastern Conference and finish the season many games below .500. The Nets have proven everyone wrong this year, as they currently sit at 27-23 and are the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, the Celtics have been a relative disappointment. The Celtics lost in 7 games to the Cleveland Cavilers in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics played that series without 2 of their best players, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. The Celtics have not found their rhythm in the 2018-19 season so far. The Celtics were projected to be one of the top 2 seeds in the conference, but they currently sit at 30-19 and the 5th seed. Injuries and a lack of production from Jaylen Brown (12.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 apg), Terry Rozier (8.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.8 apg), and Gordon Hayward (10.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.4 apg) have hurt the Celtics. The Celtics are dominant at home (19-6), while just 11-13 on the road. The Nets and Celtics play just 2 more times this season, and will battle over playoff seeding for the rest of the season. It will be hard for the Nets to overcome the Celtics, but this Nets team is full of surprises.

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