Apr 20, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) celebrates with guard Jaylen Brown (7) as Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) walks away during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Here's how teams with 2-0 series leads have fared in NBA, Celtics history originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Historically speaking, the Boston Celtics are in excellent shape in their series with the Brooklyn Nets after taking a 2-0 series lead Wednesday.
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Teams that have opened up 2-0 leads in best-of-seven series have gone on to win 92.4 percent of the time in the NBA, while the Celtics themselves have gone on to win 40 of 41 series all-time when going up 2-0.
Celtics-Nets takeaways: C's pull off incredible comeback to take Game 2
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Even though Boston's two wins have been by a combined eight points, it's hard not to feel great about its chances to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals after Brooklyn's utter collapse in Game 2. The Nets blew a lead as large as 17 points and trailed by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter as the Celtics surged back, with Kevin Durant failing to hit a shot from the field for the duration of the second half.
The only item which may give C's fans pause is that the one team in franchise history which failed to finish off a series after going up 2-0 featured quite a few players who are prominent on this year's edition.
After going 37 for 37 when going up 2-0, the 2018 Celtics couldn't hold off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, ultimately losing in Game 7 at home. Five members of that Celtics team are still here, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, as well as Al Horford and Daniel Theis, who've left and come back.
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Of course, Tatum was a rookie and Brown was just in his second season, but like LeBron, Durant -- or Kyrie Irving -- is fully capable of changing the tone of a series single-handedly, regardless of how poorly he's played to date.
If the Nets are going to make this a series, however, they'd be wise to make it happen in Game 3: No team in NBA history has ever erased an 0-3 deficit.
