Schedule and 2021-22 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 51-31, Brooklyn 44-38
Game 1 on Sunday, 17 April: Brooklyn loses at Boston, 115-pts-114
Game 2 on Wednesday, 20 April: Brooklyn loses at Boston, 114-pts-107
Game 3 on Saturday, 23 April: Boston wins at Brooklyn, 109-pts-103
Game 4 on Monday, 25 April: Boston wins at Brooklyn, 116-pts-112

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: The Boston Celtics visited and vanquished the Brooklyn Nets 116-pts-112 to complete a 4-games-nil best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1501 victory. With the series 1501 win, the Boston Celtics improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 70-30 overall and 11-6 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1501 loss, the Brooklyn Nets see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 2-7 overall and 2-5 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Boston Celtics in series 1501 was WWWW: Series 1501 thus becomes the 33rd NBA Preliminary-round series, the 90th NBA series (all rounds), and the 244th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The sum of victory margins in series 1501 was 18 points, which is the second-smallest sum of victory margins in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series sweep. The smallest such sum is 16 points, set in series 305 by the Golden State Warriors against the old Washington Bullets in their 1975 NBA Finals sweep, and tied in series 1336 by the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Indiana Pacers in their 2017 NBA Preliminary round sweep. The sweep was the eighth best-of-7 NBA playoff sweep achieved by the Boston Celtics, and the second suffered by the Nets as the Brooklyn Nets.

After Game 3: The Boston Celtics visited and bested the Brooklyn Nets 109-pts-103 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1501 lead of 3-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 16-0 and a Game 4 record of 7-9. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Brooklyn Nets have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 4 record of 0-1. The sole best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which the Nets as the Brooklyn Nets trailed 3-games-nil after three games was series 1435, in the 2020 NBA Preliminary round against the Toronto Raptors (in which Brooklyn lost Game 4 and the series). With their series 1501 Game 3 loss, the Brooklyn Nets become the 384th MLB/NBA/NHL team and the 146th NBA team to fall behind 3-games-nil in a best-of-7 playoff series, and will attempt to become the sixth MLB/NBA/NHL team and the first NBA team to surmount that deficit for a 4-games-3 series victory.

After Game 2: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Brooklyn Nets 114-pts-107 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1501 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 40-1 and a Game 3 record of 16-25. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Brooklyn Nets have a series record of 0-3 and a Game 3 record of 2-1. Leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil (as the Boston Celtics now do against the Brooklyn Nets in series 1501), Boston suffered its sole series loss in series 1380, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Semifinals. The Celtics in Boston trailed visiting Brooklyn by ten points at halftime in series 1501 Game 3, but rallied for the victory: In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games prior to series 1501 Game 3, home teams trailing by ten points at halftime had a game record of 13-32 (.289) - so it is that the Boston Celtics achieve a Grade-C comeback (.200 - .299) in series 1501 Game 3.

After Game 1: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Brooklyn Nets 115-pts-114 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1501 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 58-7 and a Game 2 record of 41-24. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Brooklyn Nets have a series record of 0-3 and a Game 2 record of 0-3. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games (beginning in 1947), teams such as the Boston Celtics in series 1501 Game 1 which win Game 1 at home by a single point have a 9-1 series record, with an active eight-series winning streak.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics finished seven games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. From 1947 through the 2021 NBA Finals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by seven regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 27-6 (.818) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1501 is the 100th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Boston Celtics, and the ninth (as the _Brooklyn_ Nets) for the Brooklyn Nets. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Boston Celtics have an all-rounds series record of 69-30, a Preliminary-round series record of 10-6, and a Game 1 record of 65-34, while the Brooklyn Nets have an all-rounds series record of 2-6, a Preliminary-round series record of 2-4, and a Game 1 record of 5-3. Series 1501 is the second best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. In the only previous best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Nets and the Celtics with the Nets as the _Brooklyn_ Nets, the Nets defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2021 NBA Preliminary round; so it is that best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1501 in the 2022 NBA Preliminary round constitutes a rematch. With their best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1501 berth, the Boston Celtics tie the NHL Detroit Red Wings for the fourth-most best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series appearances at 100, behind only the NHL Montreal Canadiens (123), NHL Boston Bruins (107), and NBA Los Angeles Lakers (104)