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Brooklyn Nets hoping for three straight over the Boston Celtics

Happy Holidays from NetsDaily to all (except for certain guys dressed in green)

By Net Income
Jared Wickerham

It's Christmas time in the city.

New York's two NBA teams will be in action on Christmas Day but only one, the Nets, will be playing in the city, at the Barclays Center. The Nets will take on the Celtics, a team they have beaten twice already, in a noon start, only hours after all those cherubs opened their gifts and hours before their parents checked their credit card bills. The game is on ESPN, the first in an all-day marathon, as well as YES. The two teams will wear special, monochromatic uniforms, as shown in this video.

So it's a big deal for Brooklyn. The last time the Nets played on Christmas was in 2002, when the team was on its way to the NBA Finals. They beat the Celtics by 36. The last time they beat the Celtics three times in a season was 2005-06, when they won 49 games. The Celtics have been up and down all season and are one game behind the Nets in the East. They, like the Nets, have been mediocre of late, winning four of their last 10. They're 4-8 on the road and a mere 2-4 in the division.

The Celtics are in the NBA top 10 in only two categories (thank you, Rajon Rondo): assists and steals. They are woeful up front, dead last in rebounding and offensive rebounding and 27th in points in the paint. To make matters worse, Chris Wilcox is out for a month, having sprained his right thumb. No wonder Avery Johnson wants to pair up Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche. The Celtics miss Ray Allen more than they let on. They are 28th this season in three pointers made. They start fast but fall off in the second quarter (where they're 27th) but do better late.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are playing well enough, even with minutes restrictions. Pierce, in fact, is on a roll. He dropped 40 and 35 in his last two games, against the Cavaliers and Bucks. Rondo is Rondo. He's tops in assists at 12.3, fifth in double-doubles with 14 and second in triple-doubles with one. But he is shooting only 24.2 percent from three.

For the Nets, expect some new plays, some old plays but mostly some energy as they try to get back on track. Kris Humphries' abdominal pain could keep him out, but otherwise, everyone is healthy, happy and wise. Oh yeah, the last time these two played, there was a fight, but hey, it's Christmas!

For local fans, WFAN's Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts will be live from Barclays Center, starting at 10 a.m. when the doors open, until ten minutes before game time, at 11:50. Jerry Stackhouse will guest host at 10:20 am...

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Game 27: Boston Celtics @ Brooklyn Nets

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