This is the Brooklyn Nets team nobody wanted to see in the first round of the playoffs.
Now the Boston Celtics have them.
The Nets opened a big early lead on Tuesday then held off a late Cleveland Cavaliers rally to ride into the postseason with a 115-108 victory. They'll do so as a No. 7 seed in what counts as an uncommonly difficult first-round matchup for the second-seeded Celtics.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile remain alive for the East's final playoff spot. They'll face the winner of Wednesday's game between the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks in an elimination game for the No.