It’s not hyperbole to say that this could be the most competitive 2-7 playoff matchup in NBA history. It’s the Celtics, who tout the NBA’s second-best net rating facing off against the Nets, owners of two of the all-time great scorers in postseason history in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

It’s similar to last year’s Suns-Lakers matchup in which the dominant Suns faced off against LeBron, AD, and a Lakers team that struggled in the regular season due to injuries—similar in that sense to what Brooklyn went through. Will the Celtics prevail like the Suns did a year ago?

This is the first opportunity for New York sports betting fans to legally wager on a hometown team in the NBA postseason after mobile sports betting launched in the Empire State back in January.

Ahead of Game 1, Bookies.com breaks down the series and makes our NBA pick to back on betting apps.

Nets vs Celtics Odds

Odds via DraftKings and accurate as of publication.

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Nets vs Celtics Betting Tips

Throw Out All but One Game: Yes, the Celtics won the season series, 3-1. But in two of those games, Kyrie Irving wasn’t playing because of New York vaccine mandates. And in another, James Harden was still in Brooklyn. The only game that featured all current players happened in early March, when Jayson Tatum needed 54 points to help the Celtics to a 126-120 victory at home. Durant had 37 and Irving had 18—but something clicked for the latter. Following his 18 points, Irving finished the season averaging 30.8 points on 48/46/91 shooting. That’s absurd, which leads us into our next tip for NBA betting fans...

Bet the Over: The Nets and Celtics combined to go 81-82-1 against the spread this season, so we’re not getting any trends there. In the one game that featured all current players, the over flew by. And with so many elite scorers—Tatum, Brown, Durant, Irving—we’re going to play the over here. Brooklyn’s defense is awful, and the Nets can score against anyone. These are both top-10 offenses and we believe the stars are going to come out and play in this one. We’ll see what oddsmakers set the lines at, but we’re going to lean overs.

Road Warriors: The Celtics (23-18) and Nets (24-17) were both excellent on the road, and they ranked first (Celtics, +7.7) and third (Nets, +3.7) in road net rating. We don’t think a road team will be favored in any game this series, so consider that Brooklyn was 8-6 ATS as a road underdog, while Boston was 10-11. Those don’t necessarily scream “hammer the road team,” but both really do excel away from their home arenas.

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Nets vs Celtics Pick

It’s the most difficult series to handicap from an NBA odds perspective. The Celtics have arguably been the NBA’s best team this season—seriously. Advanced numbers love Boston, but the eye test loves Durant and Irving on the same team. Boston is missing defensive anchor Robert Williams, and there’s a chance Brooklyn gets Ben Simmons back at some point. Even if he can give the Nets a few minutes, that will matter in a series that should go the distance. Give us the Nets in seven on betting sites, with Irving getting his vengeance in Boston.

Our Pick: The Nets in seven at DraftKings (+425).

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Nets vs Celtics Schedule

Game 1: April 17, Brooklyn at Boston, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Game 2: April 20, Brooklyn at Boston, 7 p.m. ET, TNT

Game 3: April 23, Boston at Brooklyn, TBD, ESPN

Game 4: April 25, Boston at Brooklyn, TBD, TBD

Game 5-7: TBD if necessary