The Brooklyn Nets find themselves in a very concerning position heading back to the Barclays Center, going into a 0-2 hole against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Playoffs after yet another loss on Wednesday night. Despite having the lead for most of the night, the Nets collapsed down the stretch while the Celtics hit some very clutch shots. To be honest, it's even surprising Brooklyn remained in this game after Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant had such cold nights. Bruce Brown's brilliance and Seth Curry's contributions certainly helped them compete in Game 2.

That being said, here are 2 Nets players most to blame for Wednesday's defeat.

2 Nets most to blame for Game 2 loss to Celtics

Kevin Durant

It's pretty rare that KD is the reason the Nets lose a game. Yes, he still had 27 points here, but the superstar scored 18 from the charity stripe alone as the C's defense absolutely stifled him for all 48 minutes. Durant also shot an atrocious 4 for 17 from the field and despite Boston's double-coverage and sometimes triple-coverage on him, he still had a lot of clean looks. They just simply weren't going down, missing all 10 of his attempts in the second half.  KD is truly a mid-range assassin and can barely ever be stopped in that area. But, Durant was evidently ice-cold, with a lot of his shots clinging off the front of the rim. To make matters worse, KD also had six turnovers.

That's two rather dismal showings for the Nets forward now. He's shooting a combined 13 for 41 from the field thus far, which is certainly not a recipe for success. The only way Brooklyn comes back in this series and pushes it to six or seven games is by their franchise cornerstone showing out like he has all season long. Let's hope once KD gets back on his home floor, things can change. A player of his caliber can only stay cold for so long, no matter how good Boston's defense is. It's only a matter of time until Durant erupts.

Kyrie Irving

Kyrie was one of the Nets' lone bright spots in the series opener, going off for 39 points against his former team while flipping off the booing Celtics fans in the process. Well, we saw a completely different Irving in Game 2. He played 40 minutes but registered a brutal 10 points and eight rebounds, going 4 for 13 from the field. To be frank, Kyrie was barely involved in the second half as most of the touches went to Durant, which is surprising. Irving is a cold-blooded finisher and capable of stepping up and delivering, yet he was almost invisible in the final two quarters, taking just seven shots. Unfortunately, only one found the net.

Nonetheless, 10 points aren't going to get the job done, especially against a team like the Celtics who pride themselves on containing their opponent. While it's important that KD puts his best foot forward, the same can be said for Irving. The superstar duo really have to play at the peak of their abilities to get back into this first-round matchup. Returning to the Big Apple and playing in front of the Nets faithful should light a fire under Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.