The Boston Celtics had an incredibly impressive turnaround during the regular season. At the end of December, things were not looking great for the franchise as they sat in 10th place with a record of 16-19 with rumors of the need to break up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown circulating in the NBA universe. Boston seemingly flipped the switch at this point by managing to win 23 of their next 27 games and eventually secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets also struggled to find their footing in the regular season with injuries and a blockbuster trade interrupting their season. Regardless, Brooklyn is not a team any franchise is lining up to face. The star power of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant alone is enough to take down some teams and Boston will do their best at matching up. The Celtics have a much better chance than most teams in this showdown with their Eastern Conference rivals and here are three reasons why they should be optimistic about coming out on top.

3 reasons Celtics will take down Nets in first round

Boston's Defensive Scheme

While most eyes immediately look toward a team's scoring ability, it will be the Celtics' defense that is the key to their success in the postseason. Head Coach Ime Udoka made some impressive changes during the season to drastically increase the Celtics' defensive ability. His ability to adapt to his personnel and willingness to make changes when they are needed has been crucial to Boston's season revival.

Expect Boston to switch on nearly everything and for each player to have looming coverage- especially near the rim. The defense is anchored by Al Horford who plays a vocal role in calling out the sets and ensuring everyone is in the right spot. Horford has impressed as a rim protector while being capable of guarding on the perimeter when necessary. This type of scheme should fair well against Brooklyn's isolation-heavy offense.

Marcus Smart also deserves a ton of credit for the defensive impact and he is the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year as evidence of this. Smart hounds opponents on the perimeter and is tied for 3rd in the NBA with 1.7 steals per game. The defense did take a major hit when Robert Williams went down with an injury a few weeks ago. The big man also played a valuable role in Boston's scheme, but there is some optimism that he could return before the opening playoff series is over.

Jayson Tatum's Maturation

There is no disputing that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have established themselves as some of the biggest superstars in the NBA. There is a real argument that Durant is the best player on the planet right now and there are few guys who possess the shotmaking and length that he does. One of the guys on this shortlist of players is Jayson Tatum.

The 24-year-old has established himself as one of the best scorers in the NBA and averaged 26.9 points per game this season. Tatum's scoring total leaped to 30.4 points per game after the all-star break and his 6'9 frame will give him a better chance than most against KD. The Celtics will need some superstar shotmaking in this series if they hope to advance, and it may just be time for Jayson Tatum to climb into the superstar tier he belongs.

Difference in Depth

There are some solid role players on the Brooklyn Nets but for the most part, their game plan is having Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the team. It is a difficult ask for KD and Kyrie to have to shoulder such a heavy offensive load each game and an off-night by either one of them could result in a loss. The pair accounted for 31 shot attempts in the play-in game which is a lower tally than is typically the case.

In contrast, the Celtics have a variety of impact players who all play an important role in the teams' success. Six guys on the Celtics' active roster average over 10 points per game and the addition of Derrick White at the trade deadline has solidified their rotations. Boston is equipped to generate points with their starts off the court in a way Brooklyn is not quite capable. You can never count out a dominant performance from the Nets stars to drag the Nets to a win, but if the stars can neutralize each other the Celtics should feel very confident about their chances of moving on to the next series.