It's a 2-0 series and the Brooklyn Nets are now two losses away from going fishing.

After falling into a big hole by dropping two games in a hostile environment to the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant gave some props to their former assistant coach. Ime Udoka took over in Boston last offseason, stepping in for Brad Stevens, who took an arguably cushier gig in the front office.

Udoka knows these Nets as well as any coach. Irving has a theory that Udoka has some tricks up his sleeve and imparted pearls of wisdom to the Celtics on how to stop the Nets star duo.

“Ime knows us really well,” Irving added. “He coached on our staff last year so I think he has some keys in the treasure chest that he's telling those guys. This is what makes it special though. On the flip side, is just being able to find some weaknesses in their defense and get their bodies moving when they're on the swivel. When we have the ball popping and they're on the swivel  and they have to close out to our drives, I feel like we're a better offensive team.”

Irving dropped 39 points in Game 1. He was sensational, and it's crushing the Nets weren't able to get a big win in that one, losing on a buzzer-beater by Jayson Tatum. In Game 2, he wasn't nearly as efficient. He had 10 points on just 4-of-13 from the field. The Celtics were doubling and sometimes even tripling Durant and Kyrie, forming a bit of a zone. They dared them to kick it out to mediocre-at-best shooters like Bruce Brown. But the Nets continued their isolation attack. It just didn't work that well.

“I came into tonight's game really evaluating the way they were gonna play me and a few shots went in and out,” Irving said. “And just getting to my spots, raising up, felt comfortable. Didn't get to the free throw line as much as I wanted to tonight, didn't touch the paint as much as I wanted to tonight. That's just part of the film I'm gonna watch and see where I can continue to attack this defense.”

The Nets shouldn't be faulted too hard for their approach. They have two of the best isolation players of all time. But head coach Steve Nash envisioned more ball movement, a faster tempo, attacking the second-side of a defense. They weren't able to get the Celtics defense into scramble mode enough. Maybe that can change as the series heads to New York.

They're, frankly, going to need much more from Durant. It shouldn't all fall on his shoulders, but if he's not significantly better than he has been, they're toast. Durant is shooting just 13-of-41 (32 percent) from the floor in this series. He's getting to the free throw line, but simply not finding any rhythm.

Boston's league-best defense is led by Marcus Smart, who was just voted 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. They haven't even had Robert Williams either. Time Lord is eyeing a return at some point in the future. He was also a leading DPOY candidate before hurting his knee.

After a crushing loss, Durant talked about how Udoka has simplified things for the Celtics on the defensive end.

“When you can play simple defense like switch-everything, and then you got length like they got, sitting in the paint, basically playing zone,  so it's easier for every player. You don't got to chase over screens, you won't have to just fight over stuff.  You can use your length, sit in the lane, and help and execute the game plan. When you simplify the game it makes it easier for players and I think that's what Ime did.”

Game 3 needs to be a full reversal. But expecting Durant and Irving to just be hot without adjustments isn't fair. They may need some tactical adjustments as well. If Udoka really has some keys to the treasure chest, maybe he'll even anticipate those. If the Nets lose Game 3, they may not even want to bring Ben Simmons back.