Ruh-oh. The Brooklyn Nets have fallen into the dreaded 0-2 hole heading back to Barclays Center for Game 3. They got a monster Kyrie Irving game in the first contest of the series vs. the Boston Celtics. But Kevin Durant struggled in that one. And in Game 2, when Nets Nation was hoping for both stars to get hot, neither had a smashing performance. And just like that, the Nets will now need to win four out of five games against a team that has looked flat out better so far.

After the first quarter of Game 1 I had this reaction:

It looked to me like it might be a tough long, err, short series if the Celts were going to be allowed to play with this much contact on KD. So far that theory looks like an even bigger problem than I originally hypothesized. Durant won't complain, so I'll do a little bit for him. It's fine if this is the way you want to officiate the games. But don't make such an abrupt change from what these players have seen all season long.

After Game 2, the Nets star got brutally honest on the Celtics' strategy of throwing two or even three defenders on him at times:

“They playing 2, 3 guys on me sometimes I'm off the ball, mucking up actions when I run off stuff, I see Horford leaving his man to come over to hit me sometimes. 2 or 3 guys hit me wherever I go, that's the nature of the beast in the playoffs,” Durant said.

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Sounded similar to what KD said after Game 1:

“They did a good job of forcing me away,” Durant said, “helping in the paint, I just gotta be more fundamental on my moves, feel like some shots went in-and-out for me today but I still gotta be- I played fast, turned the ball [over]  I just gotta slow down and play my game. But they did a good job of making me see bodies.”

On Wednesday, he really wasn't able to get much going. KD went 4 for 17 in that one. You can do the math yourself, he's been held to just 13 of 41 through two games now. And Jayson Tatum has been a big part of that.

JT has blossomed into a stellar two-way scorer-defender.

Nets head coach Steve Nash said everything but ‘they're getting away with too many fouls.'

“I think they're being physical. They're upping into him, grabbing him, holding him, all that stuff you come to expect,” Nash said after their second playoff loss.

Nash mostly dodged criticism this season. The team was severely shorthanded all year long, but now the second-year coach is beginning to hear more chirping about his in-game decisions or lack of adjustments since his former assistant Ime Udoka is beating him handily so far.

Both Nash and Durant talked about how rough the Celtics are playing. Both Nash and Durant added they expected more physicality for playoff basketball. Still, you got the sense that neither were thrilled with the officiating up in Boston. If things stay the same, it could be a clean sweep. If the whistle goes the other way when they're back in Brooklyn, we'll wonder why the league is content to aid the home team so much.

But the Celtics' strategy to rough up Durant, hit him off the ball, show two and three players at him and take him away as a shotmaker has definitely worked. And the Celtics deserve a ton of credit. They were the best regular-season defense. And it's translated to the postseason for Udoka's squad thus far.

Hopefully, Kevin Durant and the Nets can bounce back at home.