Kiwi general manager Sean Marks will inevitably find himself in the crosshairs, after his Brooklyn Nets were swept from the NBA playoffs by Boston Celtics.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, as the Celtics never trailed and completed a four-game rout of the Nets in their Eastern Conference first-round series, holding on for a 116-112 victory at New York.
The second-seeded Celtics, who lost to the Nets in five games in this round last season, await the winner of the Milwaukee-Chicago series. The Bucks lead the Bulls three games to one.
Boston led by as many as 15, before sweating out the final minutes, after Tatum was called for a pair of offensive fouls.
Tatum, who hit the buzzer-beating lay-up in the series opener and scored 39 points in Game Three, made 9/16 shots, including a tiebreaking three-pointer early in the second quarter that gave Boston the lead for good.
Jaylen Brown added 22 points for the Celtics, who shot 47.2 percent and won each game in the series by single digits. Marcus Smart added 20 points and 11 assists, Grant Williams hit four three-pointers and contributed 14 points, and Al Horford chipped in 13.
Kevin Durant scored 39 for his best game of the series, but missed two three-pointers in the final minute, as Brooklyn ended a season they entered as NBA title favorites. Seth Curry added 23 points, Kyrie Irving finished with 20 and the Nets shot 50.6 percent.
Plagued by injury - notably three-point marksman Joe Harris - and Irving's extended COVID-inspired absence, the Nets' All-Star roster failed to live up to the hype through the regular season and needed to survive a play-in game just to make the post-season.
The knives are out in New York, with Durant, Irving and rookie coach Steve Nash all under the spotlight.
But after rebuilding the franchise from a laughing stock to potential powerhouse, Marks has come under fire for the mid-season trade that sent disgruntled All-Star guard James Harden to Philadelphia for Aussie guard Ben Simmons, centre Andre Drummond and sharpshooter Seth Currie.
While Drummond and Currie helped the team stay competitive, former All-Star Simmons never took the court - even with the Nets' season on the line - citing injury and mental health issues. That trade is now widely criticised as a bust.
Reuters/Newshub
