The rivalry between Brooklyn and Boston was short-lived and there is no doubt that the Celtics won the battle – during the Paul Pierce and KG (Brooklyn) era, during the Kyrie Irving stomp-on-Lucky era. They are the defending champions and are meeting expectations early in the season. On the other hand, Brooklyn exceeds expectations and battles night in and night out.

This one has the potential to be a trap game that few expect – or one where the Nets bow out early and decide to rest some guys in the second half with a battle against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

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Game 9 | November 8 | Balance: 4-4

• TIME: 7:30 PM ET
• OPPOSITION: Boston Celtics (7-2)
• Tune in: YES Network on TV; WFAN on the radio.

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Game example | Brian Fleurantin

Injuries: Bojan Bogdanovic, Trenton Watford and Day’Ron Sharpe are out for the Nets. Noah Clowney is questionable, but did travel with the team. For Boston, Jaylen Brown is out with a left hip strain for Boston. Luke Kornet is doubtful because he has problems with his right hamstring. Kristaps Porzingis is out as he continues to recover from offseason surgery.

The game: It is always valuable to see how you can measure up to the very best. You get to see how far you’ve come and how much further you have to go to compete. And it’s fun! This is the first night of a particularly tough back-to-back for the Nets. When this is over, they’re off to confront again Cleveland Cavaliers. Brooklyn was a pleasant surprise to start the year, and we’ll see what they can do against the reigning champions. Games like these test your character. We’ll see how Jordi Fernandez and the boys do.

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More content!

• (Podcast): Ep. 8 from The Brooklyn with Pooch and Collin: Are the Nets BACK… or just back?
• (Article): Lucas Kaplan’s latest story on the Nets’ ‘tough’ identity.
• (Article): Net income statement on “Jordi Ball” and what it means for establishing a culture.
• (Article): Scott Mitchell’s Season Preview of the Long Island Nets!

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