Before the All-Star Game, the Boston Celtics had the best record in the NBA (43-12), and they ended that run with a decisive victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
In a 136-86 rout, Boston outscored Brooklyn by 50 points to secure their sixth consecutive victory, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown left for Indianapolis for All-Star weekend. The Celtics outscored the Nets 46-32 inside the paint and shot 57.1% from the field and 48.9% from three, making up the majority of Brooklyn’s four-quarter penalty despite Brown’s absence from the game.
With no concerns about blowing a commanding lead, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla even had the luxury of sitting every Boston starter for the fourth quarter. For a Celtics squad that has earned a week off, that made for a pleasant, easy trot. Conversely, though, Brooklyn felt compelled to fire its head coach.
Five days after Brooklyn’s defeat to Boston, the Nets fired Jacque Vaughn on Monday following a 21-33 start that put the team in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
In response to Vaughn’s departure, Nets general manager Sean Marks stated, “We feel that this is in the best interest of the team going forward,” as reported by CNN’s Ben Church.
After Steve Nash was ousted as head coach the previous season, Vaughn was promoted and assisted Brooklyn in continuing to compete for the playoffs, even after Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant forced their way out of the team at the trade deadline. That in and of itself was noteworthy, but even with a subpar core now led by the confused Ben Simmons, Vaughn guided the Nets to an appalling 8–18 record since Christmas Eve.
It would be untrue to place the entire blame on Vaughn. The 49-year-old was first promoted under extremely dubious circumstances, and going into the 2023–24 season, there was little optimism that the Nets would be able to compete and hold their own against the East’s heavyweights. If anything, Brooklyn used this season as a bridge year to learn what components may be sold to build up some crucial draft placement for the future.
Vaughn’s departure won’t stop Brooklyn’s downhill spiral, but it does mark the beginning of several necessary adjustments to pull the team out of its hole, which grows deeper every day.
