Avery Johnson

In case you missed it, last night, the Boston Celtics ended the Brooklyn Nets three-game preseason winning streak at Barclays Center. From the opening tip, it was quite obvious that the Celtics came to play. They led wire-to-wire and beat defeated the Nets, 115-85.

For a more detailed account, check out last night’s rapid recap. And for some interesting post-game quotes from Avery Johnson, hit the jump.

(RELATED CONTENT: Rapid Recap: Celtics 115, Nets 85)

In his post-game press conference, coach Johnson was humbled. “They came with an agenda tonight,” he said of the Boston Celtics. “Kevin Garnett came out tonight, and Rondo and Pierce, with that look on their face… ‘Even though its a preseason game, we want to send a message,’ that’s a true statement.”

To keep things in perspective, this is only one game, but coach Johnson thinks that the loss can help the Nets in the future. ”It was a good learning lesson for us and we got quite a few teaching points,” he said.

He also reacted to some comments that Kevin Garnett that we posted earlier on Thursday in which Garnett said that the Nets are a force to be reckoned with. ”I heard ten people talk about how Kevin Garnett said we’re a team to watch,” said Johnson. “That was a straight set up. If we are, and we got his attention, then he wanted to come out and play hard tonight.”

And Kevin Garnett did, as he shot converted on seven of his nine field goal attempts, ending the game with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in just 22 minutes.

“If there is supposedly a new kid on the block, you know how it goes in the neighborhood… You want to show that it’s your neighborhood,” Johnson said. ”We gotta earn everything, No matter what documentaries and books are being made about us this year, not everyone’s impressed.”

The Nets will have an opportunity to quickly make this game a distant memory. They’ll play the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm.

Moke Hamilton, SNYNets.com

It was only one loss and its the preseason… But tonight’s game goes to show that when the Celtics come to play, they’re a handful. The biggest concern for them will be keeping their core players healthy. But with their depth at all five positions, that really shouldn’t be much of a problem.

The Nets had an off night and they simply couldn’t match the energy or the will of the Celtics. When the two teams meet again on Thursday, November 15, the stakes will be a bit higher, so I expect the Nets to be ready.