Nets advance to face Bucks after finishing off Celtics

Two years after bolting Boston for Brooklyn — and two days after getting hit in the head by a water bottle thrown from the stands at TD Garden — Kyrie Irving finally got closure. And closed out the Celtics.

The Big 3 of Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden led the Nets to a 123-109 Game 5 win, finishing off the first-round series 4-1, before 14,993 jubilant fans at Barclays Center on Tuesday night. They put Boston in their rearview mirror and Milwaukee squarely in their sights.

“The feeling is one of excitement to move on and face a great challenge in Milwaukee, and to get prepared to go do it again. We’re excited for the next step, the next challenge,” coach Steve Nash said. “James was great, obviously; a triple-double, controlled the game, made shots and made his teammates better. He was terrific.”

All of the Big 3 were.

Harden notched the first 30-point triple-double in Nets playoff history with 34 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Irving scored 25 points and Durant added 24. A dominant offense and good-enough defense was enough to build a 22-point cushion and cruise against the shorthanded Celtics.

Irving — after being showered with profanities all throughout Games 3 and 4 in Boston, and even getting his head grazed by a Dasani bottle thrown from the stands — sent the Celtics into their offseason and the Nets into the conference semis.

“It may have been more special to him because of his history there, but this is his time of year when the lights are bright and the competition means the most,” Nash said of Irving.

Added Irving: “I’m grateful for the opportunity I had in Boston. I’m grateful for a lot of the support I had post leaving there. Obviously, it wasn’t the easiest transition to deal with. There was a lot going on there personally when I was there in Boston that a lot of people don’t know about.

“To see emotions that were lingering on for the past year and a half, between that I’m just glad it’s settled and we can just move on.”

The Nets keyed on Jayson Tatum, making him work for his 32 points and shooting just 12 of 27. They held Boston to just 43.5 percent shooting overall and 11 of 40 from deep.

Yes, it came against a threadbare Boston team without Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker and Robert Williams. Go ahead and ask the Nets if they care.

“At the end of the day, nobody really cares. Nobody cares who’s injured. All that matters is the win: This is how it is. So we’ll take it,” Harden said. “We just watch film and try to get better. Every single day, we have a mindset to continue to get better, both offensively and defensively. We’re going to be a special team.”

Who’s to argue? Certainly not the Celtics. Not after the Big 3 torched them for 83 points on Tuesday — two below their series average. That’s the kind of chemistry they have built in just eight regular-season games and this gentleman’s sweep.

“Obviously when you get ahead of ourselves that usually doesn’t work out for us,” Irving said. “We just want to take it one day at a time as we develop more of a collective effort we can be consistent with. I feel like we’ve made strides in a short period of time.”

After briefly trailing by six out of the gate — and 21-19 with three minutes left in the first on a Tatum turnaround — the Nets seized control with a 14-3 run and never gave it up.

Nic Claxton’s dunk off a Joe Harris feed gave Brooklyn a 33-24 cushion.

Durant found Bruce Brown for a turnaround hook shot and 73-59 lead with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter. By the time they reversed it — Durant hitting a 3-pointer off a Brown feed — the Nets were rolling 120-98 with 3:19 to play.

Brooklyn held Boston at arm’s length. With a far tougher test in Milwaukee looming — and Giannis Antetokounmpo having dominated in a pair of Bucks wins May 2 and May 4 — the Nets even got some work in on their 2-3 matchup zone.

“Personally, I’m thinking about them right now, just the matchups and things that they do on both ends of the ball,” Harden said. “Obviously, we know how good they are on both sides and their individual talents. [Wednesday] we’ve got an off day, and on Thursday we go watch film and prepare.”