The Celtics blocked 12 shots in their Game 1 loss to the Nets and Tristan Thompson was a meager contributor to the block party, with only one swat. A few days later, Thompson finally came up with a resounding rejection.

He was one of the witnesses at Barclays Center to the three-pronged scoring machine assembled in Brooklyn for the expressed purpose of outgunning each and every opponent. The Big 3 of the Nets accounted for 79 percent of their points in a 104-93 playoff victory and it surely felt as if after one half of drip, drip, drip, a spigot was opened up and the Nets’ points came pouring out.

As if, the Nets believed they could — and then proceeded to — turn it on when they needed to do so.

“You said they’re playing with a swagger?” Celtics center Tristan Thompson said Monday after practice. “A swagger.

“I mean, listen, give a team with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, you better step on the court feeling good about yourself. But we don’t give a s–t about that. I think they put their socks on, their shoes on just like us. So we’re not intimidated or anything like that. That swagger thing, I don’t even know, I don’t even know how to answer that.”

The Celtics came up with a few answers in the opener, but they need a whole lot more Tuesday night in Game 2 to prevent falling into an 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven series. Are the Celtics going to again in this series limit the Nets to 41.7 percent shooting from the floor and an even worse 23.5 percent from 3-point range? Are the Celtics going to again see the Nets get very little (11 points from four players) off their bench?

With so many check marks next to their defensive goals, the Celtics still lost, mainly because their two main offensive guns, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, shot a combined 11 for 36, and that is not going to cut it.

“I thought we played good defense, but I think the whole time I think we have to score more than 110 to beat these guys on a normal night,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “We have to be way better offensively and we have to bring that same energy level, that same competitiveness.”

The Celtics were within three points early in the fourth quarter before Irving sparked a 17-3 spurt with 11 points. It could have been Durant fueling the run. Or Harden. Or two of the three. Or, all three. The Celtics probably do not have enough firepower to keep up. Consider this: Will the Celtics again be able to hold the Big 3 to 21 percent (5 of 24) shooting from beyond the arc?

“It’s kind of like those Golden State teams,” said Thompson, who after nine seasons with the Cavaliers signed with the Celtics this year. “I guess Kevin Durant took what he did in Golden State and brought it over here to Brooklyn. I think to stop the bleeding you can’t get caught up in the 3s and then the crowd goes crazy.”