In a strong dialogue in the East, the Brooklyn Nets at the top of the list suffered a loss, and they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers after a bitter battle, which was also the first time the Nets lost in the third showdown between the two sides. However, from this game, the Nets do have many problems, even if Kevin Durant and James Harden scored 66 points together, especially the latter also got a quasi-triple-double. However, only four people on the team scored double digits, starting point guard Patrick Mills missed accuracy, and the bench scored only nine points in total, which were the main reasons for the Nets' loss.
After this bitter battle against the 76ers, the Nets also face an embarrassing statistic, that is, when facing the top six opponents in the East so far this season, the Nets have won 4 and 5 losses, and the winning rate is less than 50%. If you include the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, who are also the top two in the league in the West, then so far, the Nets' record against the league's strong teams is only 4 wins and 7 losses, which is obviously unreasonable. The Nets had the last two games against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first two times this season, and they laughed to the end, but not only did they not defend Embiid this time, but the 76ers' two starting guards, Seth Curry and Maxi, both performed well, which was the main reason for the Nets' loss.
In addition to a two-time win over the 76ers earlier in the season, the Nets also doubled the Big Black McLeaveland Cavaliers in the East this season. But one thing that's worth noting is that in the two games against the Cavaliers, the Nets lineup is relatively neat. However, cavaliers starting point guard Colin Sexton was injured early and reimbursed in advance, and the team's interior star Evan Mobley did not play in two games, and Jarret Allen and Laurie Markkanen also missed once each, which made the Nets face the Cavaliers' two wins, some lack of gold.
The rest of the games against the strongest teams, the Nets have lost without exception, and often they have lost miserably. In the season opener, the Nets traveled to Milwaukee again to challenge defending champion Bucks. You must know that last season, it was the other side that eliminated the Nets, and finally broke through from the East and won the championship. The Nets originally wanted to hold back a momentum to complete the revenge, and the result was that the Bucks were like a bamboo to meet the head-on, a big victory over the Nets by 23 points, which can really be said that the old vendetta has not been repaid and a new hatred has been added. And the Bucks, after surviving the early season injury wave and a series of blows triggered by multiple homemakers triggering health and safety agreements, have been catching up this time and have now risen to the third place in the East, and it seems that by the time of the playoffs, they will become a big rival to the Nets.
Currently ahead of the Bucks are the Chicago Bulls, which are rising fast. In the offseason, they managed to play many powerful players such as DeMar DeRozan, Ronzo Ball and Alex Caruso, plus Zach Lavin and Nikola Vucevic, and the Bulls have a metamorphosis this season. In both meetings with the Nets, the Bulls won, and the first meeting between the two teams, the Bulls won 23 points over the Nets. When they returned home, the Nets were desperate to complete their revenge, but still lost 107-111, and suffered a double kill.
In addition, the Nets also lost at home to the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, and two of them were big losses, only 6 points against the Suns, and the other two games combined to lose 31 points. In this case, it is no wonder that the Nets have been questioned by the outside world, although the team's record is still at the top of the list in the East, but to put it bluntly, it is because the Nets are relatively stable, and they are only promised against the weak brigades. Such a team can easily achieve good results in the regular season, but when it comes to the bayonet-red playoffs, it often encounters great obstacles.
Speaking of which, everyone will be curious about where the Nets' problem is, and personally it seems that there are two main reasons. First of all, the Nets lack a reliable guard gate, although Nicholas Clarkston grows very fast, but it is relatively inexperienced, and when facing taller and stronger opponents, Clarkston's role will be greatly reduced. The other players in the interior position are not only old, but also have their own shortcomings. LaMarcus Aldridge was forced to retire last season because of heart problems, and although he insists on coming back now, you can't put the heavy responsibility on him; Blake Griffin was a weak player at his peak, not to mention that he has been repeatedly injured and his mobility has been much worse than before; and Millsap has been selected for the best defensive team, but he is older, and his height is relatively poor among the inside players.
Another point is that the Nets offensive end can only point to Durant and Harden single-handedly, this time the two men combined to cut 66 points, but the Nets still lost the game. To put it bluntly, they always have to rest, and when the confrontation and defensive intensity increase at key moments, other players need to be able to stand up. It's no wonder everyone misses Owen, after all, if he can stay healthy and focus on the court, many of the Nets' problems can be solved. Instead of the current situation, the Nets have repeatedly disarmed when they encounter strong opponents.