Before the start of the season, the biggest favorite to win the championship was the Brooklyn Nets, they had the big three sitting in the world, the world, Durant's historical level scoring ability, indiscriminate misplaced singles, Harden's first double guard in history, the ball quotient, excellent skills, the organization of the pass has the function of turning decay into magic, Irving has already proved his big heart in the Finals, shooting the most famous three-pointer in Cleveland's history.
The most enviable point is that the projection level of these three people is the top, not as difficult to run into like the ball-holding superstar, even if there is no good chemistry, with the personal strength of the three of them, it is enough to turn the opponent upside down.
However, people are not as good as the sky, the plan can not catch up with the change, Irving in the offseason clearly stated that he will not be vaccinated against the new crown, according to the regulations, if he does not vaccinate, can not play, the result Irving resolutely does not back down, the Nets can only start the new season without Irving, the big three exist in name only.
However, what fans did not expect is that the performance of another giant Harden also showed a cliff-like decline, in the first five games, Harden's highest score was only 20 points, two games were even less than 15 points, the shooting rate was even more miserable, only more than 30%, more terrible than the data is Harden in the field like sleepwalking state, absent-minded, frequent mistakes, bad offensive choices, defense is a mess, not to mention creating opportunities for teammates, he is a drag oil bottle.
Fortunately, the Nets and Durant, usually, the most outstanding thing about the historical departure of stars is its terrible stability, in the case of Irving has entered another world, Harden continued to slump, Durant played the ultimate personal performance, he led the team forward with a nearly incomprehensible cross-step shooting, several games of each game hit more than 50%, it is under his leadership, the Nets still occupy the top spot in the East.
Durant's days alone have been hard and stressful, and some time ago, Durant triggered a health and safety agreement and has missed three games. But after surviving the severe cold, it is not far from the winter of spring and warm flowers, and Harden stands out at this time.
Against the Lakers, he scored a triple-double of 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, so that James' 39 points on the opposite side were reduced to empty cuts, against the Clippers, Harden frantically cut 39 points and 15 assists in 15 of 25 shots, and also contributed two steals, Durant was absent, Harden once again played MVP-level performance, not only scoring to take, but also to drive teammates, is the real team engine.
Harden proved that as long as the status and attitude are online at the same time, his level is still not comparable to that of an ordinary starter, even if he only has eighty percent of the power at the peak, he can leverage the defense of most teams.
For the Nets, there is also good news, that Irving is also about to return, although he is still not vaccinated, but he will play away games, in any case, this is a decision made by players and teams based on consensus, which can significantly improve the overall combat effectiveness of the Nets.
That is to say, as Harden's status rises, Irving is about to return to the team, and the Nets' Big Three, which has gone through twists and turns in the new season, is finally going to return, so what will happen to the Nets next?
First of all, even in the days that Adu struggled to support, the Nets' record was still the first in the East, and by now, their difficult period has passed, and Adu has remained healthy, and the subsequent games are easy to manage.
Harden's return to the throne, while also having Irving who can play away games in the second half, is a change in the number of superstars, from one to three, but also means that the team's strength has undergone a qualitative change, their fault tolerance rate will be high and terrible, and even tolerate all expected mistakes. In the most difficult period, even if Adu is in average condition and not so hot, the Nets' game will be difficult to play, the opponent will be a bag of Adu, teammates can not give a response, the Nets' game is basically accounted for. But now, with Harden and Irving, no team dares to wrap Durant at will anymore, and when Durant doesn't feel good, Harden and Irving's singles ability is enough to add fire to the Nets, and there is no need to worry about the offense being dudded. Adu also does not have to take on the heavy responsibility as he did before, and in the first half, he can even paddle the water, wait until the most critical moment, and then wield the Death Scythe to harvest the game and reduce the risk of injury.
In difficult times, the Nets' winning rate against strong teams is not good, especially in the face of the biggest rival to the championship Warriors, the Nets are beaten without any strength, the reason is that Adu's point is too single, in the future, the Nets' ability to attack the stronghold will be stronger, the tactical cooperation will be more abundant, and no team will easily win on them.
In addition, Clarkston, Griffin, Brown and other players who were in the doldrums at the beginning of the season are gradually finding their feelings, Ade and Mills are perfectly integrated into the team, Bembry plays a value, the potential of multiple young rookies is put on the table, if the Nets lineup is complete, it is difficult to find everyone's potential, this adversity actually accelerates the growth of the team, surviving the adversity, and making the perfect preparation for the good times.
In the first half of the season, Durant handed over top performances, won the MVP competition, and in the second half, he will no longer fight alone, the two strong reinforcements and various role players are in place, and they can adjust freely between paddling or power.
Whether Irving will compromise on vaccination is unknown, but as long as he can play away games and Harden keeps his touch, then the Nets are the only team in the league, they will blow up an offensive frenzy, and we finally have a chance to see the strongest version of the Nets, how terrifying it is when combined.