Relying on Durant's tough play, the Nets finally stopped the decline of the losing streak! It was also because of this wave of losing streaks, but it was not a good game, today's Nets once again lost to the Bucks, the main opponent in the East, and the previous losing streak also caused the Nets to slide to second place in the East. In the previous game against the Pacers, Irving officially ushered in a comeback. Irving scored a comprehensive stat of 22 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the game, helping the team to complete the reversal with difficulty. Shouldn't the Nets' Big Three fit win the game easily? What's going on with this Nets lately?
Affected by the epidemic and injuries this season, all teams are hesitant to move forward. The Nets, who had high hopes, played the first record in the East in the opening season in the case of Irving's long absence and Harden Durant's successive injuries. I thought the Nets would continue to thrive after that, but I didn't expect to suffer a wave of three consecutive defeats recently. Durant angrily criticized the team, and Nash also said that he would make adjustments as soon as possible. The reason why the Nets will suffer a losing streak is that in the final analysis, there is a problem with the defense.
According to statistics, before the Nets suffered a three-game losing streak, their defensive efficiency ranked 6th in the league. During a three-game losing streak, the Nets' defensive efficiency fell to 26th in the league. Defenses don't go up, as long as the main players are not in good shape, the team will easily lose. In terms of rebounding protection, the Nets have also been at a disadvantage. In the loss to the Grizzlies, the Nets were even more defeated by the Grizzlies in terms of rebounding, 62-33. The defense is not careful, the offense is not in shape, and the rebounding is not active. The Nets' loss was to be expected. But the Nets are the Nets after all, and as long as they can make adjustments in time, they are still the favorite team to win the championship this season.
The construction framework of the entire Nets is destined to be a team that is "strong in attack and weak in defense". Before the Big Three gathered, all three of them were masters who averaged 26+ per game. Irving and Harden have always disliked defending. Although Durant attacked and defended, the rupture of the Achilles tendon would drop his defense by one notch. Joe Harris is a regular season shooter but is the equivalent of a white giveaway on the defensive end.
Griffin was defensively positive, but due to height limitations, he was not a good defender either. Mills is a great scorer, but the defense is also a mess. The Nets' main players are all offensive geniuses, so on the defensive end, they can only rely on the speed wheel to switch defenses to limit opponents' scores. Although playing in this way can solve the team's defensive problems, the physical exertion on its own players is also huge. And as long as there is a little bit of communication on the defensive end, the player's defensive enthusiasm will also be hit to a certain extent.
Look at teams that have rarely suffered consecutive defeats this season, they all take defense very seriously. The Suns attack and defense have a complete system, and the Warriors who are fluent in the attack itself also have players such as Green, Wiggins, and Porter to do defensive logistics support. Although the Lakers' championship-winning season has been criticized by people on the outside, they can rely on defense to successfully harvest the game. Looking at today's Nets, although after a simple run-in last season, when the team played half-time offense, there was still not too much passing, blocking and dismantling cooperation, but relied on the super personal singles ability of the big three to complete the score. The Nets, which did not form a complete offensive and defensive system, are very powerful, but they are extremely unstable in the regular season stage.
We all know that the playoffs are the stage for superstars, so the Nets have an unparalleled advantage in this regard. Once it comes to the playoffs, the physical confrontation of the players will be more intense, and the pertinence of the defense will be greatly strengthened. The team's weaknesses will also be poked at by the other side. But basketball is after all a sport to see who scores more, the Nets have Durant, Irving two super ball-holding attackers, their key ball handling problems can be well solved. So as long as their defense doesn't boast too much, the Nets have a good chance of winning in a 7-game, 4-game series.
The Nets' biggest opponent to date in the East is still the Bucks. The Bucks are an offensive and defensive team composed of Alphabet Brother, Middleton and Holliday. Whether they are defending individually or collectively, they can keep up with the offensive rhythm of any team in the league.
The Bucks have a Greek half-orc extreme frame on the inside, Di Vincenzo, Allen, Portis and Connaughton on the outside, and the key balls are finished by Holliday and Middleton. And after the finals last season, the main players of the entire Bucks will also become more mature. If the Nets want to beat the Bucks in the playoffs, it is difficult to do it with superstar singles alone. The Nets also need to play more holistically and tenaciously.
The Nets first strengthen their rim protection on the defensive end, and compete for second rebounds. Take a look at the Nets' four rim-protectors: Against Griffin, who averaged 4.7 rebounds and 0.39 blocks per game, the opponent's basket shooting percentage was 68.4%; against Millsap, who averaged 3.4 rebounds and 0.35 blocks per game, the opponent's basket shooting rate was 61.7%; against Aldridge, who averaged 13.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, the opponent's basket shooting rate was 54.7; against Clexton, who averaged 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, the opponent's basket shooting rate was 50%.
From the data, we can see why Nash reused Aldridge and Clexton. But if you want to make the team better after that, you can try to use Clexton more in the regular season and give Aldridge more playing time in the playoffs. This both ensured Aldridge's health and allowed Clexton to exercise in the regular season. If the Nets can trade Leitner in the middle, the problem of the protective frame is basically solved. Without Owen or Mills as chips, the Pacers wouldn't let Turner go.
The Nets should add countless running positions and crossover cover on the offensive end. Watching the Nets, you'll find that the tactics often used by teams are: Durant, Harden or Irving hold the ball on the weak side, and the role players are brought up to block it. At this time, they rely on their super singles ability to solve the battle, and the role players next to them stand quietly, watching the performance of the star of the house.
While the Nets Big Three were well placed to hit the ball, the players on the court were invisibly split. In the long run, if there is no cooperation between players, there will be a situation where the main players are tired and easy to be injured, and the role players are not active in the game. But if there is an increase in no-ball running position and crossover cover between players, with Harden's super organizational ability, the team will definitely play more smoothly. After all, a team with talent and good cooperation is most likely to win the final championship in a long season!
The road to the most brilliant is always the most bumpy. In today's NBA, no team can absolutely dominate the league. Once you enter the playoffs, there will be a situation of the following offenses and the struggle for supremacy. The Nets Big Three are at their peak, and if they can't achieve a championship in the last two years, then they can only choose to tear down and rebuild. Looking forward to the Nets making good adjustments after that, and winning the championship this season!