Kevin Durant and James Harden jumped high, and the two collided in the air with a spark of victory and happiness. With the return of Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn's "Big Three" celebrated their 16th reunion at the Union Center.
On Jan. 13, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Chicago Bulls in the East 138-112, sweeping away the haze of their previous two double kills. Durant, Harden and Irving watched the huge lead in the fourth quarter, sat on the bench and talked happily, and the assistant coach behind them interjected from time to time with a smile. It turns out that when Durant, Harden and Irving appear on the court at the same time, the Nets' performance is so good that their strength cannot be doubted.
"We're just that good." Asked if he was surprised at how quickly the Big Three chemistry was, Harden said, "We had the opportunity to do that so well." And we're not doing well enough right now. We probably played 15 games together last year, a little more or a little less. This year there were only 2. We haven't really had a season yet – you can see how great we are. We are still working hard to achieve the full strength of the three of us to form the Big Three. ”
In this campaign, Harden shot 6-of-13 and had 25 points, 7 rebounds, 16 assists, 1 steal and 1 block; Durant cut 27 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals with just 10 shots; Irving had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 4-of-10 shooting.
The two teams in the top two in the East, one team has lost five of their last seven games, and the other team has won by 46 points the day before. But when the game ends, the Nets look like they're the real title contenders, and the Bulls' most immediate feeling is that no defense can restrain the Nets.
The datasheet shows that the Nets have 35 assists and 138 points, only single digits of turnover, and more rebounds and steals than their opponents.
The Nets led the Bulls by a staggering 38 points at most, but the game didn't start out as easily as the final result suggested. The Opening Bulls put a lot of defensive pressure on the Nets, and they resolutely took a two-man attack to force Durant and Harden to play the ball, not allowing the Big Three to use the cover to hold the ball into the basket. In the eyes of the Bulls, the Nets' two rookies, Kessler Edwards and Dai Roan Sharp, deserve a strategic abandonment. Deduct it, anyway, it is 2 points.
The Bulls' focus is not a big problem, but Coach Donovan still underestimated the ability of the two MVPs to instigate the offense. They took turns to fight with Sharp and Edwards, and as long as the Bulls contracted slightly to supplement the defense, Durant found Harden buried outside the three-point line, and Harden naturally laughed at the empty three-pointers given by Bai. Durant, Harden and Irving each delivered 3 assists in the first quarter, and the Big Three made 28 assists and 4 turnovers.
While Harden admits that he himself isn't sure how well the Big Three will play, he believes the Nets will become more cohesive with Irving's return. After the game, Harden said: "We have to do that. To be honest, since I came here, everything has gone crazy and gone through ups and downs. From last year to this year, we didn't have any coherence. But we're not far from that at all. We are all 'killers', we can all attack, but we are also selfless. We just want to make the right choice. We just have to stand on the pitch and we can do that on the pitch. ”
Prior to this game, the Nets had a 0-8 record against the top four teams in the East and West. Nets head coach Steve Nash also told reporters before the game that considering the team has not yet won the Bulls or other teams of the Bulls' level, he does not think tonight's game is a statement battle. In the first half, the two teams were evenly matched, but when the game entered the third quarter, the Nets played a 39-19 offensive frenzy, in which Durant wielded a sickle to score 10 points in a row, and the instantaneous scoring explosion broke the game. It was also the most points they had scored in a single quarter of the season.
Durant said: "You definitely want to play well with the best team in the league. Especially after losing the last game, we want to pick ourselves up, no matter who the opponent is. But it's good to be here and win in such a tough environment. This team has been very hot lately and you can feel that the fans are starting to understand that Chicago Bulls basketball is back, so it means a lot to us to come here and win games that way. ”
The Bulls singled out de Mar DeRozan in the second quarter to try to change the Nets' defense. DeRozan was also rude, playing Irving on his back, dribbling the ball to single out Edwards, and once the Nets packed him, he also passed the ball to the outside line, and Lonzo Ball hit a three-pointer. Zach Lavin scored seven consecutive points through the breakout, and the Nets failed to limit the Bulls' two top scorers on the defensive end in the first half.
Durant believes the Nets' key is defense, which has been a problem the team has been facing over the past few weeks. As Durant pointed out, the Nets' defense in the third quarter eventually left it out of reach. The Nets caught LaVine furiously, giving him just two shots in the third quarter, and a high-speed, oppressive change of defense allowed the Bulls' shooters to shoot 1-of-9 in the third quarter.
The Nets look like they've been playing together all season. Irving's struggles didn't affect the ability of the offense to function, Mills returned as a sniper, and other role players played to their advantage. That's the team Nets general manager Sean Marks expected when he traded Harden.
That's what Sean Max envisioned a year ago when he traded draft picks with the team's young rising star to put the three greatest scorers in the NBA today on the same list. Nights like the one against the Bulls should be the norm, not the exception.
Can the Nets maintain this success? With Irving returning to the team, the Nets' confidence in winning the championship suddenly rose again. Owen said: "I felt like we had an incredible determination all night and we were in that state where the opponent would feel our danger. ”
Harden still has hopes for Irving, who wants to play at home at some point in the season.
"I'll create shooting opportunities for him." Harden laughed.
It may not be long before Harden's expectations become a reality. Between now and the All-Star Game, and even a few months into the playoffs, Irving is fully capable of becoming a full-time player, and the Nets are very optimistic about this.
According to ESPN, "Even if Irving still chooses not to be vaccinated, at some point in the season, the Nets may be willing to pay him a fine, a fine of $5,000, but this will violate the local epidemic prevention policy in New York, and the Nets are not willing to do this kind of thing at present." Nets owner Tsai Chongxin has also publicly supported that people should be vaccinated against COVID-19, so they still have some time to digest and accept this. ”
Owen, land immortal.