The Brooklyn Nets lost again. Facing the mediocre Oklahoma Thunder, the Nets at home failed to reverse the decline, and they were almost suppressed, trailing by as many as 23 points at the maximum, and finally lost 130-109. Harden scored a team-high 26 points, but only 7-of-22 shooting, embarrassing efficiency. After this campaign, bearded bearded career three-pointers hit 4456, chasing Ray Allen, dominating the top list is just around the corner.
However, the Nets' loss was understandable, it was their fourth game in the past five days, and James Harden and his teammates were tired. Since playing the Spurs on January 10, Beijing time, they have experienced two back-to-back schedules, which is a severe physical test for the whole team. It is worth mentioning that the nets lost two back-to-back games, first the Blazers and then the Thunder, and obviously they are not very good at playing back-to-back schedules for the next day.
How fast is the Nets' five-day trip? We may be able to see it in James Harden's post-game interview. The bearded man complained to the camera: "Really tired... We flew to Portland, then Chicago, and finally back home. In addition, we are grossly understaffed today. Today's result was a bit frustrating for us because we really wanted to win. We played well last night and we hope to continue last night's momentum, but that didn't happen. ”
Harden also gave a detailed description of the difficulties of this wave of schedules: "We got off the plane very early, almost five o'clock in the morning, and I didn't go to bed until 7:30 in the morning, and then I got up very early. It's really crazy and we've done everything we can. Bearded did not forget to give affirmation to his former owner Thunder's performance in this game: "They (referring to the Thunder) threw some very difficult goals. Statistically, they're one of the worst three-point shooters in the league, yet tonight they hit 20 three-pointers. They must be given the respect they deserve. ”
Of course, James Harden isn't the only player who talks about the schedule being very exhausting, and rookie Dyron Sharp makes the same argument. The 20-year-old young center has gradually gained the trust of head coach Steve Nash in the last five games and has begun to gradually increase his playing time, but it is still not in the same order of magnitude as Harden's appearance time. Even so, the continuous back-to-back still drained his energy.
Sharp told reporters: "Physically, I never knew that traveling would make people so tired. I mean, we got off the plane at five in the morning and there was a race scheduled that night, and I've never experienced anything like that. But I'm in the league and I know I have to take it as a professional. I don't mean to complain, I'm glad I can play here. ”
The Nets' schedule isn't going to be easy, and on the contrary, their Devils' schedule will continue — after a day off at home against the New Orleans Pelicans, they'll set off on a four-game streak of challenges, with the Cavaliers, Wizards, Spurs and Timberwolves all of formidable rivals. And the continuous road trip will continue to consume the nets' exhausted physical reserves. How to adjust the rotation reasonably and how to avoid injuries due to fatigue of players is a big problem in front of coach Nash.
The good news, though, is that there's a day off between every away game, which means Kevin Durant doesn't have a mandatory break, and playing away means carey Owen can be put on a shoeset and unaffected by New York City's epidemic regulations. Once the Big Three play at the same time, the Nets' book strength is still unquestionable. What kind of answers will they be able to deliver after this devil's race? Will Nash's platooning surprise Nets fans? Let's wait and see.