Pre-match analysis
Kevin Durant will miss 4-6 weeks due to injury, in such a situation, the Nets' devil schedule has become good news, the next 11 games, 9 are away games, which means that Kyrie Irving can play. The Nets' first opponent was the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving's old club. The Cavaliers are no longer the Belly of the East, garlander has led the team all the way to win consecutively, and is currently in sixth place in the East. Also, the Cavaliers' strongest is the inside line, and this is the Nets' shortcoming.
The Cavaliers have just finished a six-game trip and returned home, and they immediately ushered in the Nets' challenge. Although the strength of the two teams is not at the same level, Kevin Durant's absence undoubtedly gives the Cavaliers a chance, as long as they take advantage of the inside advantage, there is still a high probability of winning.
The course of the game
As the team's home star, Garland showed talent in the first quarter, scoring 12 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 2 steals on 5-of-7 shooting, although there were 3 mistakes, but the flaws were not hidden. In the face of Garland's impact, Irving did not fall behind, 7 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists on 3-of-6 shooting, Mills also scored 8 points, and the Nets still led the Cavaliers 31-30 in the first quarter. After returning from the second quarter, the Nets' offense began to decline, and the Cavaliers frequently won on the inside, scoring 35 points in a single quarter and successfully surpassing the Nets by 6 points.
In the second half, Irving took over the game again, shooting 6 of 8, 2 of 2 three-pointers, 14 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in a single quarter, and led the Nets to successfully surpass 1 point with an unparalleled personal performance. However, in the final quarter, facing the defensively strengthened Cavaliers, the Nets' offense did not work, Mills did not have a single shot, Edwards shot 0 of 2, did not score a point, Irving only 7 shots 2, Harden scored 6 free throws to get 6 points, no sports goals, the team only scored 19 points in the final quarter, and finally the Cavaliers beat the Nets 114-107.
Post-match interviews
The Brooklyn Nets collapsed once again in the final quarter, and without Kevin Durant's insoluble offensive killer, Nash's blank tactical board really couldn't provide enough for the team. Kyrie Irving shot 12-of-23 and had 27 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, and his personal performance was impeccable, with plus-minus +14 being the first in the team, but in an interview after the game, Irving still expressed his longing for Durant. Owen said: "Durant's injury is a huge blow, replacing Durant, is an impossible thing.
James Harden praised Irving when he talked about the next 13 games, the Nets had 10 away games: As a team, when we have Irving, we have a huge chance to win some victories. Harden also reviewed that today did not end the game at a critical moment and let the victory slip away from the eyes. In this game, Harden shot 5 of 12 and 10 of 15 from the free throw line, with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists, but the plus-minus -18 was the first in the team. The good news is that Harden confessed that his knee hit was no big deal.
It is worth mentioning that Marc Stein revealed that there is enough noise in the league, and Harden is open to this summer's transfer. The reporter then added: The 76ers will not send Bency before the trade deadline this season, and then do their best to complete a complicated trade this summer to bring Harden to Philadelphia and Bency to Brooklyn. With the news that Harden has been refusing to renew his contract early, and the fact that the 76ers have been on hold on to Ben Simmons, it is indeed possible that this will become a reality. Harden partnered Embiid, Irving Durant teamed up with Simmons, perhaps a win-win situation.