Fast forward to Jan. 21, 2021, the day the Nets came to Cleveland and played the Cavaliers on the road for double overtime. In that game, Irving, who had previously been absent due to personal affairs, returned to the team lineup and joined forces with Durant and Harden, who had just joined at the time, for the first time, to make the "debut" of the Nets' Big Three. It was also in that game that the three superstars showed the power of the combination and teamed up to score 96 points. If it weren't for Sexton, who scored 42 points, and the Cavaliers, the Nets Big Three would have made the start.
However, although the debut suffered a loss, the Nets still had a positive attitude up and down. Durant, for example, said after that game: "It feels very right, it feels like we were born to play together." I think there will be a lot of fun for us to have together in the future journey. ”
Just a year later, on January 18, 2022, Beijing time, the Nets came to Cleveland again. In the past year, Durant's "fun" has not appeared too many times. The bumps on and off the field made it impossible for them to keep the squad in order for a long time.
The away game against the Cavaliers was durant's first game for the Nets after suffering a knee sprain. As a result, they suffered a 107-114 defeat. A year ago, Sexton ruined the Big Three's first "fit show" with an outstanding scoring performance. A year later, the man who stood in the way of the Nets was replaced by another of the Cavaliers' guards, Darius Garland. Garland, who won last week's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, had 22 points and 12 assists in a single game, making Nets guard Carey Irving, who can only play on the road, also feel the meaning of the word "fearsome".
In addition to the pressure from opponents, Irving is also aware of the problems inside the team now. "We really have a long way to go," Owen said, "and the plans we have had, and the plans we have now, have been interrupted by problems and uncontrollable things." For example, in last year's playoffs, James (Harden) was injured and could not play. And during one of my jump shots, Giannis came up and his foot was right where I landed. Then this year, the circumstances of the epidemic made me play now, and kevin (Durant) couldn't play again. ”
At this point, Owen paused. Because in the previous game, Durant was hit by a teammate in the knee, resulting in a sprained cruciate ligament, which left the basketball star unable to play for at least a month. This is by no means good news for Irving. "It's too tough, especially when you're still thinking about how to pinch all the elements together," Owen continues, "and we still haven't been together for a long time." I don't know the exact numbers myself, have we played 20 games together? ”
The answer to that question is no, since last year's away appearance with the Cavaliers, the Nets Big Three have made only 16 appearances on the field. Compared with the other two giants, Durant's position in the Nets lineup is more irreplaceable. Before the injury, Durant was the team's top scorer and second rebounder, and his absence made the team have a lot of problems on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends.
In response to these problems, the solution given by head coach Nash is to continue to stick to the small lineup that has achieved great success before. Nash had liked to push Durant into the fifth position and then pair him with four pitchers. In a battle with the Cavaliers, when Durant could not play, Nash once let Aldridge play the fifth position for a while, hoping to repeat the previous successful model. But Aldridge is not Durant after all, plus he has not played an official game for 10 days because of the sore right foot, in the end, Aldridge only got 13 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, and in the 23 minutes he played, the Nets lost 10 points.
On the inside, the Nets were punished by Jarrett Allen, who they sent to the Cavaliers when they traded Harden a year ago. Facing his old club, Allen showed no mercy, scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds in a single game. Allen's "Cavaliers three-high" combination, but in the interior scoring, it is 20 points ahead of the Nets.
Nash said publicly at the start of the season that even if the team hadn't sent Allen off on a trade, they wouldn't be able to afford the young centre-forward's contract today. But Allen has proven with his own performances this season that the 5-year, $100 million contract the Cavaliers gave him in the offseason is definitely worth the money. When Durant is healthy, he can also occasionally make a cameo appearance on the court as a guard, but with Durant now hanging up the free card, the shortcomings of the Nets' interior line are even more obvious.
However, Allen had left the Nets as early as last season, and the Nets had no choice but to use the existing lineup as much as possible. Against the Cavaliers, Nash sent rookie Sharp in the starting center position. Speaking of which, Sharp's high school coach has also coached Irving before, and this origin has made the two Nets teammates seem to have some sparks in the game with the Cavaliers.
However, Irving's most dazzling performance is his personal play on the offensive end. Facing his old club Cavaliers, on this familiar floor, Irving scored 27 points in a single game. In the third quarter in particular, Irving scored 14 points in a single quarter to help the Nets smooth out the nine-point deficit and give the team a lead into the fourth quarter. However, the Nets still did not withstand the opponent's offensive attack in the last quarter, and the 27-19 score in the single quarter allowed them to finally swallow the bitter fruit of the defeat.
So, will the team's current predicament change Irving's inner judgment and decision on vaccination? If Irving is willing to be vaccinated, he can also play at home, and he can certainly help the Nets alleviate the impact of Durant's absence. In this regard, Owen still firmly stated that his previous decision would not waver.
"We're going to have different opponents, we're going to have different situations," Owen said, "Kevin [Durant]'s injury will get better and he'll be fine after that." We will also deal with this situation as his teammate. However, when the topic comes to my personal life off the basketball court, I will still insist on my own decisions, which will not be shaken by the change in my life in the NBA. ”
"I repeat again, I respect everyone's decision, and I'm not going to try to convince anyone of anything," Owen continued, "and all I have to do is continue to stand firm in what I believe in." Although we are in a situation where Kevin means it now, I know that I will be well protected by the team, by my teammates, and by all the doctors with whom I have interacted. I will continue to insist on my decision. ”