On March 3, Beijing time, Durant is about to make a comeback in the regular season with the Heat, and after the return of the "Grim Reaper", the Nets will also enter the sprint mode, reach the top 6 in the East, try to avoid playing play-offs, which should be their goal.
So the question is, with only 19 games left in the regular season, can the Nets use the momentum of Durant's return to work hard to rush into the top 6 in the East? Frankly, while Durant's comeback will certainly be a huge help to the Nets, the odds of accomplishing this goal are still slim to none, and 3 reasons can amply prove it.
First, although Durant returns, the Nets are still not in order. Simmons has not been able to return for the entire month of March, and Irving has not yet received permission to play at home. So even with Durant, the Nets' Big 3 will still be 2 less at home and 1 less on the road, which is the first difficulty they face.
Second, there are only 19 games left in the regular season, and it is difficult to overtake the opponent. The 5th Cavaliers and 6th Celtics in the East are both 4.5 wins ahead of the Nets, and with only 19 regular season games remaining, it's hard to come back against their opponents. Especially considering the Celtics' form after the trade, the Cavaliers also ushered in Garland's comeback. And the 7th In the East, the Raptors, are currently 3 wins ahead of the Nets, and have just double-killed the Nets back-to-back, so even if 1 of the Cavaliers and Celtics is left behind, it is more likely that the Raptors will go up than the Nets.
Third, the Nets' schedule is more difficult. With the remaining 19 games, the Nets only played five games against the Magic, Blazers, Pistons, Rockets and Pacers in the final game, which may be relatively easy. The remaining 14 games, with the exception of the Knicks (playing 2 games), are all teams within the threshold of the East-West play-offs, and the Knicks are the Nets' derby opponents, even if the Knicks themselves may not be able to enter the playoffs, but in the derby to create some trouble for the Nets, they should be happy to do.
So from the current situation, even if Durant returns, the Nets want to return to the top 6 in the East, it is still very difficult. As the playoffs approach, they also need to be more cautious about using Durant, not letting him overwork, keeping the top 8 position in the East, trying to enter the playoffs with only 1 goal, and letting Simmons run in with Durant and Irving as soon as possible in April, which should be a more realistic goal.