In a playoff spot, the Brooklyn Nets lost 120-126 to direct rivals the Boston Celtics. After losing this game, the Nets' winning percentage this season is once again less than 50%, and the playoff situation is no longer optimistic. We all know that the league has changed the rules in the past two years, and to add suspense and attention, only the top six teams in the division can now get playoff tickets directly, and the 7-10 need to participate in the playoffs to compete for the last two spots.
Originally the situation for the Nets is very favorable, in front of the team more or less suffered injury impact, the Nets this Irving at least can play the away game, Durant also announced a comeback, new signings Seth Curry and Andre Drummond also performed well after joining, the result did not expect the Nets record or nothing to improve, Durant returned two games, the state has been very brave, against the Miami Heat, Durant cut 31 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. And this game against the Boston Celtics, although Tatum data is better, but in fact, Durant's performance is also quite good, he cut 37 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks, in the case of repeated injuries in the past two years, Durant still maintains excellent form, the two games combined 68 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Unfortunately, Durant's strength alone is still unable to help the Nets win, and the team regrets to suffer two defeats.
Everyone must remember that although Irving could not play in the first half of this season, the Nets still held the top position in the Eastern Conference, and the turning point came in the middle of January when Kevin Durant was injured, and the Nets' record and status can be described as a cliff-like decline. Originally, Kelly Irving's comeback could make up for the loss to a certain extent, but after the comeback, Kelly Owen not only did not realize his mistakes, but also made controversial remarks many times, simply breaking the James Harden mentality. The atmosphere of the Nets locker room can be said to be a mess, harden was sent away at the last moment of the deadline, it was a difficult decision for the Nets, the big three only cooperated for more than a year to announce the dissolution, the Nets not only did not win the championship, but also sent a large number of young players and draft picks, and now sent Harden to another Eastern powerhouse, the Philadelphia 76ers, which is really a loss of wife and folding.
The outside world regards Kevin Durant as a savior, and his personal performance is indeed outstanding. But everyone ignores two problems, first of all, Durant is also in the twilight of his career, and it is unrealistic to expect him to show his dominance on the court for a long time, which LeBron James is a good proof, not to mention that Durant also has a serious injury history. In addition, today is different from the past, the East is no longer like the past fish belly, today's competition is very cruel, basketball is a team sport, just expect Durant alone, want to bring the Nets into the playoffs is not an easy task.
In fact, looking at the current lineup, even Durant can't move the Nets. First of all, due to Harden's departure, coupled with Simmons not playing, the Nets lack a real court commander. Although Irving is a point guard, his playing style is more inclined to the second position, and the organizational pass is not the top. Seth Curry and Mills are okay with individual offense, but they also can't string the teams together. This makes Durant have to take care of the organization while protecting the individual offense, but the effect is actually average, and Durant has made as many as 10 mistakes in the past two games, and the Nets have completely fallen into the opponent's defensive trap.
Then there's the old problem, the Nets are clearly a team that relies heavily on stars, but there are very few reliable pitchers in the lineup. Now the Nets' outside firepower, basically relying on Durant and Irving's two major stars to continue, Seth Curry is easy to use, but relying on him alone, after all, it still seems to be a drop in the bucket. As the season progresses, Patrick Mills' nerve knife attributes are fully exposed, and you can't expect him to always turn the tide. Of course, for the Nets, the most important point is that Joe Harris has been absent for a long time due to injury, and it has been determined that the early season reimbursement has been determined. Originally, he was the most stable shooter in the Nets' lineup, and he also renewed his long contract with the team, which was really a thunderbolt for the Nets.
Finally, if the offense can still rely on the stars to cover the bottom, the Nets' defense is really terrible. Losing more than 120 points per game is a common thing, and the Net once limits the opponent's loss of points to less than 100 or the All-Star final game against the Kings, but the latter is an uncompromising fish belly. In particular, several guards, whether it is Irving, Mills, Seth Curry or even the new dragic, are not good at defense, and the Nets' outside line is like paper paste. After losing to two strong opponents in a row, the Nets have little hope of entering the top six in the East, in fact, their current record is equal to that of the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets, and even the Washington Wizards, who are 11th in the East, are only two wins behind the Nets. As it goes, the Nets' goal needs to be adjusted to qualify for the playoffs.