In February last year, after a "game" with the Rockets, the final Nets management, as desired, without paying Durant or Irving, won Harden through multi-party transactions, thus forming a "Duoha" super three-giant combination, which became the biggest championship favorite in the league at that time.
Unfortunately, the nets' first season together did not win the championship, and even the Eastern Conference Finals could not break in. During the playoffs in 21 years, Harden and Irving were plagued by injuries, which led to the Nets losing to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals and only reaching the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs...
However, the failure of the big three to win the championship in the first year is not the most regrettable. After all, the Heat Big Three, which failed to win the championship in 2011, has already been experienced once. But when the outside world dominates the Nets Big Three in the new season and looks forward to them - the Nets Big Three disintegrated.
After the failure of the Nets' big three to impact the championship last season, coupled with the new season Irving's "ban" and Durant's long injury, harden's patience was finally exhausted. So before the end of the trading day, Harden chose to leave the Nets to join Philadelphia and find a new platform for the championship.
The Nets, which did not have Harden's blessing, did not show a "counterattack" trend after the All-Star Game, but instead lost six times in a wave of seven games, and once fell out of the top eight in the East. And with the Western Lakers at that time, it showed a trend of "a moment of yuliang"...
Seven wins in the last eight battles! Duou scored consecutive high points to lead the Nets back to the top eight in the East
After the All-Ming game, the Nets, whose lineup is broken, have experienced a downturn of seven wins and six losses. Fortunately, with Irving's return and Durant's recovery, they regained the feeling of winning.
Durant's first teaming up with Irving after his comeback, although he only shot 6 of 13 in a single game, 14 points, 3 boards and 7 assists, but he "completed" Irving, helping Irving shoot 15 of 19 in a single game, shooting 50 points with 78.9% shooting.
And just when the outside world questioned Durant's state after his comeback, Durant decisively counterattacked. When Irving couldn't play because he wasn't vaccinated a while ago, Durant faced the Knicks on 19-of-37 shooting, shooting 53 points, 6 boards and 9 assists with 51.4% shooting, and led the Nets to win the game.
Although Irving and Durant have scored 50+ high scores, they are not their limit. In the face of the Magic, Irving, who had been holding back for more than half a season, broke out again, shooting 20 of 31 from the field, bombarding 60 points, 6 boards and 4 assists, helping the Nets to move to the next city...
Unfortunately, due to Irving's "suspension" away game, the combination between Durant and Irving could not last. Recently, Durant 'single-core' led the team, although it defeated the Lone Ranger 111-113; but he was able to rely on his super personal ability to blast 38 points and 37 points respectively, leading the Nets to defeat the Blazers and Jazz successively, to avoid the team from falling into a losing streak again.
Despite having two big scoring masters, this year's playoff Nets are still difficult to do?
When Durant and Irving successively scored high scores and led the team to a wave of eight-seven-win records, the Nets not only returned to the top eight in the East in terms of overall record, but also regained the recognition and expectations of the outside world. But in fact, can this year's problematic Nets still make a difference in the playoffs?
1. The strength of the Nets' outside defense shows a continuous downward trend. Around the end of the trade day, the Nets cut DeAndre Bemburi and Javin Carter, who, although their individual scoring ability is limited (5.1 points, 4.0 points), but the individual defensive ability can maintain a certain level, and the team needs to defend a stable output.
After the departure of Bemburi and Carter, the arrival of new signings Curry Jr. and Dragic has greatly improved the team's attack and organization. But whether it is Curry Jr., Dragic, mills, Irving, etc., they are difficult to provide quality defense for the team's outside line.
This has led to a continuous downward trend in the defensive intensity of the Nets' outer line. In particular, the Nets often put on the lineup of "one big four small" or "three guards", which makes it easy for opponents to "name". In the playoffs, once Curry Jr., Aldridge and others can't keep up with the attack, the defensive end is "named" and becomes the entry point for the opponent to win...
2. With Nash's ability to dispatch on the spot, the Nets are destined to "suffer big losses" in the playoffs. In the face of the growing number of injured players in the team last season, Tyrone Lu did not panic, but showed his "unknown" side - not only led the team to the Western Conference Finals, but also helped Players such as Terrance Mann and Reggie Jackson to play a personal performance far beyond the value.
Even so far in the new season, in the case of Leonard's season reimbursement and George's long absence, Tyrone Lue still has the ability to lead the Clippers to crush the Lakers and Pelicans, thus squeezing into the top eight in the West.
By contrast, Nash not only failed to create a system for the Nets that fit the Big Three, but also did not help young players make a real deal. What he is best at is only how to use and overdraft harden and Durant's superstar capabilities, always pinning his hopes on them to win.
If the Nets have a full lineup, then Nash's coaching ability will not be too much of a burden, after all, relying on the Nets' superstar lineup alone, they can win most games. But if the Nets, like the second round of last season's playoffs — after Harden or Irving were injured , facing the Bucks' targeted defense , Nash simply couldn't find a way to "break the game."
3. There is no home advantage in the playoffs. So far this season, the Nets have only finished eighth in the East with 38 wins and 34 losses, which means that even if they enter the playoffs, they will have almost no home advantage against the other three teams in the East.
But in fact, this year's playoffs, for the Nets, the road is equivalent to their home stadium. Because Irving insisted on rejecting vaccines, he simply could not play at home. Only on the road can Irving have a chance to play, and the Nets can have a "double core"...
If Irving really can't play at home in the playoffs, then with Nash's "urine", the Nets will not have any targeted offense or targeted defense at all; they want to win, or rely on Durant's "super god", but in this way, opponents can also arbitrarily pack and consume Durant like last year's Bucks.
In summary, judging from the current Defense of the Nets and Nash's coaching ability, if Durant and Irving can join forces in the playoffs, then neither the Bucks, nor Philadelphia, nor the Heat, will be willing to meet them in the first or second round of the playoffs. But if Irving can only play away, then this year's playoff Nets will be difficult to do, after all, for the championship team, no one is afraid of encountering "single-core" Durant...