After the Nets lost to the Bucks, there is basically no hope of reaching the play-offs, especially after the Raptors won 5 consecutive victories today, the wins of the two teams have been 5 games apart, even if the Nets win all the Later Games, the Raptors are all defeated, and they can't surpass. Of course, the Nets have also locked up the playoffs, but they still dare not relax, the record list, the 9th Hornets and the 10th Eagles are in hot pursuit, the record is exactly the same as the Nets, no one dares to take it lightly. After all, staying in the top half will ensure at least 2 lives and twice as many chances of making the playoffs.
The Nets fell to this situation, it is really unexpected, they have been the leader of the East in the first half of the regular season, Durant's injury became a turning point, and then Irving began to play on the road, Harden was emotionally gone, the Nets seemed to be sick like a mountain, losing 11 consecutive losses in one go, and the ranking fell again and again.
This situation did not change until Durant's comeback. Then the Nets had good news, Irving was allowed to play at home to become a full-time player, and Curry Jr. and Zhuang Shen also performed well. I thought the Nets would get back on track, but their winning percentage didn't improve much. 8 wins and 6 losses, Irving can't help full time, without Harden, you have a hard time in the regular season
According to statistics, Durant has played 14 games since his comeback, with a record of 8 wins and 6 losses, losing to the Heat, Celtics, Lone Rangers, Hornets, Grizzlies, Bucks, all of them playoff teams, without exception. The temperament of the Nets is still the same, it is difficult to win against strong teams, and it is not stable to play weak teams. That's a problem they've always had in the regular season, but at least in the first half, they still won against the Heat, Cavaliers, Celtics and other teams. This is also the value of Harden, and he can really make Durant play more easily.
Harden does stagnant the team's offense when he holds the ball, which is his style of play, using his powerful scoring ability to attract defense and then create opportunities for teammates. So before the Rockets, many of harden's teammates around the role players, have played at an extraordinary level. When Harden was on the floor, Durant didn't have to face a tight pack defense, which was an ironclad fact, so the Nets had a high winning percentage during that time.
The Nets traded Harden before, perhaps it is also to value his ability in this regard, last year Harden just arrived at the Nets for 2 months, took the best for 2 consecutive months, is not the best proof. You could say harden is habitually sluggish in the playoffs, but the regular season is absolutely impeccable. Without Harden, Durant did have a hard time in the regular season, taking more physical strength and sweat for every win than before.
Now the Nets seem to be difficult to go far, Nash often put up a lineup without defensive tough players, and play against the opponent, whether such a game can win, depends entirely on the feel. Perhaps the Nets can only count on Simmons to return in time, he averaged 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in his career, and has strong passing ability and defensive ability, which just happens to be the Nets' weakness.