The Nets have decided to play the playoffs against the Rockets, which is supposed to be a good opportunity for Kevin Durant to recharge and prepare for the playoffs, especially considering that Durant suffered a minor ankle injury when playing the Bucks, but the Nets not only did not let Durant rest, but let him play another 37 minutes.
Refusing to take a break is due to Durant's personality, and as a footballer, he is eager to play every game, every second. At the same time, with the current situation of the Nets, Durant really wants to take a break, because the Nets are plagued by injuries, the run-in is not good, Durant and Kyrie Irving need to seize the time to run in with their teammates. And although the Nets are determined to play a playoff, the ranking is not meaningless to them, and trying to rush forward is still their goal.
Ballworm Durant refused to take a break
In recent years, load management has become a fashion trend, and big-name stars are generally limited in playing time, and they can't help but find a reason to take a break when playing back-to-back or playing weak teams. But Durant is different, he has never been a fan of the concept of load management, especially after experiencing a serious Achilles tendon injury in the entire season of 2019-20, and after the last two seasons have been plagued by injuries, Durant cherished every opportunity to play.
Since his return from injury in the 2020-21 season, Durant has maintained excellent competitive form, but his attendance is low. Durant played just 35 games last season and has made 52 more appearances this season than last season, but he has missed more than 20 games due to a knee injury. Nash has been criticized for using Durant harshly, but Durant has repeatedly and publicly stressed that he is willing to play for 48 minutes if he can, and he even uses harsh words such as "die on the court".
Durant knew that Ben Simmons had determined that he would not be able to play in the remaining regular season and play-offs, and that he had to shoulder his responsibilities as the team's leader. Durant has said that the reason why he does a lot of hard work is to influence his teammates and lead them, and when he does this, he can enter a peaceful state of mind, which can bring him a sense of satisfaction.
"When you know you can use technology to influence so many players, so many game details, you feel very peaceful," Durant said, "I can influence my teammates, I can use my technology to influence the team's prospects." I know how much effort I've put into honing my technology to get to where I am today, but now that my career is at such a point, I wonder how I can influence everyone around me? How do I force my opponent's coach to think about how to plan for us? I feel like I can raise everyone's level when I'm there, it's a great feeling. ”
The Nets face run-in problems
This season, the Nets' run-in work has not gone well because of various problems. Irving's refusal to vaccinate led to him sitting on the ball supervisor for half a season, and he could only play away for a long time after his comeback. Recently, Irving struggled to regain full-time status, but the lineup has changed dramatically since the Nets trade, Simmons is unable to play, and Seth Curry has been injured in the ankle. Recently Dragic triggered a health and safety deal, Bruce Brown previously fell ill absent just today just made a comeback. The Nets simply did not form a fixed rotation lineup, and Nash was not even sure which players he could send to each game, and could only arrange it temporarily before the game.
This led to the Nets' poor chemistry on the court, especially their defense. At this juncture, Durant has to play every game with all his strength and adapt to different teammates. The data shows that Durant and Irving are on the court at the same time, and the Nets' net win over 100 rounds is close to 10 points, and there is no chemical reaction problem in this combination. The problem is that Durant and Irving have a lot of time to lead the team alone every game, and how to match them with the right teammates is what the Nets should consider. At this stage, the Nets still have too many problems to solve.
Durant stressed in the interview before: "We have to get those details done and everyone is in step." When we step on the pitch, you are eager to win every second on the field, and to be a champion team, you have to develop good habits, have a good professional attitude, care about every game, everyone must have a championship mentality every day. ”
In addition, the previous Nets' poor record affected the mentality of the Nets up and down, and Brown believed that the team's morale was somewhat low, and Irving also admitted this. At this time, Durant needs to play to lead the team to win the game that should be won and improve the morale of the team.
Team ranking Nets still have a head start
Before today's game, the Nets were in 10th place in the East and had already decided to play the playoffs. But the same is playing the play-offs, and the difference in ranking has a great impact on the situation.
According to the play-off format, the 7th-placed team will play the 8th-placed team at home, and winning the game will enter the playoffs as the 7th in the division. The 9th-placed team plays the 10th team at home, with the winner also having to play the loser in the 7th and 8th team showdowns, with the winner entering the playoffs as the 8th in the division.
For the Nets, if they are ranked 10th in the division, the situation is very bad, they need to win two games in a row to advance to the playoffs, and in a game-setting format, anything can happen. So, Durant must play as much as possible to help the Nets win as much as possible and try to improve the rankings.
With the Hawks losing to the Raptors today and the Hornets losing to the Heat, the Nets moved up to 8th in the East after beating the Rockets. The Nets have 3 games left, against the Knicks, Cavaliers and Pacers, and the Nets have a high probability of winning against the Knicks and Pacers. The point is the Nets' game against the Cavaliers on April 9, and if the Nets win all three games, they have the hope of overtaking the Cavaliers to move up to 7th in the East and occupy an extremely advantageous position in the playoffs.
Due to the Cavaliers' upset loss to the Magic, the current win difference between the Nets and the Cavaliers is only 1.5 wins, and the Cavaliers only have 2 games left, against the Nets and Bucks. If the Cavaliers lose all two of their last two games and the Nets win all, the Nets will rise to 7th place in the East. In addition, the Nets are currently on a par with the Hawks, but the Nets have won 2 of the 3 hawks this season, and have an advantage in each other's record. So as long as the Nets don't overturn the ship in their own gutters, they eventually rise to 7th place in the East, and the probability of qualifying for the playoffs with just one win is still very high.