When a team has superstars, a lot of things become very simple, not to mention the Nets and Durant and Kelly Irving, two superstars. Just when many people were waiting to see the joke, the Nets Twins were full of fire in the closing stages of the season, and after beating the Indiana Pacers 134-126, the Nets finally improved to seventh place after the regular season. Although they still need to play playing playoffs, the Nets' momentum is quite rapid, which also makes them look good again.
The Nets and Pacers game, in fact, there is not much to say, the Pacers ranked third from the bottom in the East, the season finale began to swoop and swing, the snow hid a large number of main forces, the desire to win is not strong enough, so the Nets are more like playing a training game. Kevin Durant, on the other hand, couldn't stop it, scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists, and finished with a triple-double in the last three games. Under The leadership of Kevin Durant, the teammates around him are extremely efficient, Kelly Irving shot 35 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists on 15-of-20 shooting; Bruce Brown rarely scored on the offensive end, cutting 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists; Center Andre Drummond dreamed back to the top, contributing a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds; and Nicholas Clarkston, as his substitute, had 14 points and 6 rebounds with 100% shooting.
Considering that Kevin Durant has experienced a serious injury to Achilles tendon tears, it is admirable that he can now return to this state, of course, this is inseparable from the trust and support of the Nets management. Last season, Kevin Durant returned to the field and cut points madly, completely unable to see that he had just recovered from a serious injury, and on the offensive end of the scoring ability alone, no one in the entire league dared to say that kevin Durant could be pressed. Especially in the playoffs, Kelly Irving was reimbursed in advance due to injury, and although James Harden forced his appearance, he was obviously affected by a hamstring injury, so Kevin Durant almost single-handedly carried the Nets forward, and almost led the team to eliminate the final champion Milwaukee Bucks, but unfortunately, the key three points were awarded as stepping on the line, which was really not good luck.
The pressure on Kevin Durant this season has been even greater, Irving insisted on not complying with the rules, and could not play in the home game for a long time; james Harden finally chose to leave again because of his unbalanced mentality and broken relationship with the team; the new Ben Simmons has been watching from the sidelines and has not yet staged his debut after joining the Nets. As a result, the team's record was at the top of the Eastern Conference, and as a result, Kevin Durant rested for a while due to injury, and when it came time to return, the Nets needed to compete for play-off tickets. So Kevin Durant had to carry the team forward, and in the regular season he averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 1 block, and as a player who mainly shot outside the line, Kevin Durant shot more than 50% and shot 38.3% from three points, which can be said to be quite scary.
In the closing stage of the season, in fact, Kevin Durant's playing style is very different, in addition to the 55 points against the Atlanta Hawks, Kevin Durant is more willing to string together the team than to attack individually, creating opportunities for teammates around him. In the last game against direct rival Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Durant had 36 points, five rebounds and five assists; against the New York Knicks, Kevin Durant scored 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, also contributing a triple-double; against the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists; and against his old rival Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month, he also scored 26 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists. Obviously, Kevin Durant, who can score points himself and activate his teammates better, is bound to be more terrifying than a man with a big package, which is good news for the Nets, and Kevin Durant, who opens a new mode, will make opponents more afraid.
However, the Nets first had to pass the test of the playoffs, and their opponent was the Cleveland Cavaliers, which was obviously not very easy to deal with. To know that the Cavaliers could have locked up the playoffs early, but the tide of serious injuries dragged them back, and starting center Jarrett Allen simply has not returned. Even so, the Cavaliers are still not to be underestimated, their two major advantages, really have to attract the attention of the Nets, such as the Cavaliers although there is less Jarrett Allen, but the overall lineup compared with the Nets, the height advantage is still very obvious, the exploration show Evan Mobley grew rapidly, is bound to be the Nets' number one roadblock.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers' outside firepower is also quite rapid, the regular season finale against the Bucks, the Cavaliers three-point shooting rate is as high as 50%, which is still in the starting shooting guard Caris Leville seriously abnormal, 5 shots all out of the case. Laurie Markkanen, Darius Garland and even Kevin Love are all threatening enough from outside the three-point line, and even veteran point guard Rajan Rondo, who has always been bad at shooting, is also an iron tree, which is obviously where the Nets need to be prepared when the time comes.