Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
The Knicks share the city with the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3, but they have not shared the court yet in the previous two meetings – both Knicks defeated.
That is, possibly until Monday night at the Barclays Center, when the Nets threaten to be all healthy and ready to face the Knicks as a trio. There is almost no guarantee, but at least there is a chance.
After the Knicks’ 44-point victory in Detroit on Saturday, Reggie Bullock and Julius Randle took the Zoom stage together after adding 49 points.
Randle and Bullock delivered a direct message directed to the Brooklyn Bridge when asked about the possibility of finally facing the Nets’ Big 3 on Monday.
“We have a Big 5,” said Bullock.
“A big 15,” Randle noted quickly.
“A big 15,” Bullock continued. “We have a very good team. We are not really concerned with your big three. We know what kind of basketball we can play. We focus on our team and the game plan that the coach outlines. That’s all we’re focused on – the Knicks. “
Even with the Nets’ personal days and injuries, they are still hot as fire – leading the Eastern Conference 34-15 in Sunday’s Bulls game.
This is the season that the Nets are in a championship, even recently adding ex-All-Stars Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Knicks? They hired pivot Norvel Pelle, who already had an impact on his image as a worker on his debut. He played with his right index finger dislocated to make a free throw and block two shots in the final two minutes on Saturday.
This is Knicks 2020-21 – without stars, but without a warrior spirit. At least they have that advantage in the Hollywood networks of KD, Harden and Kyrie.
“We are concerned about us,” said Randle, who was named All-Star for the first time this season. “We have a whole team of guys. We try to play the right way, we play hard. We play with energy. We feel that we do that, we have a chance to beat anyone. It’s not about them and who they have or don’t have. It’s about us and the high-level competition every night. “
The Knicks withstood several injuries on the squad – mainly at the Mitchell Robinson center – because they have depth.
The big 15, in fact.
“It must be the mentality of each team,” said Bullock. “There are 15 players in the squad. With our team we have our leader, coach. We know how big we can be. That was our goal at the beginning of the year to compete against everyone and have fun while we were doing it. ”
Another key to the Knicks’ 25-25 record is that their two best players, Randle and RJ Barrett, were iron horses.
Randle lost a game. Barrett played in all 50. Each withstood recent injuries – Randle with a thigh bruise and Barrett with an ankle sprain. This is not the culture of the Nets.
Across the East River, Durant has played only 19 games this season because of a sprained thigh that followed Achilles’ sabbatical surgery last season. Irving spent many personal days and Harden recently hit the injury list with a hamstring tendon.
If Durant fits on Monday, that would mean in his two seasons with the Nets, he would have played 20 of the 127 possible games (including the bubble playoffs).
In contrast, in his two seasons with the Knicks, Randle played 112 of 115 possible games. But who is counting on this new NBA?
Novice coach Steve Nash’s culture is about being durable for the playoffs. Perhaps Tom Thibodeau’s culture of durability and chemistry developed during the regular season will toughen them up for the postseason.
Bullock and Randle were part of five starters who have been stable for 42 games – whether the starting center was Robinson or Nerlens Noel.
“We know how talented they are,” said Thibodeau. “We are going to have to be ready. Even if one is out, they still have a lot of talent and have added more talent to their team. But we know that if we defend and keep our revs low, we will be more than capable.