Brooklyn’s three-headed monster, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant, didn’t exactly turn the Nets into the steamroller they hoped to be. In 26 games, Brooklyn is only 14-12. While they managed to collect several impressive victories against the main competitors, they also dropped to 7-11 against teams below 0.500. Tuesday was another such loss. The Nets conceded 122 points in the defeat against the Detroit Pistons, owner of the NBA’s 24th attack.
It was another frustrating night for a team that has struggled to find stability this season. The trio of Harden, Durant and Irving have played together only six times so far, and now that Durant has been eliminated due to the league’s health and safety protocols for the second time, the trio is not expected to meet before Friday.
That doesn’t excuse Brooklyn’s failures so far this season. Irving himself called the Nets mean. But he also criticized the NBA and its officials for the way they handled the Nets this season, arguing that they have faced unique challenges since the acquisition of Harden.
“I don’t think we go out every day of our lives and sacrifice time to be average in nothing. I know you don’t wake up, I know that no one here on this call wakes up to be average in everything they do. And we look very average. We have the talent that the eye exam presents, which we must master, we have the experience of some of our guys who have gone through certain things, circumstances to be able to fight, and we are dealing with a lot of that from the reality that we are putting this together in hour. “
“We are the team with which the NBA plays the most games. We are the team that takes someone out during COVID, during the games, we are the team that has to deal with the referees, we are the team that is literally fighting so many odds, that at this point, there is no reason to keep commenting on it. They are what they are. As a warrior that I am, and the energy that I have with my teammates, we only have to turn the corner, and we didn’t do that, but let’s go, and I’m telling you, the league will be notified when that happens. “
The application of the league of its COVID protocols in Durant justifies some debate. He had COVID-19 last March and, if he still has antibodies, theoretically he would not be able to spread the disease among his companions. But the league makes no distinction between those who have had COVID and those who have not. Given the number of players known to have tested positive at some point, it is almost certain that other players were stopped despite having antibodies. Durant is the only player to be removed from a game due to protocols, however.
As for referees, Irving’s theory is a little more subjective. The Nets entered Monday in eighth place in the NBA in attempts at free throws per game, although they rarely attacked the basket. They perform the 17th largest number of shots in the restricted area per game and the 19th largest number of shots outside the restricted area. This is a team of jumping pitches, and although Irving and Harden are making less free throws than their average career, this can be explained in large part by paper. Both hold the ball less than ever because they play with each other. Harden is leading the NBA in assists, and this emphasis on ball movement has made him less likely to take fouls.
It is also important to note that the Nets lost two games when Irving left the team without explanation in early January. His absence from seven games coincided with Harden’s switch, and he even missed Harden’s first two games as a network. It’s not like Kyrie is entirely to blame for what’s going on in Brooklyn right now, but having one of his best players in the building all season would probably have made a difference in terms of chemistry and finding comfort in the new coach Steve Nash’s system.
The season was not even halfway through. Eventually, Brooklyn will discover how to maximize its talent wealth, and with the negotiation deadline and acquisition season more than a month from now, Sean Marks will have time to complement the existing core with the right kind of actors. But Brooklyn’s struggles are not entirely external. This is not as simple as the league applying its rules more strictly against them or officials denying them whistles. The Nets are playing average basketball now, and internal defense growth will have to be the catalyst for any serious improvement.