After a 125-113 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday night, the Brooklyn Nets leave their 0-2 trip to Cleveland and have a series of defensive flaws to review in the next movie session.
“There were two humiliating defeats,” said Nets guard Kyrie Irving after Friday’s game.
Scoring was not a problem for the Nets, even without Kevin Durant, who missed out after playing more than 50 minutes in the double loss in Brooklyn on Wednesday. On the defensive end, the Nets failed to delay the Cavaliers in painting.
In Wednesday’s defeat, the Nets lost 64 points in the painting. They gave up 70 more in Friday’s defeat, with Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen finishing with 19 points from the bench to go along with 19 points from Andre Drummond and 25 points from point guard Collin Sexton. The 134 points scored are the maximum that Brooklyn has allowed in a period of two games in the past 25 seasons, according to the ESPN Stats & Information survey.
“There are a lot of points in the painting,” said James Harden, who finished with 19 points and 11 assists. “Offensive rebounds happen, layups happen, good things don’t happen when the ball enters the painting, and tonight we allow that too much.”
Brooklyn was also overtaken by 50-29 on Friday. The Nets’ rebound rate of 35.6% was the worst in a game in the past two seasons.
Allen, who was negotiated with Cleveland as part of the package that took Harden to Brooklyn, had been an anchor of the Nets’ defense. In the last two games against his former team this week, Allen contested 23 shots and kept Brooklyn in only 26% of them, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information poll.
Brooklyn failed to muster defensive urgency – 40% of the Cavaliers’ total field goal attempts in the past two games have not been challenged by Nets defenders. Allen and Taurean Prince, who were also part of the switch to Harden, have combined a 64% collection in the last two games.
“You wish it wasn’t against you,” said Joe Harris of Prince and Allen’s performances, “but obviously you’re happy for these guys.”
Now, the message from Nets coach Steve Nash is to walk the tightrope not to panic, but also to improve urgently on the defensive end of the court.
“We just need to find a way to play harder,” said Nash. “Go deeper. We are not a defensive team. We have to be more proud, contest more shots, fight, fight, grab, and that is what I think is missing as much as anything schematic that we are breaking.”
Nash added, “I think the biggest message is that just going to the gym is not enough.”
The Nets plan to hire striker / center Norvel Pelle as soon as he releases the league’s coronavirus testing protocols, his agents, BJ Bass and Tod Seidel, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. Still, Nash repeated several times that Brooklyn cannot count on signing reinforcements to solidify its defense. Instead, he begged the Nets to “look inside and take responsibility and make it a priority and try to grow on the defensive.”
DeAndre Jordan, who is the Nets’ only real active center, said he sees his work as “a defensive force” and a defensive spark plug for the team. Jordan had his hands full with Drummond and Allen, who were 7-in-11 on the pitch when defended by Jordan in the last two games.
“We can’t get down or panic early,” said Jordan. “Even though many people want us to panic. Rome was not built in one day. The championship teams were not built in one day. They went through a lot of struggles. So we have to be able to face that chin and learn from it. him and finally come back and answer tomorrow and the rest of the season. “