Mary Altaffer / Associated Press
James Harden coined his Brooklyn Nets debut with a 32-point triple-double. Two nights later, Harden and Kevin Durant scored more than 30 points during an exciting 125-123 victory over twice MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks. Its trebles and lines to the edge dominated the potential confrontation of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Brooklyn looks like a world champion with Harden in the fold, and suddenly he becomes the odds favorite to advance out of the East. With Harden’s contract guaranteed only until the 2021-22 season, the time is now for the Nets. And with Kyrie Irving expected to play On Wednesday night against Cleveland, it looks like the Nets’ new triumvirate will finally be launched.
Many member of the rival team, however, shared skepticism that the Brooklyn All-Stars group will join as well as the Big Three of the modern day before them.
The Nets is not the 2007-08 Boston Celtics. This talented group fit together perfectly like pieces of a long-lost puzzle. Ray Allen’s lethal leap provided space for Paul Pierce’s medium-range dances, while Kevin Garnett touched the heart of Boston’s stifling defense. The Nets’ new All-Stars collection features far fewer complementary games.
Critics have already doubted the Celtics’ 2007-08 ability to coexist in terms of reducing scoring loads and attempted kicks. This group of Nets faces the same doubts, especially as Harden and Irving apparently prefer to score while hitting the rock.
“This is different because their games do not necessarily fit,” said an assistant coach at the Eastern Conference.
Kevin Durant will always be Kevin Durant. He is perhaps the most malleable marker in the history of the game. Its unmatched size and dexterity are the ultimate cheat code. At Golden State, he, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson ran wild within a strident scheme where each marker knew that if they hit the next pass and cut hard, the ball would soon find them again, with all the space to post historical numbers.
Brooklyn dynamics present something not so idyllic. Durant’s jump will still rain on enemies near and far, but Harden and Irving typically operate as primary ball handlers, weaving dribbling between their legs and sliding off the high screen after the high screen. Yes, there is only one ball. And perhaps more urgent: only one player at a time can start that pick-and-roll at the top of the switch.
Coaches often repeat the cliché that “the ball has energy”. When Harden’s rockets were fighting Durant’s warriors in the Western Conference finals, there is a reason why Houston’s defense was based on exchange. Houston wanted the Golden State to tackle the incompatibilities one by one.
Of course, Durant, Curry and Thompson received theirs. These three can settle for a difficult jump in any possession. But when the ball is not buzzing at the perimeter and other teammates are not getting involved, they are stuck in the corner watching, as are the fans on the court behind them. Oxygen is drained due to a loud offensive, even when its stars are keeping pace. Now imagine if the non-engaged teammate is Irving or Harden instead of Andre Iguodala or Shaun Livingston.
Rival people are very curious as to whether the Brooklyn group can avoid falling into this iso-ball trap. Many coaches consulted by B / R expect the Nets to have a good deal of isolation with Harden and Irving.
“Allowing them to attack the weakest defender,” said an NBA coach.
They will seek to punish the switches and are likely to succeed in doing so. But relying on your stars to get your man out of the dribble is unsustainable in 48 minutes. And skeptics around the league wonder how Irving will handle Harden’s second violin. There will be unavoidable stretches where both stars flank the dribble creation of the other wing. But by all accounts, The Beard is about to serve as Brooklyn’s nominal point guard and principal ball handler. Will Kyrie get frustrated and start pitching every time he gets a tap? Will Harden do the same?
The key to finding that balance seems to lie in layers of speech.
“Are they going to agree? It’s about their level of communication more than anything,” said one scout.
Adam Hunger / Associated Press
Brooklyn’s technical staff and frontline will be tasked with preaching a message of sacrifice – everything from shots, touches and minutes to glory and attention. A rival coach told B / R about the importance of learning each player’s individual goals to balance how they can achieve them within the overall structure of the Nets. Getting to know them as people, before getting to know them as players, shouldn’t be much of a challenge, given Brooklyn Assistant Mike D’Antoni’s longstanding relationship with Harden and the Nets office, which has now spent a season whole with Irving and Durant.
Perhaps Brooklyn will confuse the minutes of Irving and Harden, who a coach suggested would ideally start in the middle of the first quarter. Sending Harden to the bank earlier could immediately provide Irving with a long stretch leading up to Brooklyn’s scoring attack. However, some suggest that Harden may be better suited to orchestrate the second unit.
“James is a better passer,” said an assistant coach.
Irving has always been the top scorer in the first place, putting his head down for his range of medium and long jumpers. Without Irving applying pressure to the edge, defenders can stay at home, especially against a bench lineup. There is no rotation, and Irving is not attracting double teams. He rarely kicks the ball in passes to a sighted teammate who is ready to attack a closure. During the playoffs of 2016, for example, Irving’s shooting attempts nearly doubled when LeBron James paused.
Brooklyn can avoid a lot of confusion in the middle of the court by continuing to punish opponents in the transition. Nets currently ranks fifth in the league at the pace, and that dangerous attack on the open court only encourages hitting passes and ball movement that should keep the three stars well fed. But when the ball slows down, the tactic is critical.
So far, we’ve seen Brooklyn use Joe Harris frequently as a tracker for Harden. This action will continue to stretch the defenses even with the immense gravity of Irving and Durant on the ground, allowing both of them enough space to operate if the ball is bounced towards them.
Irving and Durant revealed an undeniable pick-and-roll joint before Harden’s exchange and Irving’s prolonged absence. When these two are performing this duet, some technicians have predicted that Brooklyn will try to involve Harden in some action on the weak side. When the ball swings towards him, he will be able to take down a defense that is already in motion, and perhaps a defender that has already changed for him.
This will take some time to resolve, but that is the goal of the regular season. The Nets are likely to miss a few matches as they go through the expected growth pains, and with Irving and Durant still recovering from injuries at the end of the season, they believe they are missing one of their new Big Three in several games.
League people are more curious to see how this discussion unfolds in the postseason. Team layouts, conversations and philosophies can change at the touch of a button, depending on the clashes and different styles of each series. There will always be a ball, but the decisive moment in a playoff game has only one highlight. And the coaches and executives contacted by B / R have suggested that Irving will have to take a back seat to Harden in these situations. He is a top scorer, not a creator, and many believe that alone makes him the third unquestionable star in this new triumvirate. If Irving accepts this, it can determine how successful Brooklyn is.
However, no matter the skepticism, each Great Three of the modern days that we saw managed to overcome everything. Durant’s warriors were consecutive, while James, Irving and Kevin Love won the 2016 crown. King’s Heat won two – even if it wasn’t five, six or seven – and the Boston trio won a title in their first year together , just like the Brooklyn star group hopes to achieve.
“We were a bunch of guys with type A personality, who all thought they could do the job,” Ray Allen told B / R.
And then the Celtics accepted.
Now the Nets need Durant, Irving and Harden to do that too.