The Brooklyn Nets are desperately scrambling to qualify for the playoffs this year. That’s a far cry from where most expected the squad to be when they acquired James Harden from the Houston Rockets.
Unfortunately, despite a lot of initial promise, a number of factors ultimately hobbled Brooklyn in 2021-22.
Between Kyrie Irving’s vaccine drama, James Harden successfully starting beef with both Irving and also Kevin Durant, and Durant’s injury woes — the Nets’ season quickly derailed.
This week, Durant opened up about where precisely he feels things went awry.
Kevin Durant: “To be honest, I feel like our season was de-railed by my injury … when we’re all on the floor together, I like what we got.” pic.twitter.com/ptYeyhaD18
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 4, 2022
“To be honest, I feel like our season was derailed by my injury,” he said.
“So I’m not looking at it like we’re just not a good basketball team. It’s like there wasn’t a lot of continuity with me and Kyrie out of the lineup, that’s just what it is. When we’re all on the floor together, I like what we got.”
It’s hard to argue with Durant. When he got hurt, despite all the Irving drama, Brooklyn was 27-15 and sitting second in the East. The team went on to go 5-16 in the 21 outings Durant missed.
The numbers don’t lie.
McKayla Maroney’s still got it.https://t.co/9SZ3MQm9Xu
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 5, 2022
Obviously the Harden drama and Ben Simmons’ inexplicable mysterious injury didn’t help matters any, but for all intents and purposes, things went bad for the Nets the day Durant got hurt.
Will they ultimately be able to get something done before the season ends and sneak their way into the playoffs?
Time will tell.
But there is no denying that 10th place in the East and praying to scurry into the postseason is not where most envisioned the Nets at the beginning of the year.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
