The Brooklyn Nets fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 147-135 on Wednesday night. Seeing as this was the first outing where Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving all played together, expectations going into it were high.
Ultimately, a 42-point explosion from Cavs guard Collin Sexton proved to be too much for Brooklyn, paving the way for an upset win.
After the game, Nets head coach Steve Nash expressed his one big concern about his team’s defeat.
“We had breakdowns all over the place,” Nash said.
“So we’ve got a lot of work to do. We know that. We know we have a very offensive team right now, so we have to find ways to defend, to get connected, to be on the same page.
“That’s going to take some time. It’s definitely early as far as this new group, learning to defend together and how we can be effective defensively. That’s got to be part of our game that we’re going to focus on the most.”
It’s something of an open secret at this point that the Nets have one big glaring weakness, and the addition of Harden will not help them with it.
The Bucks owner’s daughter decided to bring 2021 in with a bang by stripping all her clothes off. https://t.co/UgzhEEna4o
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2021
Between Durant’s 38 points, Irving’s 37 points and Harden’s 21 points, 71 percent of Brooklyn’s 135 points came from just those three guys. Normally, 135 points is enough to secure a victory – but not when you give up 147 to the other side.
The next few weeks will be crucial for Brooklyn. Either they will use that time to get acclimated to playing together and emerge from the experience all on the same page, or they will find themselves out of contention for the Eastern Conference crown.
Durant seems confident this Nets roster is a recipe for success. Will his confidence be rewarded? Time will tell.
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