By Since the departure of James Harden and the return of Ben Simmons, the Brooklyn Nets playoffs hopes hang in the balance. With the 9th seed in the eastern conference standings the Nets are projected to be in the play-in tournament to compete for the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. They are currently sitting over .500 with a 31-29 record which is what some might view as mediocre. Kevin Durant made his return on March 3rd against the Miami Heat scoring 31 points but losing the game 107-113. In the last 15 games the Nets have only won 2 out of 15 games during the absence of Durant and Kyrie Irving who is only eligible to play in away games. As of recent New York are considering lifting the vaccine mandate which will allow Irving to play in home games making him available for all playoff games. Going into the 2021 season Brooklyn were favored to win the championship but now, what are the Brooklyn Nets playoff hopes?
James Johnson
March 13, 2022
Kevin Durant who some consider to be one of the best scorers of all-time joined the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019-2020 season but did not play his first season because a torn Achilles he suffered during his last season with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors organization were looking to 3-peat after winning two back-to-back titles in 2017 & 2018. Golden State would lose to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals after losing starters Klay Thompson and Durant. After winning two championship MVP’s KD felt it was time for a fresh start with another franchise. Power forward Draymond Green and Durant had a major blow-up in the regular season game which led people to believe Green was the reason for the former 2-time finals MVP wanting to take his talents somewhere else. Durant would join long-time friend Kyrie Irving to compete for a Larry O’Brien trophy. With former all-stars and other role players surrounding the dynamic duo sports analysts felt that they are automatic favorites to come out the East.
Durant is 2-time scoring champion, 12-time NBA All-Star and won NBA League MVP back in 2014. When he joined the Golden State Warriors back in the 2016-2017 off-season, he faced tons of criticism because he joined up with the team that eliminated him and his OKC Thunder team. In the golden era of the NBA joining a rival team was frowned upon by sports fans and professional competitors but now in the new era of basketball the stars of today are joining each other for the chance to win an NBA title. Back in the older days of the pro’s players were homegrown and helped organizations build championship caliber teams. The players of today have more freedom when it comes to how they control their careers. After winning two titles with Warriors Durant felt that it was time to move on from the Golden State Organization and prove to his doubters that he can win a title with another franchise.
Two guard Kyrie Irving also has interesting background before joining the Brooklyn Nets franchise. He is a unique talent who only played a handful of games in college before being drafted No.1 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA Draft. Due to torn ligament, he suffered during his time at Duke University cut his freshman year short. With the skills he displayed in the first couple of games as a freshman, NBA scouts felt is though he would still be the top draft prospect going into the draft. With Lebron James now in Miami, Irving would be the new face of the franchise where he became a rookie of the year in 2012, 6-all-star appearances and contributed to an NBA title in 2016 with the return of Lebron “King” James. The team would go to three straight Finals with Golden State winning the first meeting with Irving and Kevin Love sidelined with injuries. With the Cavs being at full strength in 2016 they would take down their rivals in a legendary Game 7. In the next year the team would get back to its third straight finals the team would fall once again with the addition of sharpshooter Kevin Durant.
After an upset in the 2017 NBA Finals Kyrie Irving would be traded to the Boston Celtics to try to start his own legacy somewhere but the plan of winning another championship with a different franchise would not go according to plan. After two seasons with Boston Irving would hit the free agent market along with his friend and former Olympic teammate Kevin Durant. In his first season with the Brooklyn Nets, he averaged a career-high with 27.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.6 assist. Durant would be sidelined during the 2019-2020 season recovering from his Achilles injury. When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out the NBA would put the season on hold before restarting the season in the bubble. The rest of the NBA season would continue in Orlando, Florida with only a certain number of teams. Before the restart of the season Irving would go down with a season ending shoulder injury leaving the Nets without both of their superstars.
In the beginning of 2021 season James Harden would force his way out of Houston forcing the organization to trade him to the Brooklyn Nets. The team would now have a big 3 with Harden and Durant reuniting as teammates. The trio barely played that many games together which led analysts to believe that this was a failed experiment. The team would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the 2021 NBA Champs Milwaukee Bucks. With the Brooklyn Nets trading shooting guard James Harden to the 76ers for Ben Simmons the Brooklyn Nets look to try to make a push for the playoffs. This season has been up and down for the Nets due to Kyrie Irving’s unwillingness to get vaccinated, Kevin Durant’s injury and Ben Simmons’s mental issues. The team currently sits in 9th place in the East leaving the Brooklyn Nets playoff hopes in limbo. What is your take on the Brooklyn Nets Playoffs hopes?
Nets vs. Knicks: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Sunday (usatoday.com)
Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn Nets starting lineup for 2021-22 debut (sportsnaut.com)
By 
By 
By 
