The Brooklyn Nets remain the only NBA team to be swept out of the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Think about that. A team led by Kevin Durant and with Kyrie Irving as his running mate failed to not only get out of the first round, but to win a single playoff game.In four games vs the Celtics
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 11, 2022
KD Steph
26.3 PPG 34.3 PPG
38.6 FG% 50.0 FG%
33.3 3P% 49.0 3P% pic.twitter.com/qaS3wuKwnq
Pre-order Today! New Nets History Book reveals untold story of how ... https://t.co/MAfdYDALWV #NetsLevel #NetsWorld #NBA @chibbs_1 @KendallG13 @dbearak @DHenryTV
— Nets Insider (@NetsHistory) May 12, 2022
It's pretty astonishing, but if you watched the turmoil of the Nets' regular season, in the end, it wasn't all that shocking.
Durant struggled mightily with turnovers as he was blitzed by constant double teams directed by Ime Udoka and the Celtics. Steve Nash and his staff failed to make any adjustments and the results spoke for themselves.
Flash forward a few series wins later for Boston and an enjoyable vacation in Greece for Durant, Steph Curry is slicing and dicing up the Celtics defense that stymied this era's greatest scorer.
Admittedly, Curry is not facing constant double teams like Durant and he's feasting on drop coverage that gives him just enough airspace to launch his lethal 3-pointers. The Nets roster construction and supporting cast is vastly different from the Warriors and thus Udoka has defended them in a completely different way.
However, the league's greatest players need to be problem solvers on the court. While Durant received very little help from his teammates, his individual numbers and the team's success pales in comparison to what Curry and Golden State are doing to Boston right now in the NBA Finals.
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