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James Harden making sensible decision and withdrawing from Team USA due to hamstring injury

You can finally exhale Nets fans. Just days after committing to play with Team USA in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics this summer, Nets guard James Harden will use the summer to rest and rehab the grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered during the playoff run. The injury landed HArden on the injured list twice during the regular season and he reaggravated the injury in the opening seconds of the Nets-Bucks Game 1 semifinal round.
The Nets initially announced that Harden's hamstring injury was simply tightness, but following an epic Game 7 loss to the Bucks, the shooting guard revealed to reporters that the injury was indeed much more severe than he or the team let on. Harden tried to gut it out in Game 5 scoring zero points and with no practice time, while scoring 16 points in Game 6 and 22 points in Game 7. While Harden looked to be progressing with each passing game, he ran a sizeable risk of reinjuring and worsening the injury, which would have effectively ended his season or cause additional damage. Civic pride is one thing, but preserving his body and getting back to full strength in time for training camp is paramount for Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to make another title run.

In Playoffs, Steve Nash forgot the one thing that kept injured Nets afloat all season long

Sometimes the answer is right under your nose. When Steve Nash had the opportunity to go into his bag and try to find a spark in Games 6 and 7 with Kevin Durant and a hobbled James Harden shouldering the scoring load and massive amounts of minutes, the head coach decided to ride or die with his starting five. Despite Joe Harris' shooting woes, Harden's lack of health and Blake Griffin expending a world of energy and fouls trying to hold down Giants Antentokounmpo, the bench was largely neglected in the final three games of the series.
Durant was nothing short of brilliant and Harden needs to be commended gutting out a Grade 2 hamstring strain, but how quickly Nash forgot that the team's Big three played in only nine regular season games together and it was the role players that helped Brooklyn climb to a 48-24 mark, good enough for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, Nicolas Claxton, Landrey Shamet, DeAndre Jordan, Mike James and others provided steady contributions to help mitigate the damage from losing Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving for prolonged stretches during the regular season. It's true that NBA playoff basketball is an entirely different animal, but a team's bench players traditionally elevate their level of play with a boost from the home crowd and could have made an impact in Game 7, especially with both Durant and Harden showing clear signs of fatigue and tired legs late in the game.
The 2020-2021 campaign ended in bitter disappointment for the Nets and their fans, but the undermanned squad gave everything it could to try and push deep into the playoffs and survive until reinforcements in the form of Irving and potentially Spencer Dinwiddie arrived. Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight on the Nets' seaosn in the second round, but perhaps if Nash exhibited a bit more trust in his bench to provide a jolt, but if nothing less some much needed rest for his star players, Brooklyn might still be alive in the playoff chase.

For health or for country, Durant, Harden commit to Team USA in Tokyo Olympics

Kevin Durant will be turning 33 in September and nearly two and a half years removed from an Achilles injury that many thought might diminish his athleticism and star power significantly. Durant sat out 2019 and returned this past season, despite missing time due to contact tracing and hamstring issues, the Nets star proved to be better than ever during the team's playoff run that was cut short due to injuries.
His main running mate, James Harden battled through a lingering hamstring issue that when reaggravated in Game 1 of the Milwaukee series, caused him to miss three games and it was later revealed that his injury was not merely tightness, but a Grade 2 strain.
So why instead of rehabbing with the training staff in the case of Harden, but also Durant with the mileage on his body following his first full season back from surgery, participating in the Tokyo Olympics? The simple answer in the love for the game and the pride in representing their country on the world stage. In reality, Nets fans will have a great deal of agita watching their two-star players lay it on the line this summer. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving is not expected to play for Team USA coming off a serious ankle sprain. The Nets championship dreams fell short of expectations, and the health of the big three will be a major contributing factor into whether the team can fulfill its goals next season.

Harden reveals what everyone already knew, he was a lot more hurt than Nets let on

James Harden was essentially playing on one leg in Games 5,6, and 7, but he gave it his al nonetheless. Following the Game 7 loss, Harden told reporters that he had a Grade 2 hamstring strain with a normal recovery time of 4-6 weeks. Harden took barely a fraction of that time to heal the injury before charging back to provide a lift in Game 5 despite not scoring a single point.
With each subsequent game, Harden looked to be moving more freely and scored 16 points in Game 6 and 22 in Game 7. Even so, Brooklyn's hobbled star faced an uphill battle to get anywhere back to full strength even if the Nets advanced past the Bucks. Kyrie Irving was seen limping along the sidelines during Game 7 and the prospect of him playing in the next round was doubtful at best. A second round exit was a bitter pill to swallow for all Nets'fans, but the reality is, health was not on their side and the Nets big 1.5 faced an uphill climb to advance deeper into the playoffs with their star players suffering from significant injuries.

Basketball Gods not on Nets' side as injuries derail Brooklyn's title hopes

The Nets faced their fair share of adversity this season, but injuries and a championship worthy Buck team proved to be too much to overcome in the end.
It's easy to question Steve Nash's strange rotations or how he leaned too heavily on Kevin Durant's 1-on-1 prowess on the offensive side, but injuries didn't allow the Nets to advance beyond the semifinal round. Brooklyn had its big three together for merely nine regular season games and five playoff games with a combination of hamstring injuries, ankle ailments and contact tracing keeping the team's top stars from staying on the court. Winning an NBA championship you nehealt mainingredients: talen and luck. Brooklyn was undoubtedly the most talented team in the league throughout the year, but luck was not on its side. The Nets are forced to regroup, surround Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving with complimentary pieces and have another go at it with the hopes of staying healthy and whole throughout next year's campaign.

Questionable coaching, lack of bench support doom Nets in painful Game 7 loss

Steve Nash is a rookie coach and he looked every bit the part in the Brooklyn's gut wrenching 115-111 overtime defeat to Milwaukee in Game 7.
The Nets snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with an otherworldly jumper from Durant to send the game to the extra session. The Nets star's foot just touched the line on the attempt and came within millimeters of becoming the go ahead basket with one second left.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be as Steve Nash tightened his rotations unfathomably to dole out just 20 minutes to his bench of Jeff Green and Landry Shamet who scored no points. Durant scored 48 in 53 minutes, while James Harden had 22 in the same amount of runtime. Nash wanted to ride or die with his big guns, but both were gassed and had nothing left in the tank in overtime. Joe Harris struggled again from the outside missing two wide open 3-pointers down the stretch and managed just ten points. The Nets turn their attention to next year as they consider extensions for the big three, hope Nash continues to grow as a neophyte coach, and rebuild a bench that came up short in the series.

No Sleep Till Brooklyn, Nets bank on home court to carry them to Game 7 win

It's all in the line on Thursday night with the Brooklyn Nets needing a win in the friendly confines of Barclays Center to advance to the conference final round. The undermanned, banged up, and at times disjointed Nets wouldn't even be in this position if not for the otherworldly play of Kevin Durant and the gutsy nature of James Harden to push through his injury.
The Nets were 28-8 in the regular season in Brooklyn and 6-0 during this playoff run, illustrating the positive impact the crowd has made on the team's play. Despite winning Game 5 in Brooklyn, the Nets fell in an early hole and have been prone to slow starts throughout the series. Brooklyn will need to get the home crowd involved early and often if it hopes to survive against the Bucks and face the winner of the Sixers, Atlanta series.

Kyrie Irving to miss Game 7, not ruled out if Nets advance

Kyrie Irving will not play
in Game 7 against the Bucks according to, head coach Steve Nash confirmed on Friday. The Nets weren't planning to have their point guard back in the lineup, but the coach didn't rule out that he could be back in his team survives a do or die Game 7. Irving was undercut by Giannis Antetokounmpo in the second quarter of Game 2 after fully turning his ankle following a layup attempt. The injury caused Irving immense pain and he was helped to his feet by the training staff before limping to the locker room on his own power. That day, Irving left the arena in a walking boot and with crutches. Clearly, Irving's injury is significant, but at least the nets have added motivation to win Game 7 with the prospect of their point guard possibly returning at some point during the postseason.

With Nets season on the line, Joe Harris overdue for breakout game

Joe Harris hasn't reached double digits in scoring since Game 2 of the Nets-Bucks series. Brooklyn's deadeye shooter has gone ice cold from the perimeter and is dire need of a vintage performance if he hopes to keep his team alive.
The Nets need to shift away from isolation ball and scheme their way to score over the century mark, but Steve Nash is reluctant to put the ball in anyone's hands but James Harden or Kevin Durant. One of Brooklyn's Glue Guys, Harris has been victimized on the defensive side of the ball with Khris Middleton going on a scoring barrage. Brooklyn has its work cut out for it in Game 7, but if Harris can play close to the caliber he did in Games 1 and 2 and not how he's played the last four games, some of the pressure will be off Harden and Durant to carry the scoring load.

Nets never thought offense would be their problem, but it is

Five times during the NBA's shortened 72 game season, the Brooklyn Nets failed to score 100 points. So far though six games in the series with the Bucks, Brooklyn was held under 100 points three times, losing all three times that happened. The Nets are down Kyrie Irving and with James Harden at half speed, but the offense has become too Kevin Durant reliant without much of the supporting cast contributing at the level they did during the regular season. Brooklyn earned home court in this serie for a reason and Game 7 at Barclays will be nothing short of a phenomenal atmosphere.
The Nets' bench has struggled on the road, but in the friendly confines of their home arena, expect the role players to play a much bigger role. In a win or go home scenario, Steve Nash and company want to put the ball in their best players' hands, but the offense has been isolation heavy without the dribble handoff, pick and roll and cutting action that allowed the team to flourish even without their Big three for major chunks of the season. The Nets need a complete team effort to rid of Milwaukee once and for all and advance to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2003.
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