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Once title favorites, Nets watch helplessly as East's true heavyweights battle

How the mighty have fallen. The favorites to win the Eastern Conference by most oddsmakers, the Brooklyn Nets failed to win a single game in the 2022 NBA playoffs. It's surprising in some respects, perhaps for the national audience, but for those who followed the team's dysfunction and discord game in and game out, a first round playoff sweep by the Celtics was really par for the course.

 Brooklyn doesn't just have one Eastern Conference juggernaut to conquer, but instead: Boston, Miami, Milwaukee and even Philadelphia pose an uphill battle for Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and company to overcome next year. Questions are mounting about Steve Nash's ability to make the proper coaching adjustments and the team's general manager, Sean Marks, whiffed on many free agent additions after having the Midas Touch throughout his tenure with the club.

 The reality is, the Nets championship window is shrinking and the club is further from hoisting a trophy than they were when they formed a superteam in the summer of 2019.

 Marks admitted during the team's off-season press conference that the organization needs to get back to team building and make sure all players are fully committed to one goal. The Nets are expected to offer that wildcard player, Irving, a long-term contract extension, but Marks didn't want to makes any promises he can't keep, especially after hinting that extensions were all but signed, sealed and delivered for Irving and Harden last year. 

 NBA fans at large are rooting for the Nets' demise and so far the team is giving all fans outside of Brooklyn what they're looking for.

LeBron names KD, Kyrie or Kobe as possible teammates in hypothetical 2-on-2 matchup with MJ and Pippen

 

NBA.com

Game recognize game.

Pre-order TODAY: A History of the Nets-From Teaneck to Brooklyn

 LeBron James is fully aware of the star power residing in Brooklyn and in an open Q&A session via Twitter, The King gave an intriguing answer to a compelling question.



Of course, NBA fans will never have an opportunity to see that legendary game happen, but it's clear James' respect for the individual skillset of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant is at an all-time high.


Pre-order TODAY: A History of the Nets-From Teaneck to Brooklyn

The late-great Kobe Bryant is as good a candidate as any to play alongside James in a battle of the NBA's greatest legends both past and present.

 

D espite the last two seasons ending in bitter disappointment for the Nets, fans must not forget just how otherworldly their two superstars can be when healthy and on the court together.



Giannis feels KD's pain of losing in playoffs short-handed



 It was Kevin Durant embracing Giannis Antetokounmpo after a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the second round of the NBA playoffs last year, this time it was the Greek Freak sending best wishes to Jayson Tatum on the winning side in Game 7 Sunday.

Pre-order TODAY: A History of the Nets-From Teaneck to Brooklyn

Without Khris Middleton, the Bucks failed to capitalize on a 3-2 series lead and dropped the final two contests, with Antetokounmpo leaving it an out on the floor.

Sound familiar?

Durant, with a hobbled Harden and without Kyrie Irving due to an ankle injury saw a 3-2 series edge slip away by a half shoe size in Game 7.

The irony and parallels of how the Nets season ended last year and the fashion in which the Bucks were ousted by Boston this year is uncanny.

Pre-order TODAY: A History of the Nets-From Teaneck to Brooklyn

As fortuitous as Milwaukee's run to a title was last year and as unlucky as it was for Brooklyn, things came full circle this time around.

Miami awaits Boston in the Eastern Conference finals, while most Nets fans will be rooting for the Western conference winners to take home the Larry O'Brien trophy.


Nets honeymoon phase with Kyrie, KD has reached a crossroads in Brooklyn


Nba.com


 As Brooklyn Turns should have been the slogan for the 2021-22 Brooklyn Nets. A soap opera of a basketball team that had every type of drama, dysfunction and intrigue to make for constant entertainment for Nets' detractors.

 The on-court product was underwhelming due to Kyrie Irving's refusal to comply with local vaccine mandates, Kevin Durant being sideline with an injured knee, James Harden's discontentment and subsequent trade, along with a playoff sweep at the hands of the reviled Boston Celtics.

Pre-order TODAY: A History of the Nets-From Teaneck to Brooklyn

Not to mention the fact that Ben Simmons' herniated disc in his back prevented him from playing a single game with the club and forced him to undergo surgery this off-season. 

All told, the Nets were a mess this past season.

Questions about Steve Nash's rotations, offensive philosophy and Sean Marks' roster construction around his two superstars are mounting.

The honeymoon period with Durant and Irving as the faces of the franchise is reaching a crossroads. The Nets have failed to get out of the second round of the playoffs, produced a 7-9 playoff record and one series win in two seasons.

Pre-order TODAY: A History of the Nets-From Teaneck to Brooklyn

This is unacceptable for a franchise with championship aspirations. Durant is all about basketball, but Irving's absences call into question his commitment to the team and whether the extension he's expected to sign this summer will include incentives to ensure he remains available for games. Even with those type of stipulations, Irving has shown he's willing to pass up millions of dollars in game checks to do what's in his own best interest.

Marks built an enviable culture in Brooklyn before Irving and Durant arrived and the team needs to get back to that. The Nets executive intimated that any major moves will be discussed with his stars, but at the end of the day, the Nets played 52 seasons before the duo arrived and play will go on long after they retire.

The reality is the Nets need retool the team's complementary pieces and keep everyone on the court this upcoming season. Brooklyn made headlines for all the wrong reasons this past year, now is the time to start fulfilling championship promises. No more honeymoon, it's make or break time in a marriage between the Nets and Irving and Durant that's been littered with issues, some out of their control, but many self-inflicted.

 Personal milestones and highlight reel plays are ahead for the dynamic duo, but at the end of the day, the success of this era of Nets'basketball will only be measured by playoff success, more specifically championships.


New Nets History Book reveals untold story of how franchise landed in Brooklyn



Nets fans can now pre-order the new book: A History of the Nets, From Teaneck to Brooklyn on Amazon today! CLICK HERE to Pre-order Today!

The Book is set to hit bookstores July 11 throughout the New York metropolitan area, but why wait? Preorder your copy today!

 CLICK HERE to Pre-order Today!


BOOK DESCRIPTION:

  The Nets have led a wandering existence spanning over five decades since their founding. The team has been known as the New Jersey Americans, the New York Nets, the New Jersey Nets and now Brooklyn Nets, while constantly relocating throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Though often plagued by instability and futility, the franchise has celebrated seminal moments in the course of ABA and NBA history. Julius Erving's legendary play led the team to a pair of ABA titles in 1974 and 1976. The meteoric rise of European superstar Drazen Petrovic with the Nets starting in 1991 followed by his tragic death in 1993 is etched into basketball fans' hearts and minds worldwide. CLICK HERE to Pre-order Today!

Jason Kidd's iconic grit steered New Jersey to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.The untold story of how a call from the late-NBA commissioner David Stern to the Nets President paved the way for the team's move to Brooklyn.  Author Rick Laughland charts the brutal lows and the exuberant highs throughout the history of the Nets.  

CLICK HERE to Pre-order Today!

No Sleep in Brooklyn tonight as KD, Kyrie swept out of playoffs by C's

The Nets were their own worst enemy at times this season and the dysfunction and disjointed nature of the club derailed a potential championship winning season. Tip your cap to the Boston Celtics for sweeping the Nets right out of the playoffs. Had Brooklyn kept its own house in order, things may have been vastly different. 

 A defiant Kyrie Irving put his personal beliefs over the priorities of the team and fans by refusing to comply with vaccine mandates, which was well within his rights by the way. James Harden jetted for Philadelphia after Durant went down as he didn't want to deal with a then-part-time Irving and clashed with Steve Nash over offensive philosophy. Kevin Durant missed significant time with a left MCL sprain, logging heavy minutes when healthy to make up for an ineligible Irving then overtaxing himself down the stretch to get the Nets in the best possible playoff situation. 

 Top to bottom, this Nets season was an unmitigated disaster, but a disaster that was preventable. Brooklyn needs to learn its lesson from a lost season and make sure history doesn't repeat itself. The reality is, another year of prime Durant and Irving is in the books without a title to show for it. 

With only a few more runs to make a title push, Brooklyn needs to get its house in order fast. The first order of business will be the free agent status Irving, who wants to remain with the Nets long-term. Next, will be examining whether Nash is the right man for the job, whose body of work so far leaves a lot to be desired. 

There's no sleep in Brooklyn tonight and Sean Marks and Joe Tsai will need to take a hard look in the mirror to retool a flawed by talented roster and shakeup a coaching staff that weathered adversity, but didn't bring out the team's potential.
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