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Defining moment for Nets in Game 5 in Brooklyn

James Harden has been upgraded to questionable for Game 5 against the Bucks. The Nets playmaker will test his injured hamstring with the Nets season potentially on the line. Kevin Durant can't do it alone as Brooklyn's supporting cast will need to come alive in front of the home crowd and help in the absence of Kyrie Irving and a less than 100 percent James Harden. A loss in Game 5 would put the Nets on the brink without Irving being available for the remainder of the series. Steve Nash's inexperience as head coach has reared its ugly head as the team still hasn't found an answer for Milwaukee's physical play on the perimeter. If the Nets hope to regain the series advantage, they'll need a total team effort with Blake Griffin, Bruce Brown, Landry Shamet and Joe Harris pulling their weight in the friendly confines of Barclays Center.

In NBA's era of load management, James Harden is the exception

James Harden has drawn criticism for just about everything under the sun: defense, shot selection, theatrics trying to sell a foul call, an ugly exit from Houston, but you can never question the man's heart and toughness.
Harden will test his hamstring during pregame warmups in Game 5 and the team has upgraded him from out to doubtful. Even if the Nets top playmaker can give 15-20 minutes of quality play and create easier shots for his teammates, he could provide the much needed boost his team so desperately needs. While clearly the team doesn't want to risk long term damage to his hamstring, if he's able to loosen it up enough to be effective, the message he's sending to Nets fans is he's willing to gut it out to keep his team from possible facing elimination. Now, his availability for the rest of the series looks a little more promising than it did 24 hours ago. Brooklyn certainly watched what happened to Anthony Davis when he tried to return early from a groin injury in Game 6 of the first round versus the Suns, but just Harden's resolve and toughness to be there when the team needs him most will go a long way in helping rally his team and the crowd at Barclays Center on Tuesday night.

Kevin Durant can cement NBA legacy by leading undermanned Nets to series win over Bucks

The season is on the line. Plain and simple, Brooklyn needs to protect with home court against a Bucks squad bubbling with confidence and it will need to do so without Kyrie Irving and James Harden in Game 5. Durant has received heavy criticism in recent years for joining a super team in Golden and then starting one of his own in Brooklyn, but with his supporting stars now o, KD will have no other choice but to shoulder the scoring, playmaking and leadership load for his team. Even in Oklahoma City, Durant had Russell Westbrook alongside him to provide all-star punch. Durant is hardly the facilitator that Irving is certainly Harden is, but can he rally his group in the face of real adversity to stave off the prospect of facing elimination? Clearly, Durant won't be able to do it all on his own as the bench and supporting players will need to ride the energy of the home crowd to try and push Brooklyn over the top. Durant's legacy has been somewhat in question due to him adopting if you can't beat them, then join them mentality, but a win in Game 5 would go a long way in earning the respect of even the most critical NBA fan.

Nets owner proclaims team will have best rehab for Kyrie Irving

The Brooklyn Nets title hopes took another significant blow as Kyrie Irving suffered a right ankle sprain in the second quarter of Game 4.
The Nets medical staff evaluated Irving and with X-rays negative for any fractures, they've diagnosed him with a sprained ankle. Brooklyn's point guard will undergo further testing and likely an MRI. Nets owner Joseph Tsai took to Twitter to assure fans that Irving will be in the best care.

NBA should suspend Giannis Antetokounmpo for dirty play on Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving left the second quarter of Game 4 of the Brooklyn Nets Milwaukee Bucks with a gruesome ankle injury.
Giannis Antetokounmpo slid under Irving as he was attempting a layup and the Nets point guard came down with what looked to be a serious ankle injury. Brooklyn ruled Irving out for the remainder of the game and classified the injury as a right ankle sprain. Regardless of irvings, long-term prognosis, the NBA needs to step in and take action. The Nets and Bucks series has taken physicality to a new level, but the safety of the players has to be paramount. Atentokuompo should be suspended for game 5 for his actions, and the officials need to take a closer look at how they're calling this series as more players will get injured if things continue getting out of hand.

Nets make prudent decision to rule James Harden out for Game 4

The season is far from on the line for the Brooklyn Nets and Sean Marks, Steve Nash, along with the rest of the team's medical staff made the right call by continuing to rest James Harden with his injured hamstring.
It's very unlikely the Nets will follow up a miserable shooting night they had on Thursday with another poor performance on Sunday in Game 4. The Nets brought in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to chase a championship and now they'll be asked to win a critical game on the road to take a stranglehold on the series. It's true that a series has not started until a team has won a game on the opponent's home court and thus far each team has protected home court. If the Nets are able to break that trend in Game 4, then in all likelihood Harden will be able to rest his hamstring until the Eastern Conference finals, assuming the Nets advance past Milwaukee.

James Harden not yet ruled out of Game 4, status uncertain

It's a little more than 24 hours from tipoff in Game 4 and it's unclear if James Harden will take the court for the Nets.
Brooklyn's playmaker extraordinaire has been suffering hamstring tightness and the team is ultra cautious with his injury. In Games 2 and 3, Harden was already ruled out prior to gameday. It's not to say that Harden will definitely play in Game 4, but if the team's track record tells us anything, it's that he would have been already ruled out at this point. Perhaps he's closer to returning than many realize, or the Nets are employing a little gamesmanship.

Don't expect 90's throwback defensive slugfest in Game 4 between Nets and Bucks

The 86 points the Bucks scored to edge the Nets by three on Tuesday was the fewest points scored in a win in the NBA all season long.
The officials let the players play and two of the league's most prolific offenses couldn't buy a basket in Game 3. Milwaukee made Brooklyn feel its physicality as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving looked bothered on the perimeter and didn't have the normally efficient shooting nights Nets fans are accustomed to seeing. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton provided just enough offense for the Bucks to escape with a win and avoid a 3-0 deficit. Fans shouldn't expect a repeat performance from Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon and look for the normally high flying, high octane offenses to be in full effect.

James Harden rushed return for Game 4 would be panic move for Nets

Stay calm people! That's the message the Nets should be sending to their fan base after a defeat in Game 3 to Milwaukee. Brooklyn had the worst shooting performance of the season, yet led by three points with 1:23 remaining.
Now is not the time to make rash decisions and try to rush James Harden back from his hamstring tightness that forced him to leave Game 1 within the first minute. Any armchair analyst can see that the Nets missed Harden dearly on Thursday night, but Sean Marks and Steve Nash have been steadfast in playing the long game by resting and maintaining the health of their star players. Now is not the time to deviate from that plan even with the stakes getting higher and higher as the Nets push deeper into the playoffs.
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