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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.

Nets win Game 6 if these three things happen

The Nets path to victory on Thursday night won't be an easy one, but here are three things they must do in order to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. 1. Start Fast! In Games 3 and 5 the Nets were buried by Milwaukee early only to stage two historic comebacks with only Game 5's outcome going in favor of Brooklyn. The Nets are down Kyrie Irving, James Harden is hobbled, and Kevin Durant is coming off arguably the best playoff performance of his career playing all 48 minutes on Tuesday night. Brooklyn can ill-afford to climb in an early hole and expect an undermanned squat to make yet a third double digit second half come back in this series.
2. Force Giannis to score from the perimeter. Giannis Antetokounmpo is having historically bad playoff performance from the free-throw line, so Brooklyn cannot allow any uncontested layups and if the Greek Freak has a free path to the basket they need to send him to the charity stripe. Blake Griffin will likely draw the assignment to try to hold down the Bsuck star, but expect them that's to use as many fouls as possible and force Antetokounmpo to make shots from the perimeter and from the place he's the least comfortable the free throw line. 3. Limit careless turnovers. If the Nets are going to be forced to play a Game 7, Milwaukee has to beat them and Brooklyn can't beat itself. Understandably, Harden was rusty and made a few mistakes passing the ball in Game 5, but Steve Nash's crew has to pay extra close attention to making smart decisions with the basketball because turnovers lead to run outs on the Milwaukee side, which will send the crowd into a frenzy.

Joe Harris' shooting funk is killing Brooklyn

Joe Harris is the type of player every team wants in its locker room. A selfless player, model citizen, and great teammate, but even one of the Nets most popular players and lethal outside shooters has some down periods. Unfortunately, that time is now when he's needed the most. Can Joe-E-Buckets reclaim his outside shooting touch?
The time is now for the NBA's most a accurate 3-point sharpshooter to provide Kevin Durant and a hobbled James Harden with some much needed scoring punch. In Game 5, Jeff Green poured in 27 to complinent Durant's epic 49 point outing and on Thursday night, Harris has to be that xfactor to push Brooklyn over the top in Game 6.

Nets Big 1.5 of Durant, Harden have enough to close out fragile Bucks in 6

Kevin Durant put on an all world performance in Game 5 against Milwaukee, but Steve Nash and company can't exactly bank on that type of legendary performance again from the team's only healthy star.
James Harden was not himse lf in Game 5, but his presence on the court in the form of vocal leadership and making the right pass despite a woeful shooting night.
The Bucks on the otherhand let a golden opportunity slip through their grasp as Brooklyn rose from the dead and snatched the series lead with a monumental comeback at Barclays. Yes, the Bucks will have the home crowd behind them, but Milwaukee hasn't always played the smartest basketball and could start to feel the pressure of another playoff elimination for a championship hopeful squad. Expect the Nets to help Durant score by committee as the Mike Budenholzer will send two and three defenders at Brooklyn's primary score to take the ball out of his hands and force somebody else to beat them. If are able to start fast, take the home crowd out of it early, and play smart basketball, they are very well primed to knock Milwaukee out once and for all.

Decoy Harden plays unheralded role in Nets Game 5 win

This much is clear, James Harden was not close to fully healthy when he took the court for Game 5 on Tuesday night, but his presence alone made all the difference.
Harden's 1-for-10, five point, eight assist, six rebound performance was easily the worst shooting night of his playoff career, but the Nets jack of all trades made plays for others in critical spots. Brooklyn's big three down to 1.5 was just enough to rally past the Bucks in the second half with Durant putting on a 49-point outburst for the ages to bring his team back from a 17-point hole. Harden's sheer will and determination saw him upgraded from out to doubtful to questionable to actually playing within a matter of hours. The Nets needed the hobbled star to take the court in the worst way without a true point guard running the show the offense looked left for dead. Now attention turns to Game 6 on Thursday as a hobbled Harden logged 46 minutes and Durant all 48, and they'll need to empty the tank once again if they hope to send the Bucks home for good.

Kevin Durant's 49-point performance easily best in Nets' playoff history

Add to the legend that is Kevin Durant as the Nets star notched a mega triple-double with 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, while Jeff Green dropped 27 points in the 114-108 Game 5 win.
James Harden was clearly not fully healthy as his balky hamstring limited him to just five points, but he gutted out 46 minutes on just one leg. Even as just a decoy, Harden kept Milwaukee on its heels, while Durant's brilliant touch from the outside torched the Bucks in the second half. Brooklyn erased a 17-point second half deficit to wrestle control of the series away from Milwaukee with Game 6 set for Thursday night The Nets task isn't done yet, but Durant's performance coupled will go down in franchise history as one of the best all-time.

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.
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