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The NBA team with highest likelihood of knocking off the Nets isn't who you think it is

 


Forget the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers, the team that stands between the Brooklyn Nets and a Larry O'Brien Trophy is none other than the Phoenix Suns.

The resigning Western Conference champs are an afterthought in the championship conversation, but with the nucleus of the team returning and valuable championship level experience on their side, Chris Paul and the Suns are more than a formidable foe.

Devin Booker is on the upswing and is a legitimate MVP candidate in the making.

Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton Jae Crowder, Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet, who was sent to the Valley of the Sun in exchange for Jevon Carter, are all stellar scoring options for Phoenix.

The Nets have the star power with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Blake Griffin, but Phoenix has a fearless and seasoned leader in Paul to go along with a fantastic supporting cast.

The Nets are the odds on favorites to take the title, but not enough respect is being given to a Phoenix squad that is not only a viable option to come out of the West, but a team capable of winning the whole shebang.





James Harden gives impassioned speech to young ballers stressing work ethic, preparation




Many NBA fans judge James Harden by his flashy fashion sense, eccentric personality, and on-court histrionics, but very few appreciate the work that man put in to be one of the league's top players. 

Harden's leadership behind the scenes has been a talking point by Nets teammates as he's not only an incredible basketball talent, but a basketball savant. Brooklyn's floor general has incredible court vision, unlimited moves off the dribble in his bag, along with an absurd stepback three that only a handful of players in the NBA can come close to emulating. 

So when Harden had a chance to practice with young up and coming ballers, he didn't mince words when calling out their effort at practice.

Understandably, Harden was heavily criticized for showing up late to Houston Rockets training camp this past season and being physically out of shape and mentally in another place. Even upon his not so subtle trade demand with Brooklyn atop the list, it took Harden several weeks to get into game condition.

Last year's scenario was an outlier in Harden's career as he's been a gamer and hardly missed significant time over the course of his time in the NBA.

Unfortunately, Harden battled a nagging hamstring injury that forced him into two prolonged stints on the injured list. Upon returning in time for the start of the playoffs, he reaggravated the injury, which was only classified as a moderate Grade 2 strain after the Nets were eliminated by Bucks. 

The Nets leader in triple doubles during the regular season with 12 in just 36 regular season games, good enough to tie for the franchise-lead set by Jason Kidd, Harden tried to gut it out in the playoffs, but wasn't nearly himself.

Former Nets and Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, who coached Harden in both destinations, ravved about the "Beared One's" leadership. It's clear that Harden demands accountability from his teammates and given his stern words of caution to the younger generation of ballers, coaching could be in his future down the road. 

Durant, Harden, Irving-led Nets defeat Jordan, Pippen, Rodman-led Bulls in simulated playoff matchup




Many are anticipating the Brooklyn Nets will have a season of historic proportions, but NBA fans young and old wonder how this Eastern juggernaut would stack up to titans of year's past. 

 Using the WhatIfSports Simulator Engine, Nets Insider was able to pit the 2020-2021 Nets (sorry the 2021-2022 squad isn't available just yet), against the record-setting 72-10, 1995-1996 Bulls squad in a seven-game series. 

 The outcome wasn't exactly what many would expect as the dynasty Bulls fell in five games to the talented, but trophy-less Nets.

WhatIfSports is a sports fan's dream as you can concoct historic matchups along with modern day contests for simulated outcomes. The series simulation went as follows.

GAME 1

GAME 2

GAME 3

GAME 4

GAME 5

Remarkably, even without home court advantage, the Nets knockoff the Bulls in five games. 

The battle of superstars goes Brooklyn's way. While Chicago has six titles in the trophy case and two separate three-peats, Brooklyn is aiming to fill its case for the first time in franchise history.












With sad state of NY Football, Nets will be back in spotlight soon enough

 The Jets and Giants opened their respective seasons on Sunday, with both clubs continuing their losing ways of the better part of the past decade.

Even the Bills, many NFL pundits pick to make the Super Bowl, lost 23-16 in lackluster fashion.

The Western New York club holds the only glimmer of hope to make this NFL season somewhat enjoyable for fans.

As far NBA fans in the New York market, the Nets are a little over two weeks away from opening training camp in San Diego, and by that time, Giants and Jets fans might be already yearning for basketball to get underway.

It's not often that a New York Metropolitan area team enters a season as the favorites to win the championship, but that's the exact expectations and pressure facing the Brooklyn Nets this upcoming season.

Outside of the Giants pair of titles in 2007 and 2011 and the Yankees World series championship in 2009, New York has been starved for a champion.

The Nets represent the city's best chance for a parade as the Jets and Giants appear to be closer to top of the draft type teams than top division squads.

Yes, wet know we're ignoring the Western New York football team, but Buffalo is a long way from New York city.

Nets training camp opens September 28 in San Diego while their opening game against Milwaukee will take place October 19.

The Brooklyn Nets are a cheat code with absurdly high NBA 2K22 ratings




 The Brooklyn Nets will hands down be the gamer's top choice of clubs to play with in this year's installment of the 2K franchise. 

Unsurprisingly, the Nets have three players ranked over 90 overall with Kevin Durant (96) James Harden (94), and Kyrie Irving (91) showcasing the Big three talents.

Brooklyn has the top overall team rating at 84, while fashioning a star-studded roster.

The Nets are the only team in this year's title to feature three 90-plus rated dynamos on the same team.






Brooklyn's team rebounding (57) and team defense (65) ranked among the bottom tier, but represent the two shortfalls of an otherwise nearly flawless ensemble of offensive standouts.

Even the gamenight experience is as authentic as ever with the game incorporating Olivier Sedra, the Nets public address announcers into the pregame cinematics and gameplay ambience.

Users have been critical of 2K's clunky gameplay with awkward player physics and while improvements to game fluidity have been made, there's still a way to go for the leading basketball videogame franchise.

The Nets' Big three will have a feathery touch from the outside thanks to a revamped shot meter with more realistic responsiveness. This will mean even more gamers splashing through shots from long range.

It will be scary hours this season at Barclays Center this season, and NBA2K fans looking to take down the Nets will likely be in for a whole lot of headaches this season.


Ja Morant admits Kyrie Irving has him beat at this unique skill




 Ja Morant is one of the most electrifying young players in the NBA, but the 22 year old conceded that Kyrie Irving has him beat in a particular facet of the game.



Morant is a similar size and stature to Irving, but with more explosiveness around the rim. All of this doesn't mean that the Memphis guard is more a effective inside scorer than his Eastern Conference counterpart.

 With sneaky athleticism and crafty moves in the paint, Irving can almost effortlessly contort his body around defenders and finish at the basket from near impossible angles.

The most astonishing aspect to this is that Irving does most of his magic underneath the rim and without trying to outleap his opponent.

The man dubbed "Uncle Drew," is living proof that nifty moves inside the paint and being one of the league's best finishers doesn't have to be a thunderous dunker or big man to hold that distinction.

Kyrie Irving has simple but powerful message for social media followers

 



Critics come out the woodwork to attack Kyrie Irving for his life choices, outlook on the world and the way he carries himself day to day.

Irving marches to the beat of his own drum and reinforced that message to his followers with a short but sweet post via Twitter.




 The Nets floor general has been the subject of vitriol from fans for his unceremonious exit from Boston and his mysterious absence from the Nets midway through this past season.

The mercurial superstar is perhaps a misunderstood figure, but he's not going to spend anymore time worrying about conforming to society's standards.

Brooklyn is the odds on favorite to take the championship and if Irving can push aside the detractors in the media and within NBA fan circles, it will only serve him even better this upcoming season.


Former Nets castoff could be starting option at center for Lakers

DeAndre Jordan and the Brooklyn Nets had an amicable break-up this month. Jordan, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden still maintain a brotherhood off the court despite no longer being able to call each other teammates.

 Merely days after joining Los Angeles, a situation in which Jordan was blocked from significant minutes by the presence of Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard, the former has been shipped to Memphis. Howard is the frontrunner to grab the starting spot with the Lakers, a team he's now in his third stint with, but with Gasol gone, Jordan has a chance to complete for that starting spot, but at the very least it has opened up some possible minutes for him to play an integral role in a championship push. 

 The Nets castoff was a poor fit in Steve Nash's switch heavy schemes, and brings athleticism to a Lakers squad evidently looked to move on from the powerful, but lumbering Gasol. 

 The Nets are the bettor's favorites to win the title and the Lakers are right behind them in that conversation. 

If the East's Giant meets the Western juggernaut in June, adding an ex-Net to the opposing side will only add more intrigue to a potentially compelling NBA Finals matchup.

Paul Millsap officially signs with the Brooklyn Nets

 Free agent forward Paul Millsap has finalized a deal to join the Brooklyn Nets, although as per team policy, details of the deal were not disclosed. 

A 15-year veteran with stops in Utah, Atlanta and Denver, Millsap has been on the Nets' radar for some time. For his career, the seasoned big man has averaged 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds on 49 percent shooting from the floor and 34.3 percent from 3-point range. 

Millsap ranks second among all active NBA players in games played trailing only LeBron James' 1,072. Millsap is the only player to have over 1,000 blocks and 1,000 steals during that span. Brooklyn is hoping to bolster a front court that was razor thin a season ago by adding the grizzled vet. 

It's unclear how minutes will shake out for Millsap given the signing of LaMaracus Aldridge, James Johnson's presence on the roster, Sekou Doumbouya, DeAndre Bembry and Nicolas Claxton also battling for minutes. 

Depth is not a bad problem to have and Steve Nash has an embarrassment of riches in the talent department with James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to go along with an experienced bench full off former All-Stars. 

At 36, Millsap is past the prime of his career, but he could relish the opportunity to be a spark plug of the bench and most importantly serve as a critical factor in the Nets' playoff push. 

US Open finalist Leylah Annie Fernandez draws inspiration from fellow Canadian Steve Nash sitting in her box

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has inspired players of all ages to work hard and not just on the basketball court.

Leylah Annie Fernandez, who clinched a spot in the US Open final against Emma Raducanu of Britain, notes that her father wanted her to model her work ethic after Nash.

The finals matchup is the first time since 1968 that both players are unseeded and qualified for the US Open final.

Fernandez and Raducanu are both teenagers, so there's a strong possibility both will be regular contenders in major tournaments in the years to follow.

As for Nash, he's an avid tennis player and fan when he's not managing the big talent in Brooklyn and Fernandez gleefully joked they'll need to set up a 1-on-1 match to test his level of play.

The Nets head man has been a regular celebrity spectator at Arthur Ashe, sitting in Coco Gauff's box and Vasek Pospisil's earlier in the tournament.

Action is heating up on both the women's and men's side in Flushing, but it must be extra meaningful to have such a bright young star representing Canada in spectacular fashion at tennis' showcase event.

Kevin Durant fires back at fan questioning Antonio Brown's character with hilarious LeBron GIF

 Kevin Durant doesn't pull any punches when it comes to social media.


Careful what you tweet because he may come for you.

When a fan questioned all the character issues Antonio Brown has had over the course of his career, the Nets star was having none of it.


It's opening night in the NFL and clearly everyone is paying attention, including some of the NBA's biggest star. 

 Nets training camp opens September 28 and Brooklyn will travel to Milwaukee October 19 to open the 2021-2022 NBA season.
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