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Nets' Big Three's have enjoyed very little playoff success dating back to 90s




 The Nets have a history of teaming up three All-Star caliber players without much playoff success.


 

Whether the New Jersey Nets assembled Derrick Coleman, Kenny Anderson and Drazen Petrovic in the 90's, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson in the mid-2000's, the Brooklyn Nets assembled Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Deron Williams in 2013-14 or the Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden led teams in 2021-22, astonishingly none of those talented squads advanced past the second round of the playoffs.

 It's pretty mind numbing to think rosters with many future Hall of Famers could fall incredibly short of playoff success, but if Nets' history teaches us anything, it's that the sum of the team's parts are greater than the whole.

Now, Brooklyn is adding Ben Simmons to a two-headed monster of Irving and Durant, clearly not dissuaded by what the franchise's  history is trying to tell them.

The Nets most successful run in the NBA came with Kidd's Cinderella squad grinding out wins with tough defense and opportunistic fast break offense. That style, philosophy and roster construction led to back to back NBA Finals Appearances and the most successful seasons the franchise has enjoyed since joining the NBA.

Look no further than the Celtics and Warriors, the top two defenses in the current NBA, to illustrate that defensive basketball is still at the heart of championship teams.

Sean Marks and company are already so far down the road with Irving, Durant and Simmons, it's going to be hard to pivot from what is being built here, but if history teaches them anything, they'll need something beyond overwhelming star power to build a team top to bottom capable of getting back to the NBA Finals.



Brooklyn needs to reestablish Nets' Culture Beyond Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving soap opera

In 55 seasons of Nets basketball there has never been as talented a duo as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving choosing to sign with the team. Most of the franchise's legendary players came either via trade: Julius Erving, Jason Kidd, Drazen Petrovic, Vince Carter, just to name a few or via the draft: Brook Lopez, Buck Williams, Derrick Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Richard Jefferson and Kenyon Martin among others. Never has a marquee free agent elected to sign with the Nets.
So when the dynamic duo of Irving and Durant selected to play in Brooklyn, it sent shockwaves throughout the NBA and certainly in Nets' World. Two players, still in the primes of their respective careers, aiming to bring the franchise its first ever title was a pipedream. Somewhere along with way, between prolonged absences from a supposed leader, star players playing both GM and coach, along with young assets that built an enviable culture sent packing to bring more seasoned players into the fold, everything went sideways.

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  The Nets culture is in trouble with questions left unanswered. Who is really calling the shots? Is it Sean Marks? Is it a collaborative effort with Durant and Irving? Is Steve Nash leading the huddle? Or in the player empowerment era are the players calling their own number? How much autonomy is Joe Tsai giving Marks to do his job effectively?

 The word culture is overused across all sports, but it's paramount to understand how Brooklyn went from a highly thought of and praised organization by other teams and their fans, into a laughingstock that basically put Irving and Durant in the driver's seat directing the trajectory of the club. The reality is Marks will need to regain full roster control and importantly leverage with Irving in potentially negotiating a long-term extension.

 Irving has shown a willingness to pay the ultimate price by missing games and in turn game checks and that has done nothing to disuade him from following his personal beliefs above the team's need for him to be available. While the Nets don't have a storied history littered with championships and a winning tradition, the fact of the matter remains the team played 52 seasons before Irving and Durant signed here and will play another 52 after both are either long retired or at other destinations. 

No two players, no matter how talented or earth shattering their decision to join the team can be, should be allowed to dictate the course of the franchise. Now is the time for Captain Marks to take control of this sinking ship and navigate it through rough seas and set a new course for the championship hungry squad to follow.

Celtics magical run making Nets sweep look better by the minute

When you're winless in the first round of the NBA playoffs, it's not often you'll have bouquets of flowers thrown in your direction. But when the team that swept you goes on to become Eastern Conference Champions and steals Game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road against this era's dynastic Warriors squad, it starts to raise some eyebrows.
The Nets fell victim to the closest sweep-point differential-wise, in NBA playoff history. Not a single Nets fan wants to hear it but the sweep was closer than meets the eye. Brooklyn had a tumultuous season with an NBA record 43 different starting lineups taking the court. 

A disgruntled James Harden forced his way out and the centerpiece of the trade with Philadelphia never made his highly anticipated Nets debut in the playoffs and underwent off-season back surgery.

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Kyrie Irving played in only 32 games and Kevin Durant missed 27 games with a sprained left MCL. 


 When you look at the avalanche of problems, some self-inflicted and some out of the team's control, it's not shocking the Nets lost to a Celtics team that was the hottest in the league the second half of the regular season. Building chemistry and continuity with Brooklyn's big three, while Sean Marks will need to replace LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin with younger more versatile pieces this off-season. 

 On paper, a first round exit to an Atlantic Division rival never looks good, but given all the turmoil in Brooklyn and magical run that Boston is on, the Nets are not an that far off from returning into the championship conversation.

Kevin Durant takes aim at basketball pundits in latest Twitter rant

 Kevin Durant doesn't pull any punches when criticizing NBA media pundits and how they portray him and the league overall.

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In his latest exchange via Twitter, Durant calls out ESPN and FOXSports1 personalities for setting the game of basketball back due to how the game is covered.



The war of words didn't stop there, as Durant's assertion saw a strong response from one of the most recognizable and loudest NBA pundits out there. Leave it to Durant to get the last word in. The Brooklyn Nets star tweeted out a comical video clip to illustrate just how much the media's opinion matters to him.

This Brooklyn-Atlanta trade would transform underachieving Nets into true contenders next season

The Brooklyn Nets have an embarrassment of riches as far as perimeter shooting is concerned. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, Patty Mills and Joe Harris are all long-range snipers of the highest order. But are the Nets too perimeter oriented? Absolutely.
Brooklyn doesn't get to the free throw line with regularity, outside of Durant and Irving attacking the rim when they're able to split double-teams. Harris and Curry will both be coming off ankle surgery, while Mills showed that heavy minutes in a starting role wore him down in the second half of the 2021-22 NBA regular season. 

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

 Curry and Mills are both undersized and below average defenders that teams hunt in Steve Nash's switch happy scheme. Yes, Ben Simmons is expected to make his Nets' debut next season, but he's hardly a score-first point guard and shies away from going to the free throw line. Sean Marks needs to get creative this off-season and target a big man who can do it all: defend 1 to 5, shoot 3-pointers, rebound and attack the basket. With Trae Young carrying the scoring load, Atlanta slid down the Eastern Conference rankings this past season and has been rumored to shake things up. 

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

 Brooklyn could send Harris, Kessler Edwards and one of the future first round pick it obtained in the trade with Philly centered on Harden and Simmons. Edwards is a dynamite young player who will need more time to develop as 3-an-D option for Brooklyn, but the clock is ticking on Durant's prime with Irving as his likely running mate. 

 A starting five of Simmons, Irving, Curry, Durant and Collins with Bruce Brown, Andre Drummond and Mills as the first three options off the bench would instantly transform a Nets team lacking physicality and defensive toughness into a formidable squad. The Nets are likely losing both Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge this summer and getting a quality big still approaching the prime years of his career isn't something Marks and company should pass up.

KD, Draymond debate how Cavs defended Warriors in 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals

Golden State is playing in its sixth NBA Finals in eight seasons, but a current Warrior, Draymond Green, gave his justification for why Steph Curry has yet to win an NBA Finals MVP Award, on Colin Cowherd.

 Green and Kevin Durant, who left in the Warriors in free agency in the summer of 2019 have a history of clashes. 

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

Upon joining Brooklyn alongside Irving, Durant cited his verbal altercation with Green during the 2018-19 regular season as one of the tipping points for him to ultimately agreeing to a sign and trade to become a Net. Durant didn't see things that way, at all.



The last two years, the former teammates have appeared to repair whatever reported rift existed to win the Men's Basketball Gold Medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, (delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

That was no more evident than a potential Twitter war being diffused by a simple gentleman's disagreement.


That was no more evident than a potential Twitter war being diffused by Durant respectfully disagreeing with Greene's comments about the number of double-teams Steph Curry faced compared to Durant.


 


So while the Twitter debate between two NBA champions rages on, Green and Curry will have the final say on what team hosts the Larry O'Brien trophy on Thursday night.

Kevin Durant agrees with All-time great's critical assessment of modern day NBA game

D
Don't include three-time champion James Worthy in the group of NBA fans loving the modern day 3-point happy game. 

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 In an interview with Stoney & Jansen Show, on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, Worthy didn't mince words when characterizing the modern NBA game and athlete. The comments made their way to Kevin Durant, who seemed to agree with the fact that modern day pro athletes are tweet-happy, but he also let it be known that the mid-range game is very much part of his scoring repotoire. It's clear that by the game and athelete has changed drastically since Worthy's playing days, but it's nice to see the league's most prolific scorer harkening back to an old school era by scoring at all three levels.

Nets need to emulate Warriors by developing youth, while chasing a title

nba.com


 If there's one thing you can't knock Steve Nash for this past season, it was his willingness to play rookies meaningful minutes during the regular season. A lot of this was precipitated by Kyrie Irving missing 52 games due to vaccine compliance issues, Kevin Durant being sidelined through the All-Star break with a knee injury and James Harden's balky hamstring sending him in and out of the lineup before his NBA trade deadline deal saw him land in Philly.

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

Cam Thomas, Kessler Edwards, David Duke Jr. and Day'Ron Sharpe for large portions of the season saw the floor as starters or rotation players playing in key moments. 

Brooklyn had a lost season in 2021-22 from a championship standpoint, but while playoff success was lacking, the long-term benefit of building experience for the team's young depth will be invaluable in the seasons ahead.

Just ask the Golden State Warriors.

Jordan Poole,  Jonathan Kuminga,  Gary Payton II, and Moses Moody make up the young nucleus of complementary first or second year players that developed into impact players for Golden State in this title pursuit.

After winning just 15 games two seasons ago, the Warriors clinched the play-in last season  only to be beaten by LeBron James' Lakers and Ja Morant's Grizzlies.

Now, Steph Curry and company are just three wins away from their sixth NBA Finals appearance under Steve Kerr's tutelage. Following the Warriors model of striving for a successful championship run, while strengthen young assets, is a template that Nash will need to use to get things back on the up and up in Brooklyn.






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.

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 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.



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