Before the season began, no one would’ve called the Nets to be in the Play-In Tournament. They were expected to be a top five team in the East, but injuries to players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving not allowed to be a full-time player among other things led to this moment.
Now Brooklyn will look to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Barclays Center to earn their spot in the first round against the Boston Celtics.
Head coach Steve Nash has dealt with everything that’s been thrown at the Nets this season, which also includes the big trade they made with the Philadelphia 76ers before the deadline to land Ben Simmons, who still has yet to play this year. His team hasn’t had the same time on the court as others they may face in the postseason, but that doesn’t mean his group isn’t prepared to show everyone what the Nets are made of.
“We’re all excited,” Nash told reporters on Monday. “We’re still getting to know this group, so there’s confidence in there but there’s also excitement to try to continue to grow and build and compete. We don’t really know a ton about the group relative to the other teams that have been together for longer periods of time and had more continuity this season. That is true. When you don’t have the same continuity or history as a group, that’s fine. We should be excited about what we can build and accomplish in a short period of time and how difficult we can be to beat in a playoffs situation.”
Durant is healthy now and Irving is a full-time participant so it all works out now. It also helped that the Toronto Raptors made a push to the fifth seed and didn’t create a potential problem where Irving couldn’t play in Canada if it was a home game.
Either way, this Nets team might be a misfit group compared to others that have been playing together since October, but they have offensive firepower that can’t be slept on. Two of the best scorers in the world is why they are the favorites to win this game and not have to worry about an elimination game in the next round of the Play-In.
But the Cavs will look to keep their underdog story alive as well, so this is bound to be a fun matchup to watch.
“Yeah, I’m playing,” Curry said with a smile.
Curry has been dealing with a left ankle sprain, but it’s something he seems willing to play on even if it’s still bothering him. It’s the playoffs, after all.
The guard’s presence in the lineup will certainly help the Nets, though, especially if his shot is falling. Curry has the ability to go off even with Durant and Irving on the floor, and that only helps spacing and the overall play of the offense when he’s on.