Injuries are the hallmark of every NBA season, and it is unrealistic to expect an expected playoff series to unfold uninterrupted. But for some reason, James Harden, who was paralyzed in the first minute, seemed to be affected more than the Brooklyn Nets by the Milwaukee Bucks. It was as if the Nets had been dealing with uneven turf all season, only to discover a new element that turned into a dogged bunch.
Without James Harden, the Nets looked comfortable being uncomfortable in win over Bucks
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I mean, he was ready and excited to play tonight. You know the preparation he does, you know how much he cares about the game, how much he cares about his team. You never want to see that. But I don't know if he'll play the next game, "Nash said.
The Bucks were a little too pleased after easily defeating the Miami Heat in the first round, leaving them unprepared for the extra gear needed to beat a better team. They looked rushed, they missed a lot of open shots and they didn't seem prepared. The Nets looked comfortable and uncomfortable, but they played a mature game to kick off the series and sent shockwaves all the way to the Bucks as a team that felt confident going into the game.
Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Kyrie Irving took over the playmaker role, contributing eight assists to his 25 points. The league missed shots because of Durant, not because of the opponent, and Irving dazzled as much as any other outfielder to stay in the postseason. Remind them that Durant is on the other side and he doesn't have to defend other players who are not just the leagues of yesteryear, but the future.
The final score of 115-107 showed an eight-point spread but it felt more like a 20-point thrashing as the nets quickly adjusted. We've been through a lot this year, "Nash said. "We had a feeling of training for this event.
They will miss Harden's playmaking, but he is the glue that allows hits to Joe Harris and Jeff Green, and a strategy with more hits to Kevin Durant would cause nightmares for the opposition.
There is a belief among the Bucks that James Harden is motivated by heartbreak after the playoff failures of the past two years and ready to flaunt the versatility of the team's deep roster.
The Nets immediately had grits, and the crowds couldn't rule these individuals out because of their own playoff history. Durant and Irving shed tears because their bodies let them down when it mattered most. They were created to occupy the big stage as champions.
James Harden
Durant's mastery of the game was overshadowed two years ago by an Achilles injury that shook the basketball world and threatened his future. He is no longer the best point guard in the world, for example, after players like Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant burned out. He watched the 2015 Finals and got only a small portion of the expected action, but then swallowed hard after watching his Boston Celtics lose to his former team Cleveland in the 2018 conference finals. He lacks coaching apprenticeships, but he does not lack the disappointment that fuels a competitive colleague on the sidelines.
There is a belief that the nets will cower at the first sign of adversity, but this group is uniquely tempered. 'You know, the only thing you can't control is getting hurt or anything else that might happen in the future. This is a life lesson that everyone has. You have to focus on what you can control, 'Durant said.
Twenty three-pointers and an efficient performance of Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points on 16-for-24 shooting)n't won much confidence in Game 2. I mean, we just have to look around the league and see what happens. When we look around the NBA, we look for someone who is more mature, more confident and more complete.
James Harden: Khris Middleton couldn't locate his shot, and the entire squad was hit with cuts to the basket. Jrue Holiday looked lost at times, which was no different from the overwhelming performance of his predecessor, Eric Bledsoe.
One of the best shooting teams outscored the same Blake Griffin, who jumped into the hot tub in the time machine, wasted a three-out-of-four, had one teammate less than Joe Harris and two fewer triple-doubles than anyone on the team. They were in a hurry and managed to tread too slowly. The Nets were more desperate and hungry than their counterparts on teams that got tougher, and it was not unexpected to be overmuscled by the likes of Griffin, who dived to the ground after loose balls and high-flying dunks.
Griffin received standing ovation from his new home crowd, a welcome sight after the medical abyss of the last years, in which he had an interpersonal relationship with good health that was more about heartache than bonding as an individual. Two years ago, Griffin wouldn't have heard much positive. You know what I'm saying, "Griffin said.
It's crazy, but you know it happens. The Bucks seem dependent on a plan we've never seen before - the Nets "version - and this season, despite James Harden's injury, it was enough to send Milwaukee home. We haven't seen the Bucks adapt in real time, and the time will never come for the Nets. Series can be a trifle, as Saturday's unfortunate defeat by the Lakers-backed Clippers-Mavericks in Game 1 proves.