The Nets’ Superstars Are Failing Them At The Wrong Time
From the Nets’ struggling stars to some late game antics from Embiid & Caruso, here are my thoughts on all the action from last night.
Last night’s slate of NBA playoff games was wild. The Nets blew a double-digit lead in the second half because of their superstars? What? On top of that, Joel Embiid broke the heart of Raptors fans. And, of course, I owe an apology to the city of Chicago.
That’s a lot to digest, so let’s get straight into it!
What’s Going On With Kevin Durant?
The Brooklyn Nets were cruising to a game two victory, until they weren’t. After a strong first-half showing, the Nets were horrendous in the second half. Their superstars struggled to make shots, and now, they find themselves in a 0-2 hole against an electric Celtics team.
A big reason why the Nets have lost the first two games of this series has been Kevin Durant. Durant is arguably the best player in the NBA, but has struggled mightily against this Celtics front. It’s understandable to an extent, but given how good Durant has been over the past few seasons, it’s surprising.
He played one of the worst halves of his career last night;
Kevin Durant in the 2nd half of Game 2
0/10 FG
12 pts (all from FT)
4 turnovers
-19 plus/minus
Durant joined DeMarcus Cousins as the only player from the last 25 seasons to go 0-for-10 from the field with 4+ turnovers in a single half. Not exactly the kind of company you want to be joining.
So, what went wrong? For one, Durant missed some makeable shots. The Celtics didn’t send a lot of help on his shot attempts in the second half. For the most part, he was isolated against someone like Jayson Tatum. I don’t have a problem with any of the shots KD took.
That’s not my problem. My problem is against with Brooklyn’s game plan.
(Note: What’s up with KD’s ball-handling? The Celtics continually just rip the ball from his hands like he’s a bench warmer. Maybe it’s a confidence thing at this point?)
Isolation Doesn’t Work Against The Celtics
First half: 9 assists on 24 field goals
Second half: 7 assists on 11 field goals
Notice anything here? As the Celtics crept closer, Brooklyn’s offense became simpler. Instead of methodically moving the ball, the Nets settled for isolations. Their logic of KD and Kyrie being better than the defense did them in the end.
The Nets also didn’t help KD a lot in this game. Sure, he had a few more off-ball actions than he did in Game 1, but that’s not saying much. I’m also surprised that we didn’t see any KD/Kyrie screening actions in the fourth quarter.
The lesson from this game, other than that KD needs to step things up, is that the Nets have to be more creative offensively. Bruce Brown’s pre-series comments about this teams’ defense look even more foolish than they already did.
If the Nets want any hopes of clawing back in this series, they need to help their stars as much as possible.
I Sincerely Apologize To The Windy City
I predicted that the series between the Bucks and the Bulls wouldn’t be close. Not only did the Bulls get swept by the defending champs in the regular season, I felt that the Bucks would expose Chicago’s flaws. Even after an ugly, defensive-oriented game one, I felt confident in my prediction.
After game two, I think it’s time to apologize. Now, did the Bulls benefit from injuries to Portis and Middleton? Yes. But, they earned their way into tying this series. And for that, I owe them their deeds.
After the Bulls’ All-Stars were locked up in game one, DeMar DeRozan promised better results. And he got them. DeRozan was a mid-range machine, scoring a playoff career-high 41 points to lead the Bulls.
Vucevic and Lavine both shot above 50% from the field and added 44 combined points, too. Chicago needed their stars to come through, and they did. On top of that, the Bulls defense continued to look solid.
While Giannis had 33 points and 18 rebounds, he didn’t feel as dominant as he did to start game one. Alex Caruso guarded him at times in the fourth quarter, which worked surprisingly well. Speaking of Caruso, he was the unsung hero of this game.
He led the game with a plus/minus of +16. Like I mentioned before, he guarded Giannis at times. And, just for good measure, he had ten assists and four stocks. The Bald Eagle was the catalyst for Chicago in game two.
Keys For The Rest of the Series
With Khris Middleton hobbled by a knee injury, there’s reason for optimism if you’re a Bulls fan. To win three more games, they have to do the following things;
- Hit threes at a high clip
- Get to the free throw line
- Stars be stars
- Try and contain Giannis as best as you can
If the Bulls can do those things, they have a chance to pull off a tremendous upset in round one.
Should We Be Worried About The Bucks?
On the flip side, there’s a lot to be worried about for the Bucks. Middleton’s injury could leave Milwaukee without their #2 option for the rest of this series. On top of that, with Bobby Portis, the bench fell apart. I don’t think it’s time to panic yet, but this tweet sums things up;
Even when Milwaukee took game one, it was sluggish. Their offensive output was poor, given how much of an advantage they had over Chicago. While Giannis and Brook Lopez were great again in game two, the rest of the team didn’t pull their weight.
Jrue Holiday struggled from the field and turned it over six times. Without Middleton, he has to play a lot better offensively. Holiday was traded for to cover for Khris when needed. The Bucks need him now more than ever.
The bench has also got to be a focus for the Bucks. I don’t know how much Bobby Portis will play for the rest of this series, but assuming he won’t be 100%, the Bucks have to do better than eight bench points.
Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton are two competent swingmen off the bench. Connaughton, in particular, stepped up for the Bucks last postseason. He’ll have to do that again. The two of them provide excellent floor spacing and off-the-dribble creation.
Both of these teams don’t have any bench production in this series. However taps into that first will gain a massive edge.
It’s Giannis’ Time
If the pressure wasn’t already on the 2x MVP, it’s on him. With the series tied, his co-star out with injury, and a crappy bench backing him up, Giannis has his back to the wall. Last postseason, he proved everyone wrong and led this team to a title.
To try and do that again, he’ll have to play at a level we saw him play at during the Finals. Not only will he have to carry the offense, his defense will become paramount as Milwaukee tries to douse the flames that Chicago put up in game two.
He’s capable of doing it, but it won’t be easy. These next few games will be Giannis’ chance to again show us why he’s arguably the best player in the league. I think he can do it, and the Bucks will need him to if they want to slug out this newly competitive series.
Joel Embiid Is Heartless
The Philadelphia 76ers should not be leading 3-0 in their first-round series with the Raptors. After two home games that saw them demolish Toronto, they looked feeble on the road. Not having the unvaccinated Mattise Thybulle was a big reason for that.
The 76ers didn’t lead for the entirety of regulation. Philly trailed by as much as 17 at one point. And then Joel Embiid did this, capping off a 33-point game;
To the fan who fell on his knees because of this dagger, I feel your pain. I would do the same if I were rich enough to sit courtside during a playoff game. Toronto played as well as they could last night. Without Scottie Barnes, they finally made life hard for this Sixers offense.
In the most important game of their season, they led for 99% of the game. And then a 7-foot center shot a running, fadeaway 3-pointer to all but end their season. So, I think all Raptors fans are like that guy on his knees.
What Can The Nets Do To Help Their Superstars? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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