Here’s one thing we know about the Nets: They have three superstar offensive talents.
Here are three more important things to note: They struggle defensively, struggle on the boards, and struggle taking care of the ball.
It’s a recipe for disaster, as evidenced in the Nets’ 125-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Kevin Durant did not play, but the team’s biggest issues cut deeper than points scored.
DeAndre Jordan struggled. The $40 million man logged just four rebounds in 25 minutes. Jordan got outplayed by both Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen, the ex-Nets center who has now dominated his former team in back-to-back games. Allen’s Friday night domination totaled 19 points, including a number of dunks and an alley-oop over James Harden, and the play of the night: a poster dunk over Joe Harris, after which Allen briefly stared at Harris before smiling his way back down the court.
Drummond punished the Nets in the paint, and the Cavaliers ultimately out-rebounded them, 50-29 while scoring 70 points on dunks and layups.
Taurean Prince also scored 14 points, with the Cavaliers outsourcing the Nets by 14 in his 22 minutes. The ghosts of Brooklyn’s past haunted the Nets for the second straight game after stuffing the stat sheet in Wednesday’s double-overtime thriller.
The Nets turned the ball over two times in the first half, then gave the ball away eight times in the third quarter alone.
Kyrie Irving was the only player interested in scoring, another sharp performance in a season on pace for the record books. Irving scored 38 points on 14-of-24 shooting from the field. At times, he tried to deny passes to get the rest of his teammates involved in the offense, but the Cavaliers defense smothered those around him, forcing the ball back in and out of Irving’s hands.
Harden was passive and logged 11 assists to go with his 19 points. The Beard attempted only 14 shots, making six, often dribbling seconds off the clock before launching the ball to a teammate in the corner.
Reminder: Harden does not have the shooters he once had in Houston.
Instead, Landry Shamet shot 0 of 5 from deep, Bruce Brown missed both of his treys, and Harris found a contest on every shot, nailing just two of his seven attempts.
Forget about a championship. The Nets couldn’t even win a game in Cleveland. They lost once with Durant, then lost again in a far less competitive performance without him.
Nets GM Sean Marks has some questions to answer, and the issues his team faces transcend its stars. The Nets need to rebound, protect the ball and play some defense.
That starts at the top.
