CHICAGO — It’s been the worst-kept secret in all of Brooklyn.
Despite the Nets’ star power and championship aspirations, they have come up empty against the NBA’s best teams.
The players knew it. Steve Nash, Sean Marks and even team owner Joe Tsai couldn’t ignore the facts, either. In games against the top four seeds in both the Eastern and Western Conferences — two games each against the Bucks and Bulls and one apiece against the Warriors, Suns and Heat — the Nets have come up short.
And then the Nets woke up.
Maybe it’s because the Bulls beat the Nets in the second game of a back-to-back in their first two games of the season. Or maybe it’s because neither of the matchups between these two teams included Kyrie Irving, the unvaccinated superstar guard who only recently received clearance to play road games this season.
Those two early losses are now water under the Brooklyn Bridge, a distant and fading thought erased from memory via the Nets’ most dominant victory of the season: a 138-112 shellacking of the Bulls in front of their own home fans. The victory punched the Nets’ ticket as the NBA’s most dominant offense ... at least when they’re on the road.
Call it the “Kyrie Irving Effect.” Or maybe this is what happens when “Houston Harden” makes an appearance. Wednesday night’s result was the most well-rounded game the Nets have put forth against a fellow championship contender.
It’s clear with this victory the Nets are not pretenders. They very much so belong in the conversation — right up there with the Warriors, Suns and Bucks — even if their record against those teams doesn’t hold water.
The Nets’ record against those teams, just like their record against the Bulls, should be erased from their win-loss tally. They are a totally different team now with Irving back in the rotation.
Irving shot only 4-of-10 from the field for nine points on the night, but his presence opened the floor for the other stars. With more attention on Irving, Harden played one of his most aggressive games of the year. He finished with 25 points and 16 assists, providing a steady flow of scoring and playmaking that carried the Nets all night.
And Kevin Durant did his damage, notably in the third quarter, when he hit shot after shot to bury the Bulls beneath the floorboards at the United Center. Durant finished with a game-high 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. He also dished nine assists and shot 10-of-11 from the foul line. Patty Mills also broke free from his shooting slump. After shooting 7-of-33 from downtown in his last five games, Mills came off the bench and shot 6-of-8 from 3 for 21 points on the night.
And to think the Nets were shorthanded when they took the floor in Chicago. They blew out the East’s No. 1 seed in a game Irving didn’t play particularly well, missing many of his bread-and-butter shots — like open corner threes, post-up mid-range jumpers and layups at the rim.
Sharpshooter Joe Harris remained sidelined recovering from surgery on his left ankle. His rehab is taking longer than expected, Nash said, and he could still be another two weeks out. LaMarcus Aldridge also sat with right foot soreness and Nic Claxton watched from the sidelines battling hamstring soreness.
Nash started rookies Day’Ron Sharpe and Kessler Edwards alongside Durant, Harden and Irving. The pair of rookies each left tangible imprints on the game. Sharpe finished with 20 points and seven assists, battling fringe all-star Nikola Vucevic all night. And Edwards played incredible defense, helping hold Bulls’ star DeMar DeRozan to just 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field.
The best takeaway from the Nets’ dominant win over the Bulls? The Nets’ Big 3 watched from the bench as the stay-ready group closed the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter.
Harden played 33 minutes, Durant played 30 and Irving played just 25. For reference, Durant is averaging 37 minutes per game this season. He tallied 85 minutes in a 48-hour span in back-to-back games against the Spurs and Trail Blazers.
As the three stars watched from the bench, Bulls fans had no choice but to find some type of positive.
A fan shouted from behind press row in the game’s final minute, “It’s OK boys! We beat them twice!”
Those losses have been erased from memory, and these new Nets — the Nets that have Kyrie Irving on the road — are now 1-0 against championship contenders in the new year.
And they’re not even whole yet.
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