NBA takeaway No. 5: Brooklyn set up for a title run?
As much as it pains me to say this, the Nets should be considered the easy favorite in the Eastern Conference, despite the lack of depth. It is true that beyond the three stars, Brooklyn has little to show for in terms of contributors. Beyond Joe Harris, I don’t know if there is another player on the roster I would be genuinely happy about trotting out in the playoffs. That includes Jeff Green and the corpse of Deandre Jordan.
And yes, the Nets are rumored to be the favorites for newly bought out Blake Griffin. Uhhhhh good for them I guess lol. He can provide some rebounding for the Nets but his shot has completely disappeared and his defense has been non-existent.
So why am I so bullish on them to make it out of the East? Those three players man. Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving is a combo I would veto if I was playing 2K blacktop 3-on-3 against someone. It is not just that they are elite players and elite offensive geniuses. It is what they can specifically do on offense that makes them unbeatable.
Once you get past the first round, the playoffs become a possession-by-possession game. If you go scoreless for three-four possessions while giving up baskets at the other end, that could be the deciding factor when it is all said and done.
You can have the cutest offensive sets in the league, but if you cannot score in the pick and roll, you are done for. This has often been the demise of elite teams like the Bucks in previous playoff runs.
The Nets are absurdly prepared for those situations. KD, Harden, and Kyrie, can all run the PNR. They can all get to the basket and finish at an elite level. They can all stop on a dime and pull up from mid-range, again hitting those at an elite level. The same goes for the 3-point line. Get lucky enough to stop the shot/drive? They are all more than equipped to pass to an open player, which will be either the other two superstars or Joe Harris AKA Mr. Hit All the 3’s.
You’re just not going to stop them on offense. Especially in possession-for-possession situations. You can expose their matador defense all you want, but I do not think there is another team in the East that can keep up with their offense for seven games.
Those are my takeaways for the first half of the season. Agree? Don’t agree? Comment your thoughts and make them as mean as possible. Find me on Twitter to make it even more personal if you feel that strongly. This second half of the season is set up to be the most chaotic that we have seen, which will be exciting if nothing else. Thanks for reading and if you don’t have your webcam taped up, I can see you!