En the first 43 seconds of a match, an entire season can change and the big favorite to win the ring is no longer so. The injury of James Harden on the hamstring of his right leg, awaiting the results of the tests he has undergone, may change the landscape of the playoffs. Without it, Nets they would still have weapons to aspire to the ring, but the weight that ‘The beard’ has in the game.
At the moment, based on the experience this season, there are some figures that disturb the Nets: 12-11. It is the balance of victories and defeats of Brooklyn when Harden hasn’t played. With him on the track, it was much better: 33-8. In his absence of a month, his team lost two consecutive games to the Bucks. While he was healthy, I know he won a previous one.
Harden came to the Nets to fight for his first ring and now may not participate in the outcome of the season. Although it would cost them more, still Kevin Durant Y Kyrie Irving (29 and 25 points in the first match of the Eastern semi-final) they could manage to get it without your help and dedicate it to you. For ‘La Barba’, knowing his competitive ability, it will not be a completely happy title.
Kevin Durant pulls chevrons for the Nets in Harden’s absence
Stars emerge in difficult situations. Kevin Durant is one of the greatest in the NBA and his team was in trouble due to the injury of James Harden. So the Nets forward turned the team over to the men and led the win over the Bucks. I ended up with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
“We tried not to be too emotional, but losing one of their leaders on the first play of the game, we had to regroup for a couple of minutes and figure out what was next. I think the coaching staff did a great job. The guys came in and tried to play really hard. We didn’t care about anything but playing, executing the game plan and leaving it all there, “Durant said.
With 1:36 remaining in the third quarter, the Nets forward made his fourth foul. The next thing he did was gesture towards his bench so that Steve Nash will not replace him. The coach paid attention to him. And he was right. In the remaining time of that period, Durant scored seven points that served for his team to start the last act with a 14 advantage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo he was on his line in the first game against the Nets. The eaves finished with 34 points and 11 reboundsBut it was not enough to defeat the Brooklynites. There was someone, however, who considered that the Greek colossus had been misused. It was Draymond Green.
The player of the Warriors, who usually talks a lot on the track, also did it on social networks. “If the Bucks want to win this series, they must stop using Giannis as a ball handler in the pick and roll. He becomes too predictable in a seven-game series against a team as talented, if not greater, than the Bucks. the Bucks. It did not put him in the best possible conditions to be successful in the playoffs. In the playoffs you do not play the same basketball as in the regular season, “he analyzed.
Antetokounmpo had the help of Brook Lopez (19 points), Jrue Holiday (17) and Khris Middleton (13 + 13), but the Bucks were hit by the outside pitch with a lousy 6/20. They better fine tune the toe. It takes a lot of points to win a game against the Nets.
Harden’s injury caused unexpected protagonists to appear. One was Blake Griffin, which finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Given his resume with appearances in the All Star and in the best quintets in the NBA, he was less surprising than his Mike James.
The point guard had played only nine minutes spread over three games during the series against the Celtics. In the debut of the tie against the Bucks, he spent 30 minutes on the court and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. And if ‘La Barba’ cannot play the next matches, his presence on the court could be similar.
James, walked out the back door of the CSKA after having several conflicts with the coach Dimitris Itoudis, may now be a major player in the Nets’ playoff rotation. If they tell you a few months ago, you won’t believe it.
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