The Brooklyn Nets, the big favorites for the NBA title, failed in the second round. A lot of bad luck ultimately prevented the fulfillment of the big dream, which, however, will continue to be hunted with the same core in the coming years – even if it will be expensive. SPOX answers the most important questions about the future of the nets.
1. How is the Brooklyn Nets season to be assessed?
It should have dawned on every NBA fan by January 13, 2021 at the latest: The Brooklyn Nets will not be easy to get past in the 2020/21 season. On that gloomy Wednesday morning, the former loser franchise of the past few years finally transformed itself into an overwhelming power when Brooklyn arranged the blockbuster trade for James Harden.
So from now on Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant stood side by side to lead the Nets to a championship. The declared goal was nothing less, Brooklyn was the favorite for the title for much of the season and also at the start of the playoff. The fact that the season ended after the second round and a seven-game battle against the Bucks must be viewed as a disappointment.
However, the reasons for this are not purely sporting, there was also a lot of bad luck. “Injuries destroyed us this year,” said Bruce Brown, summing up the Nets’ season after the almost 111: 115 overtime bankruptcy in Game 7 against Milwaukee. Head Coach Steve Nash put it a little more eloquently: “We miss Kyrie, James only plays on one leg. And yet we could have won. In the end it was one hurdle too many.”
In the regular season, the Big Three only stood together in eight games due to various injuries to all three superstars. Coach Nash had to fall back on a total of 27 players and 38 different starting lineups in order to lead a somewhat fit team onto the field. Nevertheless, with 48 wins and 24 defeats, it was even enough for second place in the east.
After a dominant start in the first round of playoffs, the fit Big Three demolished the Boston Celtics in five games, but injury concerns caught up with Brooklyn again. The Beard pulled a thigh strain after 43 seconds in Game 1 against the Bucks, which made him miss the next three games and thanks to which he dragged himself through the last three duels with the Bucks. Irving missed the rest of the series after an ankle injury in Game 4, and Jeff Green was out of action at times.
Despite all these setbacks, there was no one in the end literally just millimetersto eliminate the Bucks from the postseason and move into the East Finals instead. Accordingly, after the initial disappointment, the Nets should start the summer with an overall positive feeling. With the Big Three, Brooklyn will also play for the title in the coming year – especially because Durant has finally returned to the basketball Olympus.
Nets vs. Bucks: the series at a glance
| game | date | Time | Home | Away | Result |
| 1 | 6. June | 1:30 | Nets | Bucks | 115:107 |
| 2 | 8. June | 1:30 | Nets | Bucks | 125:86 |
| 3 | 11. June | 1:30 | Bucks | Nets | 86:83 |
| 4 | 13. June | 21 clock | Bucks | Nets | 107:96 |
| 5 | 16. June | 2.30 a.m. | Nets | Bucks | 114:108 |
| 6 | 18. June | 2.30 a.m. | Bucks | Nets | 104:89 |
| 7 | 20. June | 2.30 a.m. | Nets | Bucks | 111: 115 OT |
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