Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
The Nets have won 6 straight games.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Adam Pantozzi/Getty Images.)
It’s kind of funny how we have sort of flip-flopped on the Nets. One time, we thought they would be one of the scariest teams in recent memory. And then we’re just like, “Well, if they do this then they can be.” Well, here go the Nets again, who have won 6 games overall and cleaned up their road trip by winning all 5 games on the road.
They actually swept the entire Pacific Division. So that means they ran through Golden State, Sacramento, Phoenix, and both L.A. teams. And these are all good teams, mind you; only Sactown is out of the playoff picture out of the 5.
They beat the Clippers on Sunday in a close game. James Harden has topped off his amazing road trip with a 37-11-7 performance. Kyrie Irving had 28 points and 8 assists. Kevin Durant hasn’t played since Feb. 13 so it will be even more terrifying when he does return.
I don’t think they’ve made no bones about their identity: the Nets are going to try to outscore you. The Nets’ defensive rating is bottom 5 in the league. But on the other side of the court? They’re flames. They’re tops in the league and the offensive rating is the best in league history at 118.6 points per 100 possessions. Dallas set the mark last year at 116.7. And again, they didn’t get Harden until mid-January and Irving and Durant have missed games here and there (Durant is currently out with a bad hamstring).
And their road trip has been phenomenal in terms of offense: 128.0 points per 100 possessions in 5 games. Granted, their defense is awful but the net rating is +9.7 points per 100 possessions. They will score score score. And with a conductor like Harden, a wizard on the handles like Irving, and a tall dude that can score ANYWHERE in Durant, it’s a tough team to stop.
With the Sixers loss, the Nets are only a half-game behind the #1 spot. Yeah, they probably should’ve been there all along with a top-heavy team like that. But to get there, they needed to find an identity. This seems like a flawed one because defense does win championships. There is still a lot of season to go, though.
At least, the Nets know who they are. That is a victory in itself.
Bullet Passes
Ryan Saunders was let go by the Minnesota Timberwolves as head coach. He was replaced by Chris Finch, who was actually a Toronto Raptors assistant coach before signing his multiyear contract. So I don’t know if that counts as tampering but that’s another day.
This is a tough spot. Saunders was pretty much in a no-win situation. I always worry for Karl-Anthony Towns, who has lost several family members to COVID. I don’t blame KAT at all that he’s just going through the motions. D’Angelo Russell is hurt and the team is extremely young. I thought they were going to all get a chance to grow together but I guess management got impatient.
Let’s see how Finch does with this team.
The Raptors have won four straight and are over .500 for the first time this season at 16-15. They’re showing their resiliency from last season.
Nikola Vucevic continues his career year with a 37-point, 12-rebound game against Detroit. I mean, I’m not going to go on a social media tirade if he doesn’t get an all-star berth but good grief, does he deserve one this season.
Cleveland can’t win.
The Celtics led by 24 against the Pelicans halfway through the third. And they lost in overtime.
They’re 4-7 without Marcus Smart. But even when he was on the court, they had been playing inconsistently. I still expect them to make a run in the second half but it has to be frustrating to be a Celtics fan.
NBA Scoreboard
Feb. 21, 2021
Watch This Play
This is a power oop by John Collins.
DUNK of the Night: February 21st
👉 John Collins of the @ATLHawks pic.twitter.com/p0okWqUrM5
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) February 22, 2021
Careful there, dude.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.