The scariest trio in the NBA got together on Jan. 14, when James Harden left the Houston Rockets to join the Brooklyn Nets, thereby teaming up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Ever since then, the messaging coming from the Nets’ Big Three has been clear. They want to win together and they are proving it, leading the team to the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings and indicating they will be a mighty hurdle for anyone to get by in the postseason. They think together, scheming and planning and putting forward an image of a unified group all hunting the same outcome from the campaign. And, when the league’s COVID-19 protocols allow for such things, they sometimes hang out together. They just don’t, and here’s the weird bit – actually play together – at least not very often, unwittingly creating one of the NBA’s greatest unknowns as the playoffs creep up upon us. A combination of factors has meant Durant, Harden and Irving have spent only a tiny amount of time in each other’s company on the hardwood since the big move that changed everything. According to Sports Illustrated, there has been only 186 minutes of Nets action where all three were on the floor at the same time, spread over only seven games. Durant spent 23 games on the sidelines due to a combination of COVID-19 protocols and a hamstring injury. Irving took some time off to handle personal issues. Now it is Harden’s turn, slated to be out for 10 days or so with his own right hamstring problem. It all figures to be a headache for first year head coach Steve Nash as he tries to generate cohesion in a unit that was hastily, and expensively, thrown together. “As far as time and chemistry, it’s not ideal,” Nash told reporters. “At the same time … we worry about the things that we can control. So we’re not going to spend a ton of time worrying about the negative ramifications.” Going into Friday’s action, Brooklyn sits in first place in the Eastern Conference, just ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, and with a record of 36-16 before their clash against the depleted Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. Durant got back in uniform on Wednesday and his return took the form of a spectacular, minutes-restricted cameo, as he went 5-for-5 shooting on his way to compiling 17 points in a comfortable victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Harden has been spectacular enough that many have touted him for the MVP award, putting up 25.2 points and a league-leading 10.9 assists per game this season. Irving is scoring at 27.9 points per game, good enough for sixth in the league. Not everyone is convinced by the Nets’ defensive abilities, but many experts are all-in on Brooklyn. For when the Nets are in full offensive flow it is hard to imagine how they can be stopped, even allowing for the tighter defensive realities of the playoffs. “Two words ran through my mind when I watched KD and the Nets (On Wednesday),” FOX Sports NBA Analyst Chris Broussard said on “First Things First.” “It’s over. It’s an embarrassment of riches. KD fits more seamlessly into an offense than any 30-point scorer on the planet, because he is so darn efficient.” What is it going to look like when they are all back? That’s where the guesswork comes in, because there is such limited information to work with. Every other collection of stars on a trending team has been able to play alongside each other far more frequently. Even groups of players no longer on the same team have racked up more collective minutes than Durant, Harden and Irving. The oddsmakers, however, have seen enough. FOX Bet lists the Nets at +250 to win the championship, while Five Thirty Eight gives them a 39 percent chance of making the Finals. Yet there is more to NBA success than simply throwing out an extraordinary collection of talent and experience, or mix and matching them based on whoever is fit and available at the given time. Even during the various absences, Durant said, there have been concerted efforts made to bond the Nets as a group, while the roster has added Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge in recent weeks. “We’ve always been in communication about different sets and different actions,” Durant added. “I feel like we were learning (to play with) each other through that time. I feel like we know each other’s games and know exactly what to do on each play.” He knows, however, that process can only get them so far. “As far as late in the season, we’ll need everybody on the court,” he said. “To actually see how this stuff works.” The answer to that … could determine the outcome of the season. Here’s what others have said … Kurt Helin, NBC Sports: “Seven games. Fewer than 400 total possessions. Brooklyn’s ‘big three’ of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden have remained largely a theoretical juggernaut because they have barely played together. … It’s not what Nets management pictured, but does it even matter? It hasn’t so far. … But at some point it’s going to take all three of Durant, Harden, and Irving playing as a unit — not just individuals — to win a title. At that point, deep into June, it will matter if the big three don’t get more time together.” Brian Windhorst, ESPN: “This is one of the most impressive teams I’ve seen in my 18 years covering the NBA. I’ve never seen a team that has this kind of offensive firepower. … Their defense is a concern, but they played pretty good defense last night. No one has been able to slow Zion down for months – they held Zion down. I don’t think they are going to win games with their defense, but with their overall firepower, I think it’s going to beat them four out of seven … and that’s the name of the game in the NBA playoffs.” Dan Favale, Bleacher Report: “Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have appeared in only seven games together – and it was really more like six-and-change given that KD didn’t start and was then pulled midstream. Envisioning a swift climb once all three superstars are playing at the same time takes virtually no imagination. All the ‘There’s only one ball!’ concerns were always overblown, and they’ve devolved into non-issues during the few reps these three have logged together. … Mix and match these stars however you’d like. The scoring potential will default to brain-bending. … Other Big Threes are not without hope. Durant, Harden and Irving, collectively, will not make a defense. The Nets may have the personnel around them to get by, if not surprise, but this gaggle is at least a little bit vulnerable. Possibly.” |
