Green Hearts
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Agriculture
  • Nature
  • Animals
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Life Style
  • Travel
Green Hearts
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Sports

The Nets Need a Miracle. Or Two. Or Three. Or Four.

Green Hearts by Green Hearts
April 26, 2022
in Sports
387 12
0
549
SHARES
2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RelatedPosts

Four Young QBs Will Decide the N.F.L. Playoffs

January 25, 2023

How NFL Players Take Care of Their Hands and Feet During a Brutal Season

January 12, 2023

Draymond Green Sets Us Straight on the Real N.B.A.

January 9, 2023

Week 18 N.F.L. Playoff Picture Preview: A Team-by-Team Guide

January 7, 2023


As an unmistakable feeling of desperation closed in on the Nets, Coach Steve Nash reached towards the deepest recesses of his bench on Saturday and summoned a former star in twilight. Blake Griffin shed his warm-ups, together with some cobwebs, and reported to the scorer’s desk.

Griffin, 33, has a bum ankle and a surgically repaired knee that at a earlier stage of his profession — again when he was dunking over midsize sedans as one of many faces of the N.B.A. — had a full allotment of cartilage. But he had not caught a whiff of enjoying time in 21 days, courting to the common season. Now, with the Nets trailing the Celtics in Game 3 of their first-round playoff collection, Nash turned to Blake for one thing, something — a spark, a elevate, possibly even a miracle.

The Nets have been prepared to take what they may get, and for a few superb minutes at Barclays Center, Griffin delivered. He sank a couple of 3-pointers. He grappled for rebounds. He even tried to defend Jayson Tatum because the Celtics hunted for favorable one-on-one matchups towards him.

Miracles alone don’t win playoff collection, a lot much less championships. And whereas there was a time, not so way back, when the Nets have been celebrated as the newest superteam that appeared certain for excellent issues, they’ve found the exhausting method that titles can’t be store-bought or swiftly cobbled collectively after months of accidents and dysfunction.

“I just felt like we didn’t have the right spirit throughout the entire game,” Griffin stated after the Nets’ 109-103 loss, which pushed them to the brink of an early low season.

Boston, a group that has been ascendant underneath Ime Udoka, its first-year coach, can shut out the Nets with a collection sweep on Monday evening, and it’s in all probability solely a matter of time earlier than this one will get wrapped up regardless: No group in N.B.A. historical past has come again from a three-games-to-none collection deficit.

Aside from that inconvenient reality, the Nets seem acutely conscious that the Celtics are a extra full, cohesive group. Just take heed to them. Griffin cited the Celtics’ top-ranked protection. (“This is a great defensive team,” he stated.) Kevin Durant cited their size. (“I just think they got more size than us,” he stated.) And Nash cited their capacity to drive to the basket. (“We haven’t been able to contain the basketball,” he stated.) This is just not a successful system for the Nets.

On Saturday, the Nets supplied up loads of small moments that typified bigger issues. But think about one among their last possessions, as Durant dribbled towards the Celtics’ Grant Williams with the hope of making some house. Finding none, Durant threw a bounce go to Kyrie Irving that was intercepted by Tatum, who raced away for a dunk that punctuated the win. It was the Nets’ twenty first and last turnover of the sport.

“Poor decision-making,” Nash stated. “Not connecting simple passes, and they’re going the other way.”

The Celtics have smothered Durant, limiting him to 22 factors a recreation on 36.5 % capturing. On Saturday, he tried simply 11 subject objectives. His postgame information convention sounded vaguely like remedy.

“I’ve just been thinking too much, to be honest, this whole series,” he stated.

After capturing 4 of 17 from the sector in Game 2, Durant had come into Game 3 wanting to seek out his teammates extra usually and “let the ball find me” inside the circulate of the offense, he stated. But he was already questioning himself as he scrutinized one other depressing field rating in a collection stuffed with them.

“I probably should’ve took more shots,” he stated, including: “In my mind, I’m just trying to see how I can help everybody. Sometimes, I end up taking myself out of the game.”

Durant was not the one star who struggled. Irving shot 6 of 17 from the sector and missed all seven of his 3-point makes an attempt. Nash blamed fatigue for a part of their woes. Irving is fasting for Ramadan. Durant has been supplying enormous minutes for weeks — first when the Nets have been scrambling to safe a spot within the postseason, and now as they attempt to survive towards a superior opponent.

“They’ve both got to be tired,” Nash stated. “Fasting can’t be easy, you know? If I go play tennis and I haven’t eaten, I feel like I’m going to fall over. So I can’t imagine how he feels in an N.B.A. playoff game.”

At the identical time, the collection has supplied contrasting approaches to group constructing. The Celtics’ core is essentially made up of gamers whom they drafted and developed, a listing highlighted by Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That listing additionally consists of Marcus Smart, the N.B.A.’s defensive participant of the yr, and Robert Williams, the fourth-year middle who returned to the rotation on Saturday about three weeks after knee surgical procedure.

In that method, the Celtics are harking back to contenders just like the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies, groups that developed continuity and chemistry by sticking with their younger gamers.

The Nets went the opposite method, buying high-priced stars like Durant and Irving whereas buying and selling away their draft picks and prospects. It was championship or bust from the beginning. Sometimes that experiment pans out. The Los Angeles Lakers, in spite of everything, received the championship in 2020 by following a comparable script. But that appears to be the exception nowadays, and the Lakers have since crumbled into a pile of very costly and growing old mud after mortgaging their future to attempt to win now. The Nets will not be far behind.

The Nets, after all, have had a notably disjointed season, and even earlier than the beginning of Game 3, Nash was rattling off an abridged listing of the challenges his group had confronted: not having Irving for a lot of the season as a result of he refused to be vaccinated; buying and selling James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers; shedding Durant for six weeks due to a sprained ligament in his knee. Nash stated he was not making excuses, however. …

“We’ve had very few pockets with everyone able to play,” he stated.

At this level, they could have solely one among them left.

Next Post

Real-time payments expected to boost India's GDP by $45.9 bn in 2026

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Animals
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Life Style
  • Nature
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • World

Recommend

Protecting the productivity of Iowa agriculture

January 29, 2023

Drug scheduling limits access to essential medicines and should be … – Nature.com

January 29, 2023

Stray Animals Rehabilitation Center Works Accelerated in Bursa

January 29, 2023

Weaponizing higher education is DeSantis’ newest trick

January 29, 2023

Families facing huge rent hikes as farmers fight to keep local agriculture alive | News

January 29, 2023

CRITTER: Hawaiian corals are nature’s sea wall

January 29, 2023

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Animals
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Life Style
  • Nature
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • World
  • About
  • About us
  • Agriculture
  • Community
  • Contact US
  • Contact us
  • Home
  • Home 2
  • Home 3
  • Home 4
  • Home 5
  • Nature
  • Privacy policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sample Page
  • Terms and conditions

© GreenHeartSoup - All Rights Are Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Agriculture
  • Nature
  • Animals
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Life Style
  • Travel

© GreenHeartSoup - All Rights Are Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT