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The Brooklyn Nets (27-16) entered the new year as the hottest team in the NBA. Just nine days later, the Nets probably learned he would be without a cornerstone for a month. After surviving a tough mid-season, the team is confident they can survive this time without Kevin Durant (MCL sprain).
After losing three straight to the 14th-seeded San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, Brooklyn dropped to the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference standings. More importantly, the Nets have been without a win since their biggest gun went down (except for the contest in which Durant was injured).
The team insists a three-game losing streak hasn’t sapped their confidence like it did last season when Durant went down with an MCL sprain. Most importantly, the group knows everyone is in it together.
“Last year was kind of a toxic environment,” Nick Claxton, a fourth-year big man, told reporters after the game. did not.
“This year there will be no chasm between everyone out there. We’re going to figure it out. We’ve got to figure out how to play each other without KD. [Irving] on the court. It’s a different lineup. But we get it. ”
Durant sat out last season with an MCL sprain, but the team slowly began to fall apart. The Nets went 5-16 with his injury absence, and the Eastern fell from the second seed in his conference standings to a play-in in his bracket (the eighth seed). In that troubled span, Brooklyn did not have Kyrie Irving as a full-time player due to vaccination denials and New York City vaccination mandates.
Aside from dropping to the No. 8 seed, disgruntled superstar James Harden has moved down Interstate 95 to the Philadelphia 76ers via February’s blockbuster NBA trade deadline deal. I headed
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For Nets head coach Jack Vaughan, what happened last year remains completely in the past. During that time, he was the team’s lead assistant under former head coach Steve Nash. Instead, he laid out the key points he conveyed to his players following the disappointing loss Tuesday night at his AT&T Center.
“Three things I said to our group [is] Very professional, consistent, that’s your approach, that’s your mindset, and there’s no excuses,” Vaughan said. Not looking for excuses. That’s exactly who we are.
“I don’t care about last year. Now is important. [This] It was the most important game. Now trying to reload and prepare for Phoenix. I’m not going to give them a chance to make excuses. ”
Irving, who was delayed out of Tuesday’s loss because of a sore right calf, echoed Claxton’s remarks in his post-game comments to San Antonio reporters. He emphasized that he didn’t want to hear comparisons to Brooklyn’s disastrous stretch unless it carried over to the struggle of the
“I’m consistently in the lineup, and that helps,” Irving told reporters on set after the game in San Antonio. focuses primarily on the big picture.
“Last week it was glory and glory winning every game, but now I’m answering questions about potential struggles. I don’t think I’m going to struggle without Kevin now. That’s not my belief I know all of you.It’s unbelievable in the locker room.This wasn’t last year.So we have to stop comparing.
Brooklyn is currently the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference standings after losing to San Antonio. The team is tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fifth seed and half a game behind the Sixers for the third seed.
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