GT: Nets @ Mavericks - Thursday, 05/06/21 | 7:30pm EST | TNT & YES

[Papi_swav]

Finney Smith had KD on lock. Is he the KD stopper?

[LOUiS-D]

There has been so much roster turnover over the last few months. Think about it. Harden out, harden back early, harden out, Clax takes DJ's minutes, Blake & LMA signed, sham injured, uncle jeff injured, tj injured, alize signed, brown injured, clax covid proticol, kd back, LMA retires, chioza injured, mike james signed... all this after a mid season trade and sprinkle in some kyrie absences. The team looks preseason sloppy at the business end of the year. oof.

[HardenGoat]

Iam going on record here and saying 100 percent Harden fixes everything. And he’s going to be 100 percent. He already acknowledged he is not injured he is just ramping up his conditioning. KD had an aberration game. We played better defense and we will only get better on that end. What Harden brings should not be underestimated. He is the MVP in my book.

[Prokorov]

Iam going on record here and saying 100 percent Harden fixes everything. And he’s going to be 100 percent. He already acknowledged he is not injured he is just ramping up his conditioning. KD had an aberration game. We played better defense and we will only get better on that end. What Harden brings should not be underestimated. He is the MVP in my book.

he cant fix coaching, and coaching is our biggest issue

[GTR11]

How can anyone have any confidence in the Nets beating Boston, Miami, or the Knicks in round 1 with how they look right now?

We lack discipline on defense and the effort on the glass continues to be poor. This team is poorly coached and Nash would get destroyed by Steven's, Spoelstra and Thibs.

This is bad folks.

We going to beat duh nix and Saltics in a first round. Both KD and Kyrie that good. It's a match up thing.

We really going to have issues with teams like Miami and ATL. Their role players are legit and their coaches won't be their weakness.

What I mean is. Saltics and duh nix have good coaches but their talent not on par for what their system is. Miami and ATL have weak star power but above average role players and coaches. We can win on talent alone being full strength vs any team, but Harden is an engine that drive this team.

[HardenGoat]

One benefit is that Lakers are going to get pushed to the 7th seed with Mavs securing spot above them now and they have an easier schedule. Lakers are getting pounded tonight.

[Prokorov]

But how could Nash now that Harris and Shamet would miss every single wide open shot they took?

Doesn't it seem like a smart strategy to surround KD and Kyrie with shooters?

It just seems like hindsight to blame him for things that shouldn't be happening.

We lost this game in the 3rd Q when we bricked everything and couldn't establish a lead.

its hard for me to say we lost this game in the third quarter when we:

A) outscored them in the 3rd
B) went into the 4th with a lead

Yeah it didnt help role guys bricked tons of shots. but dallas was begging us to win this game. Up 1 going into the 4th an kyrie was on fire. you cant lose a game in that situation.

I dont blame KD for shooting. thats his job. i blame the coahcing for not having Kyrie get ALL of those shots and even more so for running ZERO plays. if you are just gonna run KD and kyrie iso then put 3 defenders on the floor with them

[HardenGoat]

Iam going on record here and saying 100 percent Harden fixes everything. And he’s going to be 100 percent. He already acknowledged he is not injured he is just ramping up his conditioning. KD had an aberration game. We played better defense and we will only get better on that end. What Harden brings should not be underestimated. He is the MVP in my book.

he cant fix coaching, and coaching is our biggest issue

He’s been working with Nash every day and they are seeing everything that needs fixing. He’s going to lead this team to a chip. Book it.

[GTR11]

One benefit is that Lakers are going to get pushed to the 7th seed with Mavs securing spot above them now and they have an easier schedule. Lakers are getting pounded tonight.

Clippers look like they are Lakers kryptonite. I'd love to see them beat each other up in a second round. Other than LAC I don't see any other team take on healthy AD and LBJ. I'll give Clippers slide edge simply because Rondo doing work out there and they took it to another level with him playing.

[Prokorov]

The issue with KD is that it becomes very easy to deflect from the problem by saying “you want him to pass to other guys that are struggling instead of taking those shots himself?” But the problem is that he becomes a ball stopper who now forces the offense into a situation where it’s ISO or bust. So yeah, now KD becomes the best option. But he’s not really allowing actual plays to be run, which could probably generate better shots than an ice cold KD going ISO.

What GTR is saying about Kyrie is actually what KD did this game.

Agreed.

Its just the way KD has always played.

KD is one of the few guys who can get away with being a "ball stopper" because hes so damn efficient.

One of the most efficient scorers in NBA history.

So who cares if hes doing it but hitting shots at such a high volume.

But when hes this off it becomes a huge problem.

You have to assume its just an outlier of a few games. But it really came at the worst time.

even if the end result is a KD ISO you can still run a play for him with other actions to make the defense move, force a switch or a double, or get KD a step on the defender. we do none of that. it usually doesnt matter since he is so good.

We are seeing now how the greatness of our stars has covered up massive coaching issues all year.

The coaching does NOTHING to put our guys in positions to succeed.

[Prokorov]

Caught the second half, and my takeaways are like this:

- The current group showed repeatedly that they're still not all that used to each other. They repeatedly got caught in awkward offensive spots / spacing, producing too many turnovers and low-percentage shots as a consequence.

- As much as KD & Kyrie are masters of ball-handling, I'm still not sure they're particularly great as a point-forward and a PG, respectively. Tonight they looked like they had too much of a scorer's mentality to replicate a lead-passer's effectiveness.

- Just in general, Dallas' offense looked like it was far more comfortable with itself, moved better, and consistently produced higher-quality shots than the Nets.

- It sounds like Harden will be back soon, and it can't be fast enough given the team's current play. He's far and away the best offense-runner the team has, and KD / Kyrie / James should look that much better being more complimentary passers than they're forced to be right now.

- Love Claxton's versatility, and I have to think the team still has time to reach another level with his return, Harden's, and a little bit more familiarity with each other. The final games should be real interesting, and probably a better indication of how the playoffs might go than these recent games.

Shamet and role players are regressing back to the mean tbh...all I remember last year was Shamet repeatedly sucking when it mattered for the Clippers. If hes not hitting shots, his defense and basketball IQ are pedestrian and Im not sure what warrants him starting while TJ racked up a DNP tonight.

Shamet has been outstanding.

"repeatedly sucking when it matteres with the clippers" you mean the half dozen games he played while recovering form being infected with COVID?

[HardenGoat]

One benefit is that Lakers are going to get pushed to the 7th seed with Mavs securing spot above them now and they have an easier schedule. Lakers are getting pounded tonight.

Clippers look like they are Lakers kryptonite. I'd love to see them beat each other up in a second round. Other than LAC I don't see any other team take on healthy AD and LBJ. I'll give Clippers slide edge simply because Rondo doing work out there and they took it to another level with him playing.

Imagine what their fans are saying being down 23 at the half because their playmaker is on the bench.

[Prokorov]

Caught the second half, and my takeaways are like this:

- The current group showed repeatedly that they're still not all that used to each other. They repeatedly got caught in awkward offensive spots / spacing, producing too many turnovers and low-percentage shots as a consequence.

- As much as KD & Kyrie are masters of ball-handling, I'm still not sure they're particularly great as a point-forward and a PG, respectively. Tonight they looked like they had too much of a scorer's mentality to replicate a lead-passer's effectiveness.

- Just in general, Dallas' offense looked like it was far more comfortable with itself, moved better, and consistently produced higher-quality shots than the Nets.

- It sounds like Harden will be back soon, and it can't be fast enough given the team's current play. He's far and away the best offense-runner the team has, and KD / Kyrie / James should look that much better being more complimentary passers than they're forced to be right now.

- Love Claxton's versatility, and I have to think the team still has time to reach another level with his return, Harden's, and a little bit more familiarity with each other. The final games should be real interesting, and probably a better indication of how the playoffs might go than these recent games.

Shamet and role players are regressing back to the mean tbh...all I remember last year was Shamet repeatedly sucking when it mattered for the Clippers. If hes not hitting shots, his defense and basketball IQ are pedestrian and Im not sure what warrants him starting while TJ racked up a DNP tonight.

Agreed. Shamet sucks.

If hes not hitting his shot hes basically useless. I didn't like that trade from the start.

Bey is actually a high energy we could have used on defense.

Harris also has a history of disappearing in big games for whatever reason.

Once we have the Big 3 back, I think defense and energy might be more valuable than shooters.

Bey is terrible. he wouldnt see the floor here. Shamet has been significantly better then him on both ends

[therealbig3]

How can anyone have any confidence in the Nets beating Boston, Miami, or the Knicks in round 1 with how they look right now?

We lack discipline on defense and the effort on the glass continues to be poor. This team is poorly coached and Nash would get destroyed by Steven's, Spoelstra and Thibs.

This is bad folks.

Meh, I'm not worried about any of those 1st round opponents, especially the Knicks who I think we would sweep if we got them. Discipline and effort are both mental things for the most part, and in playoffs, mental focus tends to be a lot higher. The poorly coached stuff, I don't buy. Our issues are mainly related to effort/focus, not coaching.

Without Harden, Miami would beat us in a series, I’m pretty confident about that.

It’s great news that Harden is likely to return in time, because we definitely need him even for the 1st round imo.

[Prokorov]

How can anyone have any confidence in the Nets beating Boston, Miami, or the Knicks in round 1 with how they look right now?

We lack discipline on defense and the effort on the glass continues to be poor. This team is poorly coached and Nash would get destroyed by Steven's, Spoelstra and Thibs.

This is bad folks.

because we are 100 times better then them even without harden and have a combined 7-1 record vs those teams. yeah its scary and their coaching advantage will make them 6 game series. id prefer to play the bucks/hawks/76ers then those 3 but they wont beat us

[Prokorov]

You guys can panic. Literally last week ya'll were in here puffing your chests out, happy with the team.

This stretch is concerning but we've lost 1 B2B to Portland, 2 close games to Milwaukee on the road, 1 close game to Dallas on the road. Let's not make this into more than it is. We're struggling but we've been elite all year. We'll bounce back.

I'm not panicking. This team isnt losing to the teams in the east. even with 2 losses to the bucks nothing i saw there made me thing that they had a shot in hell to beat us in the playoffs.

I still have the same concerns though. our horrific coaching could cost us a few games or even a series in the ECF/Finals. and the last 3 games that was even more obvious.

[GTR11]

One benefit is that Lakers are going to get pushed to the 7th seed with Mavs securing spot above them now and they have an easier schedule. Lakers are getting pounded tonight.

Clippers look like they are Lakers kryptonite. I'd love to see them beat each other up in a second round. Other than LAC I don't see any other team take on healthy AD and LBJ. I'll give Clippers slide edge simply because Rondo doing work out there and they took it to another level with him playing.

Imagine what their fans are saying being down 23 at the half because their playmaker is on the bench.

Lakers fans know better. Just like us, if they healthy they're team to beat. That's how good their top two stars are. Their role players good enough.

[Prokorov]

I dont think theres a need to panic however. Harden elevates the role players and force KD/Kyrie to concentrate on what they do best - score.

The biggest regret to me is LMA retiring. He’s the big body that offers floor spacing which you dont get from Griffin, Claxton, Green or Jordan individually.

LMA was an awful fit and its a blessing he is gone because Nash was overplaying him.

WE DONT NEED MORE SPACING!

The overkill on spacing has hurt us all year. we refuse to play defensive players because of this need to always have 4 or 5 shooters at all times. we NEED more claxton, more brown. not less.

[Prokorov]

You guys can panic. Literally last week ya'll were in here puffing your chests out, happy with the team.

This stretch is concerning but we've lost 1 B2B to Portland, 2 close games to Milwaukee on the road, 1 close game to Dallas on the road. Let's not make this into more than it is. We're struggling but we've been elite all year. We'll bounce back.

We are still 8-10 without Harden and just KD & Kyrie though.

We have drastically underperformed without him and its not changing.

Can we keep losing games like this? And we know if he just comes back at 100%?

you can only come back from a hamstring at 0% or 100%. there really is no in between. if its not 100%, your not going to be able to go, or go long before your out again

[Prokorov]

How can anyone have any confidence in the Nets beating Boston, Miami, or the Knicks in round 1 with how they look right now?

We lack discipline on defense and the effort on the glass continues to be poor. This team is poorly coached and Nash would get destroyed by Steven's, Spoelstra and Thibs.

This is bad folks.

Meh, I'm not worried about any of those 1st round opponents, especially the Knicks who I think we would sweep if we got them. Discipline and effort are both mental things for the most part, and in playoffs, mental focus tends to be a lot higher. The poorly coached stuff, I don't buy. Our issues are mainly related to effort/focus, not coaching.

coaching is far and away the biggest issue. and alot of having your team play with effort and focus is on the coaching. we have the worst coaching staff in the league. it has cost us at least 10 games this year