{"id":272721,"date":"2021-06-12T06:48:11","date_gmt":"2021-06-12T03:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-nets-are-approaching-crucial-game-4-vs-bucks\/"},"modified":"2021-06-12T06:48:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-12T03:48:11","slug":"how-nets-are-approaching-crucial-game-4-vs-bucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-nets-are-approaching-crucial-game-4-vs-bucks\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Nets are approaching crucial Game 4 vs. Bucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#How Nets are app<\/a>roaching crucial Game<\/a> 4 vs. Bucks<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

MILWAUKEE \u2014 Bad decisions. A poor endgame. Missed shots. And in the end, a missed opportunity to essentially drive a stake in the Bucks.<\/p>\n

The Nets did everything in their power to give Thursday\u2019s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals away, and the Bucks could still barely take it, surviving 86-83. They spotted Milwaukee a 21-point lead, shot 36.2 percent and had the ball inexplicably find the wrong hands down the stretch.<\/p>\n

The Nets \u2014 up 2-1 in the series<\/a> \u2014 are confident Game 4 on Sunday will be different.<\/p>\n

\u201cGame 4 should be special,\u201d Kyrie Irving said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to be able to respond better. And that\u2019s just due to our preparation and our game planning, a few different things that we probably are looking back at [on] film that were out of our control and a lot of things that were in our control. Game 4 I don\u2019t think it\u2019ll be the same flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kyrie
Kyrie Irving<\/figcaption>
NBAE via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was no flow, at least not on offense, for the Nets, who were playing without James Harden.<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant was just 11-for-28 from the floor, his worst playoff shooting night since Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Joe Harris was just 1-for-11 overall, and 1-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc.<\/p>\n

Irving was 9-for-22, handed out just one assist, and was oddly invisible down the stretch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went really cold at the end of the game. We\u2019ll pick it apart, we\u2019ll look at it, we\u2019ll try to execute better, look at ways that we can learn from this game and move forward,\u201d coach Steve Nash said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to look at the way we executed. We didn\u2019t make shots. We had some looks that we just didn\u2019t make that we normally make. But our execution could\u2019ve been better throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durant \u2014 with a career average of 27.0 points per game \u2014 has averaged 32.8 points after playoff losses since 2016, and 37.2 after postseason defeats since the start of the 2019 postseason (discounting the 2019 game in which he ruptured his Achilles). Big-game bouncebacks are in his DNA.<\/p>\n

But without Harden, the Nets\u2019 offense got bogged down and stagnant Thursday, as they all too often settled for isolation play. Yes, Irving and Durant excel in isolation, but Harden makes everybody\u2019s life easier and their looks cleaner.<\/p>\n

The Nets have played three times this year in Milwaukee without Harden, and they lost all three. Presuming Harden doesn\u2019t make a miraculous return from his right hamstring strain for Sunday\u2019s Game 4, the Nets need to get the ball in the right hands at the right time.<\/p>\n

Irving didn\u2019t take a shot for the final 4:22 Thursday, and the Nets were just 3-for-9 with a turnover down the stretch. Durant had seven points on 3-for-4 shooting in that stretch, with Harris missing a lone attempt. Bruce Brown shockingly took four shots and missed every single one, including the final driving layup attempt with six seconds left.<\/p>\n