{"id":411970,"date":"2022-03-04T07:48:43","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T04:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/nets-once-promising-season-is-at-now-or-never-phase\/"},"modified":"2022-03-04T07:48:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T04:48:43","slug":"nets-once-promising-season-is-at-now-or-never-phase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nets-once-promising-season-is-at-now-or-never-phase\/","title":{"rendered":"#Nets&#8217; once-promising season is at now-or-never phase"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3a94c2d1183\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3a94c2d1183\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nets-once-promising-season-is-at-now-or-never-phase\/#%E2%80%9CNets_once-promising_season_is_at_now-or-never_phase%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Nets&#8217; once-promising season is at now-or-never phase&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CNets_once-promising_season_is_at_now-or-never_phase%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Nets&#8217; once-promising season is at now-or-never phase&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/mike-vaccaro.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Mike Vaccaro\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/mike-vaccaro.png 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/mike-vaccaro.png?w=38 38w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/>      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>For a while, it felt like a genuine party at Barclays Center Thursday night. For a while, the undermanned Nets were toying with the undermanned Heat, scoring whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted, however they wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For a while, it felt like Kevin Durant had done more than bring his talent back to the Nets after a 21-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> absence; he had brought back the Nets\u2019 mojo, too. They scored 67 first-half points. They led by as many as 16. Chants of \u201cM! V! P!\u201d came raining down on Durant, and KD seemed to be enjoying himself quite nicely, thank you.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And then, well \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And then, 2021-22 h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Which is to say: since the new season dawned, and especially since the New Year broke, just about anything that could happen to befuddle the Nets has happened. The Heat caught them early in the third quarter, raced past them, held them off, pulled away. It ended 113-107. It dragged the Nets down to .500 on the year, at 32-32, for the first time since they were 3-3 in October.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should feel disappointed,\u201d said Jacque Vaughn, standing in for Steve Nash again while Nash endures health and safety protocols. \u201cWe should\u2019ve won this game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"705\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets100CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Kevin Durant \" class=\"wp-image-21412248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets100CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets100CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets100CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets100CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Kevin Durant reacts in the closing minutes. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unless things break in the best way possible, that seems destined to be the title of the 2021-22 Nets\u2019 highlight video. Should\u2019ve won this game. Could\u2019ve won that game. The Nets\u2019 high-water mark came two days after Christmas, when they finished a holiday two-step sweep in L.A. and found themselves at 23-9. They were still 29-16 after beating the Spurs Jan. 21, their second win in three games after Durant hurt his knee.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>And then, well \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Eleven straight losses. A 5-16 record during Durant\u2019s sabbatical. And a whole new team upon his re-emergence, Durant shaking hands for the first time Thursday night with Andre Drummond, Goran Dragic and Seth Curry. And for a while, yes, it sure looked like a page had been turned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Except it turned out to be the same chapter of the same book we\u2019ve been reading all season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Game after game. Day after day. Week after week. Loss after loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, we are cutting it close,\u201d Durant had said in the morning. \u201cThere\u2019s under 20 games left in the season. But that\u2019s the situation we are in that\u2019s the circumstances we are in. We have to go out there and figure it out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"721\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets046CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"as Kevin Durant watches during the third quarter. \" class=\"wp-image-21412257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets046CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets046CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets046CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets046CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Bam Adebayo dunks as Kevin Durant watches during the third quarter. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He tried. He certainly helped. If he wasn\u2019t at his sharpest, he was still 31 points on 10-for-21 from the field, walking on the floor after six idle weeks. But now it\u2019s down to 18 games for the Nets, and don\u2019t look now but they have only one fewer loss than the Wizards, presently sitting on the wrong side of the Eastern Conference cut line in 11th place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still probably not going to be that dire. They get Kyrie Irving back the next three games, crucial <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s to Boston, Charlotte and, of course, Philadelphia. At some point Ben Simmons will join the band. But it\u2019s also true that it\u2019s becoming less and less likely that they can avoid the play-in round, since they wake up Friday five full games out of sixth place, presently occupied by Cleveland (36-26).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no moral victories,\u201d Durant said after his return. \u201cI feel great, and I\u2019m only going to get better and more comfortable out there and carry more of a load when I get more games under my belt. I felt solid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"716\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets047CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Jacque Vaughn is filling in for Steve Nash while he is in health and safety protocols. \" class=\"wp-image-21412265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets047CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets047CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets047CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets047CW.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Jacque Vaughn is filling in for Steve Nash while he is in health and safety protocols. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If they have one useful weapon on their side, it is this: an almost irrational belief that they can dig their way out of whatever hole they create for themselves. Up and down the roster, no matter who does the talking, they all believe this: they are good enough when whole, when healthy, to do whatever\u2019s necessary to salvage the season\u2019s grandest ambitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Having Durant back certainly helps. Those nights when Irving is part of the plan, those help too, and it\u2019s games like the ones the Nets won in Milwaukee last Saturday that allow them to feel the way they do about themselves. And Simmons is the wildest of all wild cards. It is actually quite easy to talk yourself into this the way they talk themselves into it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And then, well \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Eighteen games left. If they are going to rescue themselves from this fix Indiana Jones-style, it has to happen sometime. And it has to happen soon.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/03\/nets-promising-start-like-their-season-feels-like-a-mirage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Nets&#8217; once-promising season is at now-or-never phase&#8221; For a while, it felt like a genuine party at Barclays Center Thursday night. For a while, the undermanned Nets were toying with the undermanned Heat, scoring whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted, however they wanted.\u00a0 For a while, it felt like Kevin Durant had done more than&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":411971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/030322Nets100CW.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[126360,70487,60955,71058],"class_list":["post-411970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-3-3-22","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-kevin-durant","tag-miami-heat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/411971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}