The Brooklyn Nets have, to this point, endured a wildly disappointing season. We don’t need to get into all the reasons why or where things went wrong or all the factors that have been in a state of perpetual flux in terms of injuries, trades and lifted vaccine mandates, but suffice it to say, a team that started the season with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden on its roster didn’t expect to be entering the final week of the season as the East’s No. 10 seed, tied with the Charlotte Hornets.
Two years ago, the Nets would be in the lottery.
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But it’s not two years ago. The NBA‘s permanent adoption of the play-in tournament has given something of a second lease on life for teams like the Nets, and maybe the Lakers, who have had every chance to sneak their way into a play-in game but are probably about to be eliminated even from that.
As the No. 9 or 10 seed, the Nets would have to win two one-and-done play-in games to make the eight-team postseason field. If current standings were to hold, they would play Charlotte, on the road, in the first game, and if they win that they would match up with the loser of the Cavaliers-Hawks 7-8 play-in game. Win both of those games, and Brooklyn would earn the No. 8 seed, which would, at present, mean a first-round matchup with the top-seeded Miami Heat.
It’s a lot of figuring, all the different ways these scenarios could play out. The Nets are locked into a play-in spot, but their matchup(s) could still change. Durant, for one, isn’t worried how it all shakes out. He’ll play anyone, anywhere, any time.
“Who cares,” Durant recently told reporters when asked if he looks at the standings to chart potential postseason paths for the Nets. “Whoever we play, we play. I don’t care who we play. I don’t care that we’re in the play-in. Just tip the ball up. See what happens. It’s too stressful thinking about trying to dodge a team or lining up [against a certain team]. Just play the game. We’ll see what happens.”
Much like Durant is one of the only players in the world who doesn’t have to worry about who’s defending him because he can just shoot over the top of pretty much anybody, he’s also great enough to not have to worry about any particular opponent as a whole. These are the words of a man who knows he can beat anybody, even against odds with Ben Simmons out for at least the play-in rounds and Joe Harris out for good and Seth Curry hobbled and the Nets’ defense a bottom-10 unit in both spirit and stats.
Last postseason, Harden was gimping around like he had a spike in his leg and Irving didn’t play the latter half of the series against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks, and Durant still nearly beat them single-handedly. Indeed, Durant doesn’t need to be concerned about matchups. On the other hand, there are definitely some teams who are quietly trying to avoid playing Durant and the Nets.
Philadelphia, specifically, has shown on multiple occasions that it isn’t terribly interested in a top-two seed, which would carry with it the possibility of playing Brooklyn in the first round depending on how the play-in seeds and results shake out. The Sixers sat Harden against the Heat two times down the stretch, and Joel Embiid in one of those games.
Kevin Durant is the reason for that. Nobody wants any part of that dude before they absolutely have no other choice. Durant doesn’t have to harbor such concerns. Must be nice.
