CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After one of the most turbulent weeks in recent NBA history, the faces of the Brooklyn Nets players and coaches in their 98-94 come-from-behind win look like you could only imagine a few days ago. A look of disappointment came to my mind. Above the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night—smiling.
A fun scene inside the Spectrum Center capped off a week involving the Nets Guard Kyrie Irving Initially defending his decision to post about anti-Semitic-themed movies and books, the Nets announced on Tuesday that Steve Nash has been sidelined as head coach. Irving received at least a five-game suspension for not formally apologizing at a Thursday afternoon press conference, but Irving continued his apology late Thursday night. I drank
Saturday’s win was Brooklyn’s second in a row.Star forward, like many of the Nets’ brigades Kevin Durant said, smiling proudly on the podium after the game, that this week was “probably the toughest thing we’ll be dealing with as a group.”
“It’s certainly been a unique experience,” Durant said after the game. We all find a little solace in doing that because we have to lock in and just focus on the game, and just having a game of basketball gives us a sense of camaraderie and fellowship with our teammates. born, and I think that’s what allowed us to survive.”
With the Nets looking tired in the stretch on Saturday, it was Durant who made some key plays to help lead his team to victory. Returning to the game in regulation 30, the Nets were down 87-75. From there, Durant took over and helped create space for his teammates as the Nets pulled back for another much-needed win.
“There will be ups and downs throughout the season, but this will probably be the most difficult thing we will deal with as a group,” Durant said. I think it’s important to know.”
Durant was asked if this was the most challenging week of his career.
“I’ve had a few weeks. I’ve had coaches fired before, players got injured. It’s been a tough week,” Durant said. “But yeah, I’ve had some difficult weeks before. I don’t want to pretend this is abnormal. There’s a lot going on in the NBA. It’s a chaotic league. And we Ha. If you are together every day, the season lasts half a year, seven months.
“So it’s all about how you bounce back. I’m happy to bounce back and get two wins. But we have to keep pushing and keep building. That’s the key.”
After the backlash over Irving and Nash’s departure as head coaches, a sense of relief was evident inside the Nets’ locker room late Saturday as players and coaches celebrated their victory.
“I think we rallied together,” Durant said. “It’s been a tough week for us, and it’s always good to be back in the game. When the ball tilts, all the bulls are out the window.
“So I think everyone was waiting to get back into play, and we had lost three or four games before that, so I wanted to come here and get the W with a sense of pride. I wanted to bring the team’s energy and adversity to the table.” Good to get over
The Nets head to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Monday night, seeking a three-game winning streak in a week the group won’t soon forget.
Nets interim head coach Jack Vaughan said, “It was a gritty, dirty, Brooklyn-esque kind of fourth quarter.” I kept fighting with
