NEW YORK – Brooklyn coach Steve Nash refused to hit the panic button despite the Nets’ stunning fall from the top of the Eastern Conference to eight and in the play-in scenario.
Nash remained a picture of calmness after the Nets lost for the ninth straight time — an embarrassing 126-91 rout at the hands of the surging Boston Celtics on national TV Tuesday night (Wednesday, Manila time) before a sellout crowd at the Barclays Center.
“I don’t think it’s a case of worrying. There’s not much we can do. We control what we can control,” Nash said.
The Nets were without their Big 3. Kevin Durant has been out since mid-January with an MCL sprain; Kyrie Irving is ineligible to play in New York without a vaccine, while James Harden missed his third straight game with a hamstring injury. Veteran big man LaMarcus Aldridge remained out with a left ankle sprain while sharpshooter Joe Harris experienced a setback from his left ankle surgery.
“What are we going to do? We can’t magically repair those injuries and have everyone back and have everyone go back to their natural roles and positions,” Nash said. “That’s something we’re just going to have to continue to play through until the time comes, but there’s no reason for us to get down and panic.”
It was practically over in the first quarter. The Celtics raced to a 14-0 start and a 28-2 lead.
The Nets (29-25) looked like a lottery team without their key players. They were overmatched against a healthy Celtics team that came to New York with a five-game winning streak.
Their sixth straight win pushed the Celtics (31-25) to seventh in the East, dislodging their victims.
“I don’t know how often or if we’ve ever been so good to start like that before, but it felt good,” said Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 22 points along with Marcus Smart. “We knew some of those guys were out. We just wanted to take care of business early. We didn’t want to play around and give them confidence and let them linger into the game.”
The Celtics were never seriously threatened as they led by as many as 35 points. Boston’s starters rested in the fourth quarter.
The Nets will be looking to avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to lose four straight games by 20-plus points with a record of .500 or better entering each of those games when they visit the Washington Wizards on Thursday (Friday in Manila).
Irving will be available, but Harden has been ruled out if he remains with the team past the trade deadline on Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern time (4 a.m. Friday in Manila).
Nash was adamant that the Nets will hold on to Harden despite persistent rumors of a potential blockbuster trade between the Nets and division rival Philadelphia 76ers on a package centering on disgruntled star Ben Simmons.
“Honestly, I think we’ll be exactly the same. I think the chances of trades or deals happening before the deadline are so slim, especially for our group,” Nash said before the game.
Nash remained firm in believing that the best path to a title is with Harden. The Nets’ 13-3 overall record when the Big 3 are all healthy speaks for itself.
This season, the Nets are 24-12 when Durant plays, 21-11 when Durant and Harden play together, and 2-1 with the Big 3 on the road.
“We know what our record was when we were healthy,” Nash said. “We’re just going through a tough period. So, I think we all feel, if anything, tighter — from ownership to front office, coaches, players — everyone has gotten tighter during this period. So, there will be growth from this regardless of how long it will last. There’s no other way out of it than to keep our heads down and stay together.”
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based sports website empiresportsmedia.com.