Brooklyn Nets: Sweating The Heat At Barclays

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

SATURDAY

HEAT   124

NETS   128

FINAL

Analytics or Bad Math: James Harden and the Eight Point Swing

Despite getting outscored by ten in the fourth quarter, Brooklyn's Big Three wins their first game together.  But it wasn't easy.  They allowed the undermanned Miami Heat 124 points, and if it weren't for James Harden committing a smart foul with 3.3 seconds left in the fourth, maybe the Nets lose by several points instead of winning by four.  

James Harden continues showing he is the smartest situational player (sans KD) on the floor, knowing exactly when to foul.  He did it against Khris Middleton and the Bucks and did it again Saturday night when Miami was heating up at Barclays.  It's an issue I brought up even before the trade, but to be clear, I was directing my comments towards DeAndre Jordan.  

The defense will be problematic for this club as presently constituted.  The hope is the Nets simply outscore their opponents.  In the 13 games before James Harden's arrival, the Nets averaged 118.6 points for and 112.9 points against.  In the five games since the trade, they are averaging 124.6 points for and 126.8 points against.  They went from a +5.7 point differential to a -2.2 point differential, nearly an eight-point swing.  It's a small sample size, but the numbers speak for themselves.  

When things get down and dirty, DeAndre Jordan must impose his presence and utilize his size more.  In the meantime, James Harden is drawing more game out of Jordan than anyone previously.  In 21 minutes against the Heat, Jordan scored eight points with eight rebounds, one block, and one personal foul.  Before the trade, Jordan was averaging 4.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 18 minutes.  He hadn't scored in double-digits through the first 13 games, with Jarrett Allen still on board.  In five games since the trade, Jordan is averaging 8.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 26.4 minutes.  Playing alongside Harden, DeAndre has twice scored in double-digits and posted his first double-double in their second game against Milwaukee.

Jeff Green picked up where DeAndre Jordan left off with eleven points and five rebounds with SIX personal fouls(!) in 26 minutes off the bench.

Harden also continues deferring to Kyrie Irving.  He started his first career game at power forward Friday night at Cleveland.  Yesterday against the Heat, Irving was 10/17 from the field, including 3/5 from three and 5/6 from the line for 28 points with seven assists in 36 minutes.  Harden was 2/8 from the floor and 0/5 from the arc, but a team-high 8/9 from the line gave him twelve points with eleven rebounds.  It's his lowest scoring output since arriving, yet he has posted a double-double in each of his five games with the Nets.  Harden is averaging only 15.8 shots per game, whereas Kyrie Irving, since the trade, is averaging 23 shots through three games.

After a night off at Cleveland, Kevin Durant returns to score a team-high 31 points in 37 minutes.  Not coincidentally, he is averaging 31.2 points in 36.2 minutes through his first 13 games.

Then there's Joe Harris.  After getting erased in back-to-back games by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Joe tapped back into his inner Dr. Jeckyll with 7/12 from the arc en route to 23 points in 37 minutes.