Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush to Beantown

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

The Brooklyn Nets are coming!  The Nets are coming!

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

ROUND ONE

BROOKLYN NETS

vs.

BOSTON CELTICS

Ben Simmons is a non-issue.  

But Goran Dragic, Patty Mills, and Seth Curry's respective performance is.  The same goes for Andre Drummond, Nic Claxton, and Bruce Brown, who stands to be the most essential contributor not named Kyrie or Kevin.  

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have undertaken the responsibilities of facilitating and distribution.  Irving is still dishing out his regular 6.6 assists per game.  However, Kevin Durant averaged 6.4 assists for the season but averaged 7.8 assists over the final ten games.  Six times during the regular season, KD posted double-digit assists.  Four of those occurred over the last thirteen games.  He then dished off eleven times in the play-in game against Cleveland.  

Irving and Durant will create their own shots and get their points.  Durant dropped 55 points against Atlanta earlier this month and scored 37 points the last time Flatbush faced Boston.  Kyrie averaged 30.8 points over his final thirteen games, highlighted by his 60-point night against Orlando and three other games of at least 40 points, and posted a game-high 34 points against the Cavs.

Thus, the onus is on Dragic, Mills, Curry, Drummond, Claxton, and Brown to compete, defend, and convert.  Let me say that again: they need defensive stops and conversion points at the other end.  Flatbush routinely permits the opposition with more attempts per game.  So they need to contest Jayson Tatum throughout and bring Boston's overall shooting percentage down.  I'd even consider giving LaMarcus Aldridge some minutes for some requisite personal fouls.  

The Nets can't have Kyrie and Kevin accounting for upwards of and beyond 70 points and still come up short.  It's happened before.

Therein lies Brooklyn's ability or inability to advance through the conference playoffs.