"I mean they can’t guard senior citizens at P.E" - Kendrick Perkins hilariously points out a major flaw in Brooklyn Nets going into the Play-In tournament
As the Atlanta Hawks went past the Brooklyn Nets (122-115) on Saturday, Kevin Durant and Co.'s poor defense and sloppy ball movement were put on display for the world to see. The Nets turned the ball over 13 times as opposed to six for the Atlanta Hawks, and the Hawks managed to grab 10 steals in the game.
Final https://t.co/dU63XcON1h
The Nets have the 10th worst defense in the league, with a net point differential of just +0.3. They give up 112.3 points on average, which is the ninth worst in the league.
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins took to Twitter to call out the Brooklyn Nets' defense against a team they will probably see in the play-in tournament:
The Brooklyn Nets are playing with fire especially when it come to the teams that they could possibly face in the Play-In Tournament. I mean they can’t guard senior citizens at P.E. Carry on…
The Nets gave up 49 free-throw attempts to the Atlanta Hawks. They led by 10 early in the game but fouled the Atlanta Hawks to a loss.
In a post-game press-conference, Kyrie Irving talked about the Brooklyn Nets' defense:
"We're doing a lot of switching so, a lot of mismatches are out there..some teams get going from the three-point line...the more we can play without fouling, show our hands, and not leave it in the ref's hands, the better off we are"
The Brooklyn Nets (40-38) clinched their play-in fate, and will meet the Houston Rockets (20-58) on Wednesday.
How much is Kyrie's slump a problem for the Brooklyn Nets?
Kyrie Irving has recently been in a slump, averaging a little over 21 points a game, shooting 36.2% from the field on 21 field-goal attempts in his last five games. The Nets are 2-3 in this span and currently in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Kyrie spoke about his slump after the game on Saturday:
"What a time to go into a shooting dip as well, just want to climb back out of that, not putting so much pressure on seven (Kevin Durant)...hopefully in the next few games I'll be able to get going in the first-quarter, in the first-half"
"I'm not here to make excuses for why it's not going well for me on the offensive end...I gotta do better things with my possessions"
Irving shot 12/32 from the field on Saturday. While he shot seven out of 14 from behind the arc, he missed every shot in mid range, and his remaining five field goals came in the paint.
Heading into the play-in tournament and the playoffs, Irving's slump might be detrimental to the Nets' chances, as it puts a lot more pressure on Kevin Durant to show up every night.
An elite scorer known for his performances in the clutch, if Kyrie fails to pick up his game, his return to Barclays Center might just turn out to be good for nothing.