"It may not be fear, but you ain't choosing it" - Brian Windhorst warns top Eastern Conference teams of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's threat
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving made his return to the Barclays Center and life as a full-time NBA player on Sunday. With Irving and Kevin Durant both on the floor for home and road games, the favorites to win the Eastern Conference in the playoffs are unclear.
That holds true even if the eighth-place Nets are most likely ticketed for the play-in tournament.
The Nets have six games remaining. They trail the fifth-place Chicago Bulls (44-36) and the sixth-place Toronto Raptors (44-36) by four games. Chicago has been slumping, going 5-11 since Feb. 26, while Toronto has been hot, winning 10 of its last 12.
Finishing sixth is crucial, because the No. 6 seed goes directly into the playoffs. Brooklyn, which is 8-11 since March 8, needs to win at least five games and have Chicago or Toronto cave to have a chance at the No. 6 seed.
If Brooklyn is in the play-in tournament, it will either be in the Seven-Eight Game, needing just one win to get to the playoffs or the Nine-Ten Game, needing two.
However, even as a No. 7 seed or No. 8 seed, Brooklyn will be a tall task for the first or second seed to beat Durant and Irving in a seven-game series. Both have rings, plenty of playoff experience and, above all, are two of the best players to ever play the game.
To that end, former NBA player Vince Carter had this to say of the Nets on ESPN's "Get Up:"
"This is a team that you don't want to face, because they have so many scorers They have guys that have won championships, that understand how to get the job done. ... They can get hot and get rolling at the right time"
NBA insider Brian Windhorst further added how the top contenders now look at the Nets:
"I don't think Milwaukee is afraid of anybody, but I will say, you're not going to get the two or one seed and be happy to see Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. ... It may not be fear, but you ain't choosing it."
.@WindhorstESPN says watch out for the Nets 👀
"I don't think Milwaukee is afraid of anybody, but I will say, you're not going to get the two or one seed and be happy to see Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. ... It may not be fear, but you ain't choosing it." https://t.co/fH7dCbf5no
The Brooklyn Nets (40-36) host the second-place Milwaukee Bucks (47-28) on Thursday night at the Barclays Center.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's impact on the playoffs seeding
The top four teams in the Eastern Conference are currently separated by two games, and the Brooklyn Nets are in the eighth spot. Of the six remaining games in their schedule, they only meet one top four team: the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brooklyn has a half-game lead over the ninth-place Charlotte Hornets (40-37) and a one game lead over the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks (39-37). There's a chance the Nets, who are 8-3 since March 8, can make up two games on the Cleveland Cavaliers (42-34) to move into seventh place. (Brooklyn hosts Cleveland on April 8.) Doing so would give them homecourt advantage in the Seven-Eight Game.
Standout rookie Evan Mobley is out for the Cavaliers, who are 7-13 since Feb. 11, with a sprained ankle.
The Bulls and Raptors have identical 4-32 records.
The most likely scenario for the Nets – however slim – to avoid the play-in tournament is if fourth-place Chicago continues to nosedive.
The Raptors have been on a roll, and their remaining schedule isn't tough. They face only two top four teams in their final six games: the Heat (49-28) and the 76ers (46-29).
Brooklyn tied Toronto 2-2 in their meetings this season. The Nets hold the tiebreaker because of their conference record. Brooklyn is 28-19 against East teams, while Toronto is 27-20.
The Bulls, on the other hand, will go up against four extremely good teams in their final six games: the Bucks, the Heat, the Celtics (47-30) and the Timberwolves (43-34). The Bulls have been notoriously bad against top teams this season. Only one team on their remaining schedule has a losing record – the Los Angeles Clippers (37-39) – but they just got Paul George back.
The Bulls hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Nets, going 2-1 in their three games. Brooklyn has to finish a game ahead of the Bulls to finish in sixth place. So, if Brooklyn wins five of its six final games, the Nets need Chicago to lose all six of its remaining games. If Brooklyn wins all six, the Nets need Chicago to lose five.
The Bulls are 0-15 vs the top 3 teams both conferences this season. https://t.co/3BDfRqemu4
The most likely scenario for Brooklyn to finish sixth is if the Bulls collapse and the Nets roll in the next six games. With Durant and Irving, Brooklyn has a chance, and the pressure will be on slumping Chicago. But if they have to go through the play-in tournament, Brooklyn will still be a massive challenge to one of the top two seeds.