"The next time Brooklyn takes a game seriously for all 48 minutes will be the second time all season" - Nick Wright backing Cleveland Cavaliers in their David vs Goliath battle
Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright believes the Cleveland Cavaliers have a shot at upsetting the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA play-in tournament on Tuesday night.
The regular season is in the rearview mirror, as the Nets host the Cavaliers at Barclays Center for the first play-in tournament game of the postseason.
Brooklyn topped the Cavs 118-107 on Friday to win the tiebreaker by winning three of the four meetings this season. The teams each finished 44-38.
The winner gets the No. 7 seed and will face the Boston Celtics. The loser will play the winner of the Nine-Ten Game between the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets for the No. 8 seed.
On "First Things First", Nick Wright placed his faith in Darius Garland and the Cavaliers. He believes the Nets defense is too abysmal for an entire game. He said:
"I saw this game on Friday night. ... I think the Cavs absolutely have a shot. The Nets have no one to stop Darius Garland at the point of attack. Nobody. So Darius Garland, much like he did Friday night, will get his."
He continued:
"And the idea that the Nets will take this seriously? Yes, for bits and spurts. But the next time they take a game seriously for all 48 minutes will be the second time all year. Even game 81 with massive playoff implications against Cleveland, they're up 20 in the first half and trailing in the fourth quarter because they can't be bothered to care for 48 minutes. So, yeah, of course, the Cavs can win."
"I'll be at Barclays rooting for the Nets. ... But the Cavs have a shot. The Nets have no one to stop Darius Garland at the point of attack. The next time BKN takes a game seriously for all 48 minutes will be the 2nd time all season. Of course the Cavs can win." — @getnickwright https://t.co/wClPFt5fsx
Wright isn't wrong about Brooklyn's defensive struggles. They have isolation scorers along with shooters but nobody who can anchor the team's defense. They are 19th in the league in defensive rating (112.8) and 18th in opponent points allowed (112.1). The Nets have been prone to comebacks all season, and their inability to defend for the full 48 minutes is certainly a concern.
As far as the Cavaliers are concerned, they are aware of their tough situation.
They have to defend prolific scorers and generational talents like kyrie-irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in a must-win game. They also haven't had big man Jarrett Allen (fractured left finger) since March 6. Wright emphasized how Allen's injury is a major reason why he can't pick the Cavaliers to win, even though he believes they can pull it off. Cleveland is 7-11 since Allen was injured.
"Over the last month, there are only nine teams with a worse record than the Cavs," Wright said. "They have not been the same team. ... The Jarrett Allen loss is a major one."
Allen's loss is a huge setback for the up-and-coming Cavaliers. They are 9-17 without him, ending the regular-season 3-8. Evan Mobley is a 20-year-old rookie who will get his first taste of the postseason against historic talents like Durant and Irving. Thus, it is difficult to bet against Brooklyn. They are favored to win this game according to every sportsbook and publication.
Chris Broussard picks the Brooklyn Nets to win the play-in game against the Cleveland Cavaliers
Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard believes the duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is enough to defeat any team for one game. He isn't talking about a lengthy playoff series against a strong offensive team but rather a single do-or-die play-in game. On "First Things First," he said:
"The Brooklyn Nets will win tonight. And they will win tonight because Kevin Durant is playing."
Sorry Cleveland, but you're going down tonight at the hands of KD, Kyrie and the Nets! twitter.com/FTFonFS1/statu…
The Nets were on a 54-win pace before Durant got hurt. They finished 44-38 but were 36-19 in the games he played. Durant is arguably the most unguardable player in the league, entirely capable of carrying his team. He did so against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks last season in Game 5, so facing a young, injured team like Cleveland shouldn't be a gargantuan task.
Brooklyn and Cleveland tip off at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.