The Nets were eliminated from the playoffs in a first-round sweep Monday night, and NBA Twitter made sure to have big fun at their expense.
A 116–112 Game 4 loss to the Celtics spelled the end of Brooklyn’s season and a postseason that fell far below preseason hopes and expectations. At the forefront of that disappointment—and the social media jokes—are Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the star leaders of a club many thought could go as far as the NBA Finals.
In fact, many of those hot takes, like almost everything on the internet, can be found with a little bit of research.
Luckily, for those looking for a quick way to get in on the fun, Freezing Cold Takes took the liberty of reheating some of those old predictions.
The popular Twitter account highlighted comments from FS1’s Chris Broussard picking the Nets to win the East before the start of the playoffs. Shaun Morash of CBS Sports was also spotlighted for saying he feels bad for James Harden, who was traded to the 76ers in a deal for Ben Simmons. Harden’s Sixers lead the Raptors 3–2 after losing Monday night.
Freezing Cold Takes also highlighted an old tweet from Simmons, who arrived on the team in February and ended up missing the entire season. The then 76ers star’s tweet came after the team was eliminated by none other than the Celtics in the first round in 2020. And, if you look closely, you’ll also notice a rather interesting reply from one brave user ...
The account also shared a video from Durant trash-talking Celtics coach Ime Udoka during last year’s Summer Olympics. KD and Udoka can be heard discussing Nets guard Patty Mills, who averaged fewer than seven points in the first round.
And to top it all off, a pair of graphics dating back to last summer resurfaced as a harsh reality check to two of the NBA’s most talked-about fan bases about what could’ve been. Sorry for the reminder, Lakers fans.
“Dream” NBA Finals matchups aside, the Nets, their fans and supporters likely never envisioned a first-round loss—let alone a sweep—to the same team Brooklyn beat 4–1 a year ago.
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Nevertheless, the Nets’ premature exit should result in more hot takes and jokes for the foreseeable future, especially with the team needing to address a number of question marks in the offseason.
