Any number of teams could be included on the NBA’s “Are we worried yet?” list.
The Bulls, who’d enjoyed being in first place longer than any other team in the East this season but have now lost five straight, continue to struggle mightily with key injuries; particularly on the defensive end where they miss guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. They simply haven’t been a factor against elite competition this year. Case in point: with Monday’s loss to Philly, they’re now 4–12 against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.
The Warriors deserve a place on the list, too, also having dropped five straight—and into third place in the West—as they await the return of Draymond Green, who’s been out two months due to an injury. (Green suggested he’ll be back on Monday against the Wizards, barring a setback.)
But any way you slice it: The Nets, who entered the season as one of the title favorites, have essentially run out of real estate. They enter Tuesday night with a sub-.500 mark, staring face-to-face with a Hornets club that owns the exact same 32–33 record they do. The winner takes sole possession of eighth place in the East—a spot that requires one less play-in victory to actually reach the playoffs than the ninth or 10th place finisher needs to get there.
No one would be foolish enough to write off Kevin Durant and the Nets if it turns out they have to make the climb from one of those two final spots. But very little has gone right this year. Kyrie Irving chose not to get vaccinated despite the city’s guidelines requiring that in order for him to play at Barclays Center. Durant was out for weeks. James Harden wanted out. Joe Harris, previously the team’s best shooter, has been out with an injury that never healed and now won’t be back this season. And Ben Simmons, the All-Star they traded Harden for, still hasn’t played yet, as he works himself back into shape after having sat the entire season.
As a result, the Nets—who’ve suited up more players than any other team this year—have been far from inevitable as they just try to hold on to make a run. But with Irving merely hoping for the city’s private sector mandate to change his availability for home games, and a presumably rusty Simmons still not in the rotation, this is beginning to feel like a far cry from even last season, when Brooklyn lacked the bodies and support around Durant to take down Milwaukee in the East semifinals.
With the Heat distancing themselves and becoming whole, the Sixers surging with Harden, the Bucks carrying the confidence of a champion and the Celtics holding the East’s best mark in 2022, Brooklyn hasn’t been the favorite for a long while now. And if Durant can somehow lead this club—one that initially looked stacked, but now looks flat relative to its competition—to title glory, it would suddenly be the biggest accomplishment of his career.
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