With injuries to Kyrie Irving and James Harden dimming the Brooklyn Nets’ firepower, Kevin Durant and others must step up in the playoffs.
Going into the 2021 NBA Playoffs, there were three players the Brooklyn Nets wanted to stay healthy. Two of them are now injured.
James Harden didn’t go a minute into the second round before he suffered a hamstring injury. Kyrie Irving sprained his right ankle in the second quarter of Game 4.
Now the series is tied 2-2, and Brooklyn needs to stop things from spiraling. Here are three Nets who must step up with Kyrie Irving and James Harden out.
3. Blake Griffin
One of the best storylines of Game 1 was Blake Griffin stepping up after Harden came out injured. The veteran forward looked far from washed up when he scored 18 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished 3 assists and hustled for 2 steals.
Unfortunately, that now looks like a flash in the pan. He hasn’t scored in double digits in the three games since. Moreover, he’s shot 40 percent or worse in the Nets’ two losses while maxing out with 7 rebounds. He’s taking 3s and he’s not hitting.
Brooklyn could use a lot more of Game 1 Griffin.
Kevin Durant can’t do it alone. The fact that Irving was still the Nets’ second-leading scorer despite playing just 17 minutes in Game 4 is a problem.