Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant may well score 61 points between them, the Nets are unable to win against Indiana at home. Why ? Because in defense, Brooklyn players are overwhelmed.
They just collected 125 points against the Pacers, but it’s been like that since the start of the season: 129 points taken against the Mavericks, 134 against the Grizzlies or 130 at the start of the season against the Pelicans…
“It was catastrophic” recognizes Steve Nash for ESPN. “What else can I say? I didn’t see the will, the desire, the connectivity needed to make stops, take rebounds. We need to get more involved. »
Kevin Durant talked about a “shitty night”. So much so that the Nets held a small crisis meeting in the locker room after the loss. Steve Nash stayed with his players for a few minutes and the faces were gloomy when the press was able to enter the locker room.
“It was honest” says Ben Simmons. “We talked, I’m not going to give the details obviously, but it was frank. That’s what winning teams do. Everyone is responsible to the others and can talk to their teammates.
But is such an improvised meeting, a few minutes after a defeat, really effective in remobilizing the group, which remains on four defeats in a row?
“We communicate all the time, so whether it’s scheduled or not, we discuss what needs to be done on a daily basis. Therefore, after a defeat or not, you have to do it”says Kevin Durant.
“The players listen, they exchange”adds the coach when asked if his speech is still passing. “We need to look deeply within ourselves. Let’s decide on the next step: do we want to give up because it’s already hard, or do we want to continue to build something? We did some good things at the start of the season and we lost a few games, it hurt us mentally. We don’t have the same state of mind, the same will. If we don’t fix that, it won’t be better. »
