The Brooklyn Nets expected to have a cakewalk through the Eastern Conference this season. Then Kyrie Irving wasnāt eligible to play at home, James Harden was a shell of himself, and Kevin Durant got hurt.
But despite all the setbacks, the ups-and-downs, and a terrible stretch of the season, the Nets still made it to the play-in tournament. Talent-wise, theyāre still one of the best teams in the world, yet they havenāt proved it.
Even so, having Durant and Irving at full strength is reason enough to look out for Steve Nashās team. And, per Charles Barkley, thatās why they should still be favored to make the NBA Finals despite their low seeding.
NBA News: Charles Barkley Says The Nets Can Still Come Out Of The East
āBrooklyn to me, in every seriesā¦ Brooklyn are going to have the two best players in every series,ā Barkley said. āThey are gonna have the two best players in every series. They play Miami, they have the two best players on their team.ā
āOther than Giannis, Embiid, and Tatum, theyāre going to have the two best players in every series. They got a chance,ā Barkley continued.āI would not want to play Brooklyn personally because theyāre the bestā¦ That Brooklyn team is scary. Especially with Drummond coming off the bench. Kyrie and Kevin are the two. In my opinion, Giannis is the best player in the league. But the two best players, unstoppable in 1 on 1 situations in the NBA today are Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. They can single-handedly win 4 games out of 7.ā
Well, sometimes basketball is that simple. The playoffs are a different animal than the regular season, and a team getting hot at the right time could go to great lengths. Theyāve been mediocre defensively and inconsistent offensively all year long, but you still canāt sleep on them.
