Dave Early Articles - Page 2

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has never struggled quite like this. We’d been told the Boston Celtics’ defense was up there with some of the all-time great units, but to hold KD to this type of performance through three games? It’s pretty shocking and disappointing for the Brooklyn Brigade. Durant is averaging just 22.0 points […]

As the Brooklyn Nets find themselves in a 0-3 hole to the Boston Celtics, you can sort of feel the roof caving in on a difficult season. The Celtics had the Nets outclassed in this one. Kevin Durant has been in a funk this series and it persisted at Barclays Center. We didn’t expect that […]

The Brooklyn Nets will look to keep their season alive over the next couple of games. Down 2-0 to the Boston Celtics, they’re in do-or-die mode now. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both struggled in Game 2, and if they lose the third one in a best-of-seven series, they’d join some rather gloomy company. No […]

The Brooklyn Nets are in do-or-die territory now. They face an 0-2 hole to the Boston Celtics in their best of seven first-round series. Kevin Durant has struggled from the field. Kyrie Irving had one monster game but then couldn’t find his groove in Game 2. Ime Udoka’s stifling league-best defense led by 2022 Defensive […]

It’s a 2-0 series and the Brooklyn Nets are now two losses away from going fishing. After falling into a big hole by dropping two games in a hostile environment to the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant gave some props to their former assistant coach. Ime Udoka took over in Boston last offseason, […]

Ruh-oh. The Brooklyn Nets have fallen into the dreaded 0-2 hole heading back to Barclays Center for Game 3. They got a monster Kyrie Irving game in the first contest of the series vs. the Boston Celtics. But Kevin Durant struggled in that one. And in Game 2, when Nets Nation was hoping for both […]

The Brooklyn Nets are set to tip off Game 2 versus the Boston Celtics. Kevin Durant struggled in Game 1, while Kyrie Irving went ballistic. But in order to pull off the key upset, the Nets will need both of them to get hot at the same time. Otherwise Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus […]

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn Nets suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. As Kevin Durant admitted after the game, no matter how many tough L’s he’s taken in his career, losing that way still stings. But it’s not impossible we could see them add an All-Star caliber player mid-series. […]

Kevin Durant isn’t used to falling short then having to talk about his own struggles. James Harden struggled again, Kyrie Irving wasn’t available, Joe Harris or Ben Simmons can’t play, Durant wasn’t available to play because of his MCL sprain. Sure, things like that have been unfortunate themes for the Brooklyn Nets all season long. […]

The Brooklyn Nets fell into a hole after a crushing Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Sunday. Kyrie Irving was absolutely lethal. He went to a rocking TD Garden and dropped 39 points despite incessant boos raining down from fans in green the whole game. […]

The Brooklyn Nets dropped Game 1 to the Boston Celtics, but it wasn’t because of Kyrie Irving. However, he did made headlines on Sunday because of reasons beyond his incredible play. The seven-time All-Star product from Duke can be a bit provocative. He became one of the most controversial athletes in the NBA this season […]

The Brooklyn Nets are preparing to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving form a pretty formidable scoring duo, but so do Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Which team boasts the better duo is certainly a point of contention among the rival fanbases. The […]

As recently as last week, it didn’t seem like there was much chance Ben Simmons would play this season. But over the last few days things may have shifted. Multiple reports surfaced on Thursday that Simmons is targeting a late-series return vs. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics. According to ESPN’s […]

The Brooklyn Nets got it done vs. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the 115-108 win over J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad, Brooklyn advances out of the Play-In. They are now officially the seven seed in the playoffs and prepare for the second seed Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. And that matchup has […]

As the Brooklyn Nets geared up to host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first Play-In game, Nets coach Steve Nash said he’ll use a nine-man rotation and play to win, without holding back his stars. There won’t be any minute watching or load management in a monster game like this one. If Brooklyn wins, they’ll […]

Before the biggest game of the season for the Brooklyn Nets, the team has not been able to focus all of their attention on the Play-In contest versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. There was an unexpected tragedy in NYC Tuesday, and a subway shooting has left upwards of 29 people injured, at least 10 shot, and […]

We’ve arrived. Steve Nash’s squad hit what feels like a zillion snags along the way but here they are, a 7th seed, set to play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Brooklyn Nets win their next game, they’re in the playoffs as the 7th seed and will earn the right to ship up to […]

The Brooklyn Nets clinched the No. 7 seed on Sunday and will gear up for a showdown vs. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday. The Nets finished up their roller-coaster season at 44-38, the same record as Cleveland, making the victory over the Cavs last […]

Kevin Durant has played in Oklahoma City, the Bay Area, and now New York. And KD may not feel he got as much attention in OKC as he now gets in NYC, but dominating with his playmaking is old hat for the Brooklyn Nets superstar if you ask him. In the final game of the […]

Kevin Durant has seen a lot of different defenses this season. Triangle-and-two, box-and-one, 2-3 zone, the Minnesota Timberwolves “junking up” the lane by completely ignoring the Brooklyn Nets’ non-shooters. Durant started sharing that he noticed teams were doubling him even more aggressively this 2021-22 than they had in the past. Remember the time he tried […]

The Brooklyn Nets were reportedly still holding out hope that newly acquired point-forward Ben Simmons might play for them this season. The timetable for his return keep getting pushed back further and further. By now, however, many fans have fully accepted Simmons will not suit up at all this postseason. The latest update will only […]

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are just about two of the top players in the league you could ask to lead your team in a high pressure moment. And that’s a very important thing these days since there’s tons of pressure on the Brooklyn Nets with one game to go in the regular season. Because […]

There were a lot of challenges and unforeseen circumstances that made coaching life harder on Nets coach Steve Nash than perhaps he ever expected. Kyrie Irving is in and out for “personal reasons.” Durant can only play in half the games. James Harden pulls a hamstring, an issue that never fully heals before he’s traded […]

There is only one game left in the entire season. You made it. Congrats. The Brooklyn Nets are now 43-38. They control their own destiny to host the first Play-In game. If they can beat Tyrese Haliburton and the 25-55 Indiana Pacers they’ll lock up the seven, heading into the Play-In which begins on April […]

The Brooklyn Nets have made a pair of roster moves with a mind on the upcoming Play-In and hopefully playoffs. On Thursday afternoon, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Nets are waiving forward James Johnson. That should open up a roster spot to convert rookie Kessler Edwards to a standard NBA contract. The […]

Kevin Durant has gotten used to life in The Big Apple. He has also perhaps gotten used to the unique feeling that most of the basketball fans where he lives still aren’t over the fact he snubbed their favorite team, the New York Knicks, for the much newer NYC basketball team, the Brooklyn Nets. And, […]

The Brooklyn Nets gave the New York Knicks some chances during Wednesday’s game, but RJ Barrett and co. couldn’t seize the win, despite building a big lead. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s big second-half comeback sparked the key run to give the Nets the 110-98 win in the battle of the boroughs and a massive […]

The Brooklyn Nets took care of business vs. the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. They now sit in 8th place and control their destiny. If Brooklyn win their next three games, they’ll lock up the 7th seed. That means your 2022 Nets would host a Play-In game, win and you’re in the playoffs, as a 7th […]

The Brooklyn Nets didn’t have their prettiest or most dominant win of the season against the Houston Rockets. That one was actually back on Jan. 12 when the old big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving thrashed DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls. It was a few months ago, but […]

On Monday, Steve Nash shared the disappointing but not surprising update that Ben Simmons will be out through the remaining four games and the play-in tournament, set to tipoff on April 12. The Brooklyn Nets have been without the third All-Star on their roster ever since they traded James Harden and Paul Millsap for Simmons, […]

Ben Simmons might make a return at some point this season. the Brooklyn Nets are certainly still hopeful. But they’re going to have to keep their season alive long enough to see that day. Because he won’t be available to them for the Play-In which begins on April 12. Simmons experienced a flare-up of an […]

On the most recent episode of ClutchPoints’ Nothing But Nets podcast, we got a very intriguing question from a listener. Martin from the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn wanted to know this: “How relieved are Brooklyn Nets fans that the New York Knicks are blowing their draft position, conceding relevance to the Nets for the foreseeable future?” […]

The Brooklyn Nets find themselves in some uncharted waters. According to FanDuel, they’re still among the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Yet if it weren’t for the NBA adding a play-in tournament, they wouldn’t even be playoff bound right now, which is crazy to think about. The Nets are tied for 10th place in […]

The Brooklyn Nets really wanted this one. They wanted it badly enough that Kevin Durant played through what he said was a sore ankle and dropped a career high 55 points. In the end it wasn’t enough and the Nets fell to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks 122-115. The Hawks have now supplanted the […]

After the most recent game against the Milwaukee Bucks, a 120-119 home loss for the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and co. had some harsh comments for the reigning champs’ “reckless” playing style. It seems as if this budding rivalry is just getting started. Following the showdown, Nick Wright of “First Things First” took […]

We’re nearing the end of the NBA’s regular season. Sometimes it has felt like fans of the Brooklyn Nets have lived nine lives. But as we hurdle toward the home stretch, we got one game that’s certainly starting to feel like a rivalry matchup. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champs, the Milwaukee Bucks, came to […]

The Brooklyn Nets don’t care too much if not every game they win is pretty. At times in this one, a 130-123 win over the bottom-dwelling Detroit Pistons, they struggled to get stops on defense. And that’s a theme here this year. As head coach Steve Nash said after the game, this team simply isn’t […]

Showdown at the Barclay Corral. The team that knocked the Brooklyn Nets out of the 2021 NBA playoffs, and then went on to win the championship are coming to town. Kevin Durant and yes, he’s eligible, Kyrie Irving will battle Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday in a game that could even be a […]

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant must be feeling pretty relieved to have Kyrie Irving back on a full-time basis. But whatever joy or giddiness he felt seemed to evaporate in the aftermath of Sunday’s explosion form Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, who stole the show during Irving’s 2022 home debut to give the Hornets […]