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Monday, the Brooklyn Nets announced that both Kyrie Irving and James Harden would miss Tuesday night's pivotal Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks. But now, Harden has been upgraded twice and is going to try to give it a go despite a nagging hamstring injury that has kept him out since the early moments of this second round series.
This turnaround certainly raises some eyebrows given the circumstances. Would Harden be trying so hard to play if Irving wasn't injured? Or what if the series was 3-1? The Beard knows his body and the Nets' training staff surely doesn't want to put him in harm's way, but it sure seems like they're willing to take at least a little extra risk here with Irving out and the series tied.
If James Harden does play, let's just hope this return doesn't go the way of 2019 Kevin Durant. KD returned from a troublesome calf injury in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals with the Toronto Raptors, only to tear his Achilles not long into the game.
There was plenty of speculation and debate over Durant's return and whether or not he rushed back, with Kyrie even criticizing it. KD has always insisted it was his decision to return when he did and that it had nothing to do with the Golden State Warriors forcing him to do it. These things are tricky and there's always a risk of injury while playing, but in these cases there was added risk.
Harden will surely be on a minutes limit if he suits up, so Durant and his teammate will still need to step up in a big way against a Bucks team that has found all the momentum. Brooklyn shouldn't be counted out with or without Harden given Durant's prowess and the other talented role players on the roster. Perhaps Harden even making a short appearance would galvanize the Nets and the home crowd, helping them to victory.
When it comes down to it, let's hope James Harden is returning for the right reasons and not rushing back because of the current situation. Making the injury worse would be a brutal blow for Brooklyn.
