Brooklyn Nets head coach Steven Nash acknowledged his team's shortcomings in their 125-113 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday. The powerhouse squad got starched by the subpar Cavs team for the second game in a row, which is large due to their lackluster effort on the defensive end.
Post-match, Nash admitted that they still have to shore out those issues moving forward in order to become a successful team.
“We're not a defensive roster, we have to take more pride and we have to win more 50-50s, contest more shots, fight, scrap, claw. And that's what I think is missing as much as anything schematic that we're breaking down,” the former two-time NBA MVP said of the Nets, per The New York Post's Brian Lewis.
In retrospect, Steve Nash-led teams haven't exactly been known for their defense even during his playing years. With Nash's old Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni serving as his deputy in Brooklyn, that won't change anytime soon.
The Nets did play minus Kevin Durant on Friday as part of his ongoing recovery from Achilles tendon surgery nearly two years ago. Kyrie Irving took charge with a game-high 38 points and five assists, while James Harden pitched in 19 points, five boards and 11 assists. As Nash stressed, Brooklyn's D was pretty much non-existent against Cleveland, allowing Collin Sexton and Co. to make 51.7 percent of their field goals.
Now that's truly a recipe for disaster.
The loss sent the Nets to a 9-8 slate, while the Cavs improved to 8-7 and are now above Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference standings. Steve Nash's wards have gone 1-2 since acquiring Harden from the Rockets.