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 Smart might just continue to roll.
Brooklyn does not want to come back to Barclays Center down 2-0 because then they'd need to win four of the next five games to advance to round two.
But what if three-time All-Star Ben Simmons could play? Surely, he could make Tatum's life just a tiny bit more difficult. Tatum had 31 points on just 18 shots in the first battle. He also hit the game-winning dagger on a spinning layup. Simmons' presence for even a single defensive possession might have been enough to help Durant and Irving walk out of a hostile TD Garden with a one-game lead.
To that point, earlier on Wednesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned that Game 4 looms as a possible date for Simmons to make his Nets debut:
That echoes what ESPN's Brian Windhorst and The Athletic's Shams Charania had previously reported. That duo suggested somewhere between Games 4 and 6 make sense.
Simmons was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his spine. His back flared up while attempting to return to the court in late February, shortly after he was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers. If he could play in Game 4, it would be his first NBA action since Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2021 NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Before the Nets and Celtics tipped off Game 2, head coach Steve Nash provided an update on the team's third All-Star and responded to questions about the latest Woj bomb.
“He had a workout this morning,” Nash said. “I think he came out OK. We'll see how he feels tomorrow. But it was another step, and so far so good.”
Nash was asked specifically about the Woj report regarding a “looming” Game 4 return.
“That's news to me. I don't think we're targeting any game,” Nash said, pouring cold water on the idea. “I think we're trying to see how he develops, how he progresses, and that's something that with the recent history since the trade this has not been straight forward.”
It's intriguing Nash says that nothing has been straight forward since the trade. Is he suggesting that the team was in the dark about Simmons' injury history? Were they not on the same page? What exactly hasn't been straight forward? Simmons reported back tightness when still a Sixer back in October, but he only missed games in Philly this season because of mental health issues. That's an odd way Nash phrased it.
It was reported by ESPN's Nick Friedell earlier that Simmons had been cleared for contact and even participated in four-on-four work. Apparently he skipped the team's conservative return-to-play protocol since we didn't hear he went through two-on-two or three-on-three first. Maybe the Nets understand the clock is ticking on their season and cannot afford to be as cautious as they were with Kevin Durant earlier in the year. KD missed 21 games with a sprained MCL, but assistant coach Jacques Vaughn hinted that KD could have returned earlier than he did back in early March.
They wanted to be extra careful with their top gun. But with the postseason underway, they may not feel they have the same luxury with Simmons.
“While it's exciting to see him on the floor and see him make progress, I don't think any of us are saying ‘ it's imminent.' I think we're just gonna sit back and support him and see how far he gets. if he's able to play that'd be great but we haven't penciled in anything or made any conclusions yet. I think he's got a long ways to go before he feels ready to play,” Nash added.
Nash has not been a reliable narrator for Nets fans. Not by any stretch. So maybe this is in part gamesmanship. Perhaps Brooklyn doesn't want to tip their hand and allow Boston to prepare for him. Or perhaps they don't want to place any pressure on Ben Ten if he suffered another setback between today and Game 4.
Nash indicated earlier in the day, per Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News that the ultimate call would fall on Ben's own shoulders. If he's cleared, he'll have to come to them and say if and when he's ready. It doesn't sound like Nash is holding his breath though.
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