Since the New York Yankees were unable to even make to the American League Championship Series in 2020, the New York Giants and Jets are a combined 1-13 and the New York Knicks are, well, the Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets are far and away New York’s best hope to bring the city its next championship.
Whether or not all eyes in the city are on the Nets, Brooklyn’s main focus was still to win a title with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving healthy. Naturally, this comes with quite a bit of pressure. But that doesn’t have Steve Nash worried.
“I feel pressure. I love pressure,” Brooklyn’s head coach said to Steve Serby of the New York Post. “I think that’s what makes it fun, that’s what allowed me to change coasts and go from a really wonderful life and a stay-at-home dad with various projects. … You want to play for something. You want to have pressure, and try to fight and build and overcome and collaborate and build something that is winning and sustainable.”
Nash also clarified something he said in the Nets’ recent town hall regarding Brooklyn’s goals for 2020-21:
“Not championship or bust, but we’re playing for a championship, that’s our goal. I think it’s silly, the championship or bust, you never know. You have to have health, you have to have luck to win a championship. It’s not as simple as one plus one equals two, but we are playing for a championship. We are saying that out loud. That’s how we’re going to frame all the decisions we make and the effort and intensity that we train and play with.”
Throughout his Q&A session with Serby, Nash frequently expressed how important collaboration is to him. Collaboration needs to happen in order for him to be the type of leader he wants to be, and it will play a role in “The Nets Way” under Nash — which he hopes will be “connected” and “competitive.”
“Honestly, I would get as much joy, more joy, out of seeing our players, coaching staff, all departments win than the feeling I would get about me being a winner,” Nash said. “To me, I love being a part of a group, part of a team, and seeing other people happy and succeed is as rewarding as anything and more rewarding than the individual glory. It would be unbelievable just to be a part of that, but to see everyone else’s satisfaction would mean the world to me.”
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