Tag: Nets

Woj: Boston Celtics to play Brooklyn Nets at home on Christmas Day

Will former Celtic point guard Kyrie Irving be available to play this time?

The Boston Celtics are tentatively set to play their Atlantic Division rival Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day as one of the NBA’s marquee contests on one of the biggest days of league calendar, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

It will be a home game, former Celtic Kyrie Irving’s first return to TD Garden since leaving the team in free agency to join the Nets in 2019.

If he actually suits up, that is.

Longstanding rumors about the former Boston’s guard stomach to play against former teams aside, with Irving and Kevin Durant back and hopefully ready to play at full strength it ought to be one of the better games of Boston’s 2020-21 regular season.

Boston will be without the services of starting point guard Kemba Walker, who will be out until some time in January, as well as second-year wing Romeo Langford, whose wrist surgery in September will likely have him back in roughly the same timeframe.

The contest is the third game of the day, tipping off at 5 pm ET.

Other tilts planned for the day include the New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, and their cross-town rival Clippers versus the Denver Nuggets.

[jwplayer 6Av5bIan]

[lawrence-related id=43911,43908,43903,43899]

[listicle id=43879]

Warriors Rewind: Purvis Short drops career-high 59 points vs. Nets in 1984

With no hoops on the schedule, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s history for memorable matchups and standout performances.

With no games on the calendar yet, Warriors Wire is rewinding the tape back through Golden State’s history for memorable matchups, standout performances and everything else in between.

Long before Stephen Curry laced up his No. 30 uniform, the Bay Area was the home of a talented scoring forward out of Jacksonville State. In 1984, Golden State’s Purvis Short exploded for a sizzling career-best performance against the New Jersey Nets.

November 17, 1984

After nearly scoring 50 points against the Portland Trail Blazers one week earlier, Purvis Short registered a memorable effort against the Nets.

The 6-foot-7 forward notched a new-career high 59 points on a scorching 20-of-28 shooting from the field. Short lived at the free-throw line, knocking down 15-of-16 attempts from the stripe.

According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, Short’s performance stands in a league of his own.

Via @jkubatko on Twitter:

Short added five rebounds and a steal in 40 minutes of action against the Nets. However, his career-high scoring night wasn’t enough to stifle the likes of Buck Williams and Mike O’Koren.

Although Jerome Whitehead added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, Golden State couldn’t slow down New Jersey’s collective attack.

Six members for the Nets scored in double-figures, including all five of New Jersey’s starting rotation. The Nets were able to put a damper on Short’s night, winning the contest 131-114.

Watch highlights from Short’s time in Golden State via YouTube.

[lawrence-related id=32425,32297,32283,32265,32206]

[vertical-gallery id=30708]

Steve Kerr congratulates Steve Nash for being named the next Brooklyn Nets head coach

After Steve Nash was named the next head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, Steve Kerr chimed in on Twitter with a congratulations message.

After Kevin Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019 offseason, another member of the Golden State Warriors organization landed in the borough of New York. On Thursday, the Nets announced the hiring of Steve Nash for their vacant head coaching position.

Prior to joining Durant in Brooklyn, Nash spent the last five seasons with the Warriors as a player development consultant. Nash was often seen at Golden State’s practices working with players — including Durant.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic shared a pair of videos from the past that feature Nash working with Durant at the Warriors practice facility.

Via @anthonyVslater on Twitter:

 

During his 18 season run at point guard in the association, Nash earned eight bids to the All-Star game and two Most Valuable Player awards. The 46-year-old first-time head coach will now lead the Nets with Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Following the announcement, Steve Kerr chimed in on Twitter with a message for the Nets’ new head coach. Kerr congratulated and thanked Nash for his work with the Warriors.

Via @SteveKerr on Twitter:

 

The Nets’ first trip to the Bay Area during the 2020-21 season will now serve as a reunion for Durant and his coach.

[lawrence-related id=31049,25691,30933]

[vertical-gallery id=30708]

Warriors player development consultant Steve Nash named the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets

Two time MVP and former Warriors player development consultant Steve Nash is slated to take over as the Brooklyn Nets next head coach.

As he laces up for his first game with the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant will have a new coach. In a surprise move, two-time MVP Steve Nash was named Brooklyn’s head coach on Thursday.

Prior to taking over as the Nets new head coach, Nash served as a player development consultant for the Golden State Warriors. The 18-year NBA veteran was apart of Golden State’s franchise during two of their recent championships.

During his long career as a player, the Santa Clara Broncos product averaged 14.3 points on 49.0% shooting from the field and 8.4 assists per contest. The Canadian sharpshooter shot 42.8% from beyond the arc in his NBA Career. Nash averaged a double-double seven times over his career. The new Brooklyn head coach earned bids to eight All-Star games. In 2005 and 2006, Nash was named as the league’s Most Valuable Player.

The Nets interim leader for their time in the Orlando Bubble Jacque Vaughn will stay on in Brooklyn as an assistant coach. With the help of Vaughn, Nash will oversee a team that features a pair of star-caliber players in Durant and Kyrie Irving.

[lawrence-related id=30933]

Anthony Slater of The Athletic shared two videos of Nash working with Durant during their time with the Warriors.

Via @AnthonyVslater on Twitter:

 

After the Nets made their announcement, Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors thanked Nash for his service in the Bay Area on Twitter.

Via @SteveKerr on Twitter:

Via @warriors on Twitter:

[lawrence-related id=25691,7317,5307]

[vertical-gallery id=31000]

 

Steve Nash es el nuevo coach de los Nets y el mundo de la NBA está confundido

La NBA amaneció con múltiples reportes acerca de que Steve Nash se convertiría en head coach de los Brooklyn Nets.

El jueves por la mañana el mundo de la NBA amaneció con fuerza, con múltiples reportes acerca de que el miembro del Salón de la Fama Steve Nash se convertiría en head coach de los Brooklyn Nets. Sí, ese Steve Nash.

Nash no tiene ninguna experiencia como head coach en la NBA. Es más, no tiene experiencia como head coach de nada, punto. Se retiró como jugador en 2015.

Marc Stein y Adrian Wojnarowski compartieron la noticia casi simultáneamente, y el mundo de la NBA simplemente perdió los estribos con la noticia.

El actual coach asistente Jacque Vaughn, quien estaba considerado para la posición, se quedará como asistente, con un nuevo contrato que lo hará uno de los asistentes mejor pagados en la liga.

Vaughn estará ahí para ayudar a Nash a adentrarse en la posición ya que, como hemos dicho previamente, no tiene ninguna experiencia como head coach.

Traducción: “Los Nets contrataron al base del Salón de la Fama Steve Nash  como su head coach, según se enteró @NYTSports”.

Cuando el mundo de la NBA se enteró de la noticia, enloquedió. Esto salió de la nada. Un equipo con Kevin Durant y Kyrie Irving será entrenado por alguien sin experiencia. Nash trabajaba hasta recientemente como analista de futbol para Bleacher Report y TNT. Esto es una locura.

Traducción: “No muchas cosas en la NBA me hacen decir ‘qué dem**’. La contratación se Steve Nash lo acaba de hacer”.

Traducción: “Tuve que revisar mis notficaciones tres veces para asegurarme que esto era real”.

Traducción: “Vaya, ese es un giro inesperado”.

Traducción: “Ni siquiera sabía sabía que Nash quería ser coach”.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

This Nets-Raptors game 2 sequence was hilariously bad and NBA fans had so many jokes

This is SO bad.

NBA basketball in August is a very weird thing for viewers, so it probably feels the same way for the players.

Especially after not playing in actual NBA basketball games for months at a time. Coming back from that can’t be easy. It’s only natural that there’d be a bit of rust — even after the NBA’s eight seeding games.

But, uh, nobody expected THIS much rust to be in this sequence from the Raptors-Nets game.

In the second quarter, the game was tight and the Nets had the lead. All of a sudden, it looked like literally no one could score. It was as if the basketball Gods had put lids on the rims.

It was comically bad. Like, fam. Is this LA Fitness again? It was non-stop garbage basketball. And also non-stop cackling for fans.

It was so bad that it got picked up on Shaqin’ a Fool.

NBA fans came with SO many jokes. And they were all golden.

Hilarious. The Raptors picked up steam and eventually won the game, 104-99. But still, even if it was just for a moment, NBA players were finally looking like one of us. 

 

Jarrett Allen is now the Nets’ leader for most dunks in a season

Jarrett Allen is now the Nets’ all-time leader for most dunks in a season.

Brooklyn Nets big man Jarrett Allen probably isn’t going to win a Slam Dunk Contest or anything, but at 6-foot-11, Allen does know how to use his size for thunderous jams.

According to Nets PR, Allen tallied his 171st dunk of the 2019-20 campaign Sunday against the Washington Wizards. With the jam, Allen became the Nets’ all-time leader for most dunks in a season. Dunks began being tracked during the 1997-98 season.

With Allen setting the franchise record, he also now has set a career-best for dunks in a season. His previous one was 170, which he recorded during the 2018-19 campaign.

Allen is one of the NBA’s top rim runners, and his athleticism allows him to sky for alley-oops. According to NBA.com stats, Allen is scoring 3.7 points per game as a roll man.

This season, Allen ranks third in field goal percentage (64.9%), right behind Mitchell Robinson and Rudy Gobert. He knows how to score down low, as he’s shot 69.9% on shots less than five feet from the hoop. Allen is scoring 10.7 points per game and grabbing a career-high 9.4 rebounds per game this season.

[lawrence-related id=12207,12200,12051,12052,11982]

 

Report: Jamal Crawford questionable for Nets’ game against Wizards

Jamal Crawford could make his Brooklyn Nets debut Sunday against the Washington Wizards.

Jamal Crawford is adored by hoops enthusiasts, and when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the Orlando restart, he excited fans who enjoy watching his read-and-react, instinctual style of play.

Crawford hasn’t played for the Nets yet, as he’s still working on his conditioning. But on Sunday, Nets fans may have a chance to watch him.

According to the Nets’ Twitter account, Crawford is questionable for Brooklyn’s game against the Washington Wizards. Crawford did not play in the Nets’ game Friday against the Orlando Magic; he also did not play in any of Brooklyn’s three scrimmages.

Crawford hasn’t played in an NBA game since April 9, 2019, when he dropped 51 points for the Phoenix Suns against the Dallas Mavericks.

As a three-time Sixth Man of the Year, Crawford basically has the NBA 2K microwave badge in real life. He has used his scoring skills to be a valuable player on NBA benches throughout his career. Crawford has scored 14.6 points per game, dished 3.4 assists and shot 41.0% from the field during his career.

The Nets’ game against the Wizards could be an intense one. The Nets dropped to the eighth seed after losing to Orlando, and the Wizards are six games behind Brooklyn. The Wizards need to be four or fewer games behind the eighth seed to force a play-in tournament.

[lawrence-related id=12129,12114,12170,12142]

Warriors GM Bob Myers has no hard feelings for Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant’s decision to play in Brooklyn should be more respected in the midst of the player empowerment era.

Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers was sincere and genuine when talking about Kevin Durant recently on ESPN’s “The Woj Pod.”

Durant elevated the Warriors to juggernaut levels when he joined the team in 2016. He and Golden State wrecked the league while he was there, winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. But his decision to leave for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 produced some expected pushback.

Myers, though, spoke at length on why he has no hard feelings for Durant, and he acknowledged how much he helped the Warriors accomplish.

“Look, the guy came to our team, was MVP of the Finals twice, two championships, three Finals,” Myers told Adrian Wojnarowski, per Brian Witt of NBC Sports Bay Area. “What do you want? I mean, what do you want to happen? What do you expect out of a human being? What is the problem with that? But, people would find it and seek it.

“Everybody is so fast to look at what’s wrong with a team, and I was just so focused on — and still am — on what was right with all those things, even in losing. Even in the effort you make to win or lose, there are great experiences there. And so for me — and it may have come from I liked the guy, for all of him.

“A lot of people that comment on him would say he shouldn’t have left or he shouldn’t have done this — everybody’s telling him how to live his life. The way I think about Kevin is … just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean he’s confused.”

Myers was pretty candid here. He kept it real in his defense of Durant, who has received some of the most scorn of any NBA player.

Durant really doesn’t owe anyone an explanation as to why he decided to go to Brooklyn. The importance of the player empowerment era is that players can choose where they would best fit and gain as much fulfillment as possible. Reaching fulfillment in life can seem like an elusive task, almost never-ending.

But in moments, reaching one’s potential can be felt. For Durant, continuing to build his legacy in Brooklyn was the move — and that should be respected.

[lawrence-related id=11989,11648,11565,11192]

 

Former Warrior Jamal Crawford gives behind the scenes tour of the NBA’s Orlando Bubble

In a video with the Boardroom, Former Warrior turned Nets guard Jamal Crawford gave a behind the scenes tour of the NBA’s Orlando Bubble.

Although Golden State won’t be represented inside the Orlando Bubble, a group of former Warriors will be on the court at Disney World. Twelve former Golden State Warriors are slated to play across nine different teams in the NBA’s restart.

Former Golden State point guard Jamal Crawford will join the Brooklyn Nets inside the Orlando Bubble. After injuries disrupted the Nets restart roster, Sean Marks signed the 19-year veteran for Brooklyn’s stretch run.

Before games officially begin, the veteran point guard gave a behind the scenes look at the NBA’s Orlando Bubble. In a video for “The Boardroom,” Crawford toured the Disney World campus, including Brooklyn’s bubble practice, the players’ lounge and the barbershop.

Via @boardroom on Twitter:

After being acquired from the New York Knicks, Crawford spent 54 games in Golden State during the 2008-09 season. With the Warriors, Crawford averaged 19.7 points on 40.6% shooting from the field with 4.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.

[lawrence-related id=25981]

During his short stint with the Warriors, Crawford notched a memorable scoring effort — tallying 50 points against the Charlotte Bobcats on 14-of-26 from the field with five 3-pointers.

Before joining the Nets, Crawford last played for the Phoenix Suns in 2018-19, averaging 7.9 points, 3.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per contest.

Other former members of the Golden State Warriors inside the Orlando Bubble include Andre Iguodala, JaVale McGee, Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, Kent Bazemore and Harrison Barnes.

[lawrence-related id=29794,29608,29148,29873]

[vertical-gallery id=29502]