Getty Blake Griffin drives to the lane against two Pistons defenders
There must be something in the water in Brooklyn. All of a sudden Nets All-Star forward Blake Griffin looks like he has been sipping from the fountain of youth. On the season he is averaging 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
Griffin had not dunked since 2019 before coming to the Nets in March. He appears to have found his legs. He has been laying waste to the rim lately and putting people on posters just like old times. His latest victim is Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr.
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Blake Griffin Yams on Tim Hardaway Jr
During the Nets game against the Mavericks on Thursday, Griffin climbed the ladder on Hardaway Jr. late in the 3rd quarter. It was one of his best highlights of the season.
BLAKE GRIFFIN 💥💥💥
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Harden and Nash Not Worried About Team Chemistry
The Nets look like they desperately need their star point guard James Harden. They look out of sync and unorganized on both sides of the ball. The Nets have now lost their last four games and are sliding outside of the top two spots in the East.
In the 7 games that the Nets have played together, they have looked marvelous as they are 5-2 over that span. The amount of chemistry that KD, Kyrie, and ‘The Beard’ will have when they finally do take the floor together again won’t be ideal. However, Harden doesn’t believe that the ‘Big 3’ will have a problem gelling because the talent between the three All-Stars can overcompensate for any deficiency that they may have.
“One of the things a lot of teams don’t have is talent. We don’t have to worry about that aspect,” Harden told reporters ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Mavericks via SNY. “We control the rebounding and the screening like we can watch film and get better at that. Skill-wise, we’re elite. I’m not worried at all”
Like Harden Nets head coach Steve Nash is not at all concerned about his stars and their ability to produce. Time however is becoming a factor for this Nets team, but like every other hurdle that the Nets have faced this season, Nash is counting on himself as well as the rest of his team to figure it out along the way.
“For us, we have the luxury of talent but we don’t have the luxury of time. That’s okay. We understand that and we’ll work around that,” Nash said via NetsDaily. James will give us a totally different dimension, but we don’t sit here and say wait till James gets back. We try to solve the puzzle now,”
“One of the things a lot of teams don’t have is talent. Skill-wise, we’re elite. I’m not worried at all”
– James Harden on how the Nets gel
Durant Speaks on Nets Continuity
While the level of talent may not be a big deal for the Nets, One thing that has been a cause for concern is the lack of consistency that Brooklyn has shown this season. One night they can look like a shoo-in for the NBA Finals and the next they look like a potential first-round exit. Durant knows it is something that the team needs to address and is counting on the veterans to take on the bulk of the weight.
“That is a huge factor. Continuity is a big thing in this league, but we got veterans on this team that played in different situations and that know pretty much know all terminology that goes on in this league and every type of set that we run on both sides,” Durant said via NetsDaily.
“That’s to our advantage as well, having that veteran leadership. We still are a connected group. I feel like we’ve been together for years too, so we got to continue to keep building on that.”
With the regular season coming to a close, the Nets are looking to build momentum that they can carry into the playoffs.
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Nets’ Blake Griffin Puts Filthy Slam on Tim Hardaway Jr’s Head [WATCH]