Getty Carmelo Anthony, Miami Heat
The Brooklyn Nets are not officially out of the playoffs, but it appears their fate has already been decided. After starting the contest on a 14-2 blitz, the Nets lost Game 3 to the Boston Celtics by a score of 103-109. They now find themselves in danger of being swept out of the postseason in Game 4. For reference, no team in NBA history has ever overcome a 0-3 deficit to come back and win the series. Now that Nets’ star Ben Simmons is officially out for Game 4, many feel that Brooklyn’s fate has already been decided.
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Nets Have ‘Real Possibility’ To Land Carmelo Anthony
If the Nets lose Game 4 and get eliminated, there could certainly be some close examination of the organization from top to bottom, starting with the roster. One NBA executive told Sean Deveney of “Heavy” that the Nets could have interest in Los Angeles Lakers free agent Carmelo Anthony this offseason.
“If he wants to go back to the [New York]area, the Nets stuff will pop up again,” one Eastern Conference general manager said to Deveney via “Heavy”.
“He’d probably rather be there than back with the Knicks. He won a gold medal with Kevin Durant and Kyrie (Irving) and they wanted to sign him (in 2019) but the front office wanted more defense. Now, he’s kind of shown he can play a role as a 3-point shooter and they need to add more shooting because they’re worried about Joe Harris to start the season. If he leaves the Lakers, there will be interest on both sides with him and the Nets. He could win there.”
Source says @Lakers are the “starting point” if Carmelo Anthony plays next year.
– Exec: “mutual interest” if he wants to join the @BrooklynNets (finally).
– @nyknicks? “It’s crowded”
– And beware darkhorses like @MiamiHEAT & @celtics
More @HeavySan:
Steve Nash ‘Never Expected’ Ben Simmons To Play Game 4
Before Game 3, multiple reports said that Ben Simmons would be available to play in Game 4 at the Barclays Center. But the day after the Nets went down 0-3, Simmons woke up with significant discomfort in his back and remains unavailable to play. Despite all signs pointing toward a Ben Simmons debut in Game 4, Nets head coach Steve Nash says that he never expected Simmons to play.
“I mean, I wasn’t really expecting him to play. Like we’ve said all along, he’s trying to improve, he’s working through it. Reports that he was playing were from the outside, I don’t know where that came from. So, we kind of stick to what we’ve always said; he’s still building himself up, still working through things, still trying to get strong enough and put himself in a position to play,” Nash told reporters on April 24 per NetsDaily.
“I guess. I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure setback’s the right word; I don’t know what we’re calling it. He’s still trying to strengthen and put himself in a position to play. He could feel great today, he could feel poor tomorrow. I just think that’s the landscape we’re in with his back is that he’s made progress but day-to-day some days are better than others.”
The Nets’ season will be on the line in Game 4 when they take on the Celtics. It will be interesting to see if they can avoid the sweep and extend this series.
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