The Hot Take Machine is Going to Overheat if We Don't Break Up the Brooklyn Nets' Big Three
The Brooklyn Nets are a danger to the world of 24/7 content and hot takes. By the time the season ends - however the season ends - they are going to send someone into a full-blown break from reality.
James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have only played five games together. Yet every day, someone steps up to a microphone and proclaims loudly that they are either the absolute best or the absolute worst thing ever.
Poor Stephen A. Smith has gone both directions. Over the span of two days.
TWO. DAYS. APART. ????? pic.twitter.com/kS5FWUOPGP
— ??N-jay ? (@_Njay3) February 3, 2021
His former broadcast partner Skip Bayless is all-in. While his motives are likely anti-LeBron in nature, he still had to take a swing and drop a "never in the history of this league have we seen," whatever.
"Never in the history of this league have we seen 3 better shot-makers and scorers than KD, Kyrie & Harden together. And they can play good enough defense to be a contending team, if not to win the East."@RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/9A3UqcyBNm
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 3, 2021
And on the other side of the argument is Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. Mad Dog knows the Nets can play defense, but don't. Remember the Knicks? They played defense for Pat Reilly and these guys better play defense for Steve Nash.
Mad Dog Russo is sick of watching the Brooklyn Nets not bother to give any effort on defense. pic.twitter.com/ookkfxJV7j
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) February 4, 2021
Mad Dog broke down all their loses on the season and, well, this is how he counts them: Twice to the Wizards, twice to Memphis (though they had injuries), twice to the Bullets or Wizards, twice to Cleveland and once each to Atlanta, Charlotte and Oklahoma City. Depending on how you want to count the second time he mentions the Wizards, that is 11-13 losses by Dog's count.
They're now 14-9 on the season.
He believes they should be 20-2 if they played some defense in their sleep. They are 7-3 since James Harden arrived, which is good, but they are only 3-2 in games where all three players have dressed, which is much less good. Fraud territory even.... NO! Stop. I will remain above the fray!
It's just hilarious to watch the day-to-day reactions pour in. Brooklyn beat the Heat twice and held them to 85 points in their second game. But then they have given up 130.5 points a night over the four games since. So, there is obviously some stuff to react to, but let's pace ourselves. These guys could be together for years!