What was supposed to be one of the best games of the season ended up being a complete beatdown on Saturday night, when the Nets embarrassed Brooklyn on their home turf.
Phoenix built a double-digit lead in the very first quarter, outscoring the Nets by 18 points through the first three-quarters of the game.
While the Nets did make a push towards the end, it was a rather pathetic showing by the home team overall and especially from James Harden, who dropped 12 points and 7 turnovers on 26.7% shooting.
At one point, fans in Barclays Center couldn’t help but make their frustrations known after Harden committed another turnover early in the fourth quarter.
Nets fans start booing Harden after this turnover. 😳
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 28, 2021
Of course, it didn’t stop there. All over social media, Nets fans laid into their team for the poor performance, with some even calling on Kyrie to come and answer the call for help.
— マイケル (@TyronDavis_) November 28, 2021
— Adnel~ (@Adneljr11) November 28, 2021
— Bennett (@B_gan1422) November 28, 2021
Bro this team got to wake tf up, no team ball here, I only see ISO
— 🇵🇸 (@smd1of1) November 28, 2021
https://twitter.com/HoodieNate_/status/1464802017591939080
Hit up kyrie
— Yo (@ThatsWhyImGod) November 28, 2021
This game just proves again Kyrie is the most important player on the Nets 🐐. The Nets need him more than he needs them.
— 🥷🏼 (@ItsfckingOver) November 28, 2021
Like if you miss Kyrie Irving
RT if you miss Kyrie Irving
— Billy Reinhardt (@BillyReinhardt) November 28, 2021
We miss you @KyrieIrving … hope you get vaccinated or the mandate changes soon.
-Love nets fans
— NetsTankSZN (@RuFan130) November 28, 2021
KD should just break into Kyrie's house and stick the needle in him while he's asleep
— Anthony (@omgitsbirdman) November 28, 2021
The Nets are first place in the East, but they’re not living up to their full potential without Kyrie. As a 7x All-Star and career 22-point-per-game scorer, he brings amazing versatility on the offensive end.
Without him, and James Harden still not the player he was in Houston, Brooklyn is finding it tough to match the expectations that got hoisted on them early on.
“Without Kyrie Irving on the squad, the Brooklyn Nets will suffer in their title hopes,” wrote Eddie Bitar. “In fact, they go from being unbeatable to a team that is not as intimidating anymore. Kevin Durant and James Harden are two of the top-five talents in the league, but the absence of Kyrie Irving begins to expose their minor weaknesses. Irving’s Hall of Fame scoring prowess covers up Harden’s defensive deficiencies and also allows defenses to focus on stopping Kevin Durant.”
After their latest loss, the Nets are 14-6 on the season, just 1 game in front of Miami for the East’s top seed.
So far, the team has done a good enough job staying afloat in light of their flaws, but if they want to beta teams like the Suns, Warriors, and Heat, they’re going to need all hands on deck.
