After the James Harden trade, there were many people who viewed the Brooklyn Nets as the overwhelming title favorite. After all, they were trading for a top-tier superstar in Harden, and adding him to the Kevin Durant – Kyrie Irving duo. However, things were not to be: both Kyrie Irving and James Harden suffered injuries during the second round, and although Harden played through his ailment, it wasn’t enough for them to beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
Next season, the Brooklyn Nets get the chance to make another run at the championship. Barring any health issues, they’re still a team that is slated to make the Finals. It is clear to everyone that the Brooklyn Nets’ collection of talent should be more than enough offensive firepower to win the championship. Bruce Brown, who recently re-signed with the Brooklyn Nets, stated that everyone knows the Nets were going to win the title if healthy.
"I think we all know what would’ve happened last year if we were healthy."
– Bruce Brown 👀
(h/t @AdamZagoria) pic.twitter.com/7BxjyyqLuz
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 9, 2021
This year’s Eastern Conference will have a lot of competition, but it’s clear that the Brooklyn Nets have the most star power on the roster. The franchise retaining crucial contributors such as Bruce Brown and Blake Griffin will be crucial for next season’s success as well. It is easy to see why people believe the Brooklyn Nets could have won it all: after all, they took the Milwaukee Bucks to 7 games, and that was without Kyrie Irving for most of the series.
Most people believe that the Nets can get to the NBA Finals, but winning them won’t be so easy. The Los Angeles Lakers are widely viewed as the team who will come out of the Western Conference. They traded for Russell Westbrook and managed to assemble a big three of their own. While obviously nothing is guaranteed, it would certainly be interesting to see who would win in this hypothetical Finals matchup. Hopefully, the Brooklyn Nets have more success in the playoffs this season, and perhaps we’ll see them face off the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.
