Much is being made about the Kyrie Irving situation at the moment because the former NBA champion and 7-time All-Star is refusing to take the Covid vaccination, which has ultimately shut him out of the team. The Nets have made it clear that the team is moving forward without Irving, even if the point guard is available for away games.
- Kyrie Irving Makes Brooklyn Unbeatable
- Without Irving, Brooklyn Are The Third-Best Team In The League
- The Los Angeles Lakers And Milwaukee Bucks Meet In The Finals
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With Brooklyn trying to find continuity with their two superstars, Kevin Durant and James Harden, the title chances of the team are in question. Having 3 superstars available on the court is a scary thing to prepare against, and having to deal with 2 is certainly a better situation for opposing teams. But assuming Kyrie Irving remains unvaccinated and does not appear with the Nets squad for the entire season, can Brooklyn still win it all?
Kyrie Irving Makes Brooklyn Unbeatable
Without a doubt, q superstar Big Three makes Brooklyn unbeatable. They are a perfect fit on offense because Kyrie Irving found success as a sidekick before with LeBron James and Kevin Durant can play with any player in any era. Durant is very unselfish and is very capable of playing off the ball as he showed with Golden State. The key to this Big Three is James Harden, the best playmaker on the team.
James Harden is sensational at leading the offense and averaged 10.9 APG during 36 games with the Nets. The Beard is unstoppable when he has the ball and will have no problem feeding Durant or Irving when the lane is clogged. With Irving healthy, Harden has the two best teammates of his career and will make the offense compete with the best teams we have seen.
Without Irving, Brooklyn Are The Third-Best Team In The League
Without Kyrie Irving on the squad, the Brooklyn Nets will suffer in their title hopes. 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.
That means Brooklyn’s Big Three is lessened to a Big Two. The Los Angeles Lakers have a Big Three, even if their players do not naturally fit together. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook are all top-75 players of all time and have the raw talent to usurp any Big Two. The Milwaukee Bucks also have a Big Three and are fresh off an NBA championship. Without Kyrie Irving making Brooklyn unbeatable, the Nets’ Big Two is weaker than the Big Three of the Lakers and Bucks.
The Los Angeles Lakers And Milwaukee Bucks Meet In The Finals
There is no doubt that the Brooklyn Nets are a contender without Kyrie Irving. They can still finish with a top-3 seed in the East and have 2 MVP-caliber players and some veterans including LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin. The addition of Patty Mills was huge as well because the experienced shooter will provide cover for the absent Kyrie Irving. Even if the Nets are still a fix for the Eastern Conference Finals, they are not better than the Bucks.
Milwaukee have 3 stars that fit perfectly with each other and feed off each other’s strengths. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on par with Kevin Durant as the best player in the league, but his sidekicks are perfect around him. Khris Middleton is a fantastic shooter and defender who is a go-to scorer in the clutch. Jrue Holiday is tasked with doing the dirty work and also being a playmaker to feed The Greek Freak. Fresh off an NBA championship with the 2-time MVP on their side, the Bucks are the favorite in the East ahead of the Irving-less Nets.
Even if the Nets somehow make the Finals without Kyrie Irving, they are not a better team than the Lakers. LeBron James is a master at making adjustments and will find a way to utilize his team’s depth and star power to out-man Durant and Harden. The Nets have built their team to support their Big Three, and if one of them is out, they are very beatable.
