The Brooklyn Nets had a 2-0 series lead after Monday night’s 125-86 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks, but nobody was getting ahead of anything.
The series, Bruce Brown said, begins with Game 3 when the Bucks get their first home game of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.
“I feel like that's every team's mentality if you got home court,” said Kevin Durant. “We know how important Game 3's are and we know that their crowd is going to be in it from the second we get on the floor for warmups and we know their guys they play better and more comfortable when they sleep in their own beds and got their same routines at home. So we got our work cut out for us but we're looking forward to it.”
Through two games, the Nets have shot 49.5 percent overall and 44.4 percent from 3-point range and posted a net rating of 23.6 — averaging 120.6 points per 100 possessions and limiting the Bucks to 97.0 points per 100 possessions.
“We obviously feel good, but at the same time, we know that there is still a lot of basketball to be played and now the whole mindset is not to be complacent or lax, just to have the same level of focus and preparation going into Game 3,” said Joe Harris. “It’s going to be a tough environment in Milwaukee. We know that they are definitely going to play a lot better than they did these last two games here in Brooklyn. Our attention to detail and our focus, all that has to remain the same for Game 3.”
The Bucks had a 26-10 record at home this season, tied for fifth in the NBA. In the first round, the Nets dropped Game 3 in Boston after winning the first two games at Barclays Center, eventually closing out the Celtics in five games.
“It's the nature of basketball at this level,” said Kyrie Irving. “I mean, being in the playoffs, understanding that the home crowd does make a difference and people play a lot more comfortable when they're at home. They've able to see their families, they're able to prepare. They're able to get the shots, they're able to weight lift, they're able to do the little things that keeps them in their routine or comfortable. So, we just want to come in and break their rhythm a little bit. Understand that runs are gonna happen. They're on their home floors. Those guys are looking for a response game and we just have to be prepared. It's simple. The fans aren't going to come on the court and block anybody's shots or do anything and that makes a difference in our communication. So, we just have to make sure we're doing those little things.”
JEFF GREEN AND JAMES HARDEN STATUS
Nets head coach Steve Nash said that Jeff Green and James Harden both remain out for Game 3 but will travel with the team to Milwaukee. Harden suffered a hamstring strain in Game 1 of the series and Nash said he is “progressing nicely” but that there was not a timetable for his return.
Green has been out with a plantar fascia strain in his left foot since leaving Game 2 of the first round series against the Boston Celtics. He said on Wednesday afternoon he had been playing through the issue throughout the season but aggravated it when he came down awkwardly after a dunk.
Green also said that he hadn’t begun practicing yet — “If I was practicing, I’d be playing,” he said — but that he was hopeful about playing in Sunday’s Game 4.
“It’s like you can't put a lot of pressure, you know for me and the way I play,” said Green. “Being able to — I can walk, obviously, but it's a little bit of discomfort when I walk. You know, the pressure with the shoe, the cutting and everything. It's almost like having a really, really bad sprained ankle but on the bottom of your foot. So, the whole planting and explosion is something that just comes with it. It's been hard to really be me early on when I first did it. But I played through it during the year, but on that one play it kinda strained a little bit more than normal. So, I am able to get back out there now and obviously run, but the cutting is something that hasn't come back yet.”
DEFENDING THE GLASS
Part of Brooklyn’s strong defensive play through two games against Milwaukee has been closing out possessions and the Nets have been much stronger on the defensive boards compared to their first round series against Boston. The Nets had a defensive rebounding percentage of 64.5 against the Celtics as Boston averaged 12.6 offensive rebounds and 16.0 second chance points.
Against the Bucks, the Nets have grabbed 71.8 percent of available defensive rebounds and they’ve cleaned up since allowing nine offensive rebounds and nine second chance points in the first quarter of Game 1. Since then, Milwaukee has had 17 offensive rebounds for 22 points over seven quarters.
“More of just like a conscious group rebounding effort, always having a body on Brook (Lopez), I mean, Brook's huge,” said Blake Griffin. “So always having a body on him and then everybody coming back in. I think the first quarter of the first game I didn't do a great job of coming back in after challenging a Giannis (Antetokounmpo) shot or if he was floating around the perimeter, I didn't do a great job of that. So I think as a whole we've done a much better job of gang rebounding since that first quarter.”
MOVING THE BALL, AVOIDING TURNVOERS
It’s playoff time, when emphasis tends to shift even more to star play and ball movement slows. While the Nets lead playoff teams with 21.7 isolations per game — almost double their regular season number — their assist numbers remain impressive after the best season in franchise history in the category.
Brooklyn’s 24.6 assists per game in the playoffs are down slightly from their 26.8 average for the season but their ranking has risen from seventh to fourth. They’re essentially even with the regular season league average, which has also dropped by two assists per game in the playoffs. They’re also committing the second-fewest turnovers — 10.7 per game, down from 13.5 per game during the regular season. In two games against Milwaukee, the Nets have 52 assists against just 18 turnovers.
“That's how you play the game the right way,” said Kyrie Irving. “You know, we are very special individually but the selflessness which you're referring to is really what creates the difference. Defense is going to win us games down the stretch, but offensively playing the right way and trusting one another is — those little plays that make the difference towards the end of the game where we don't have to go for it all right then and there wherever the score is. So, like I said, this team, we've grown so much and we continue to do so. Obviously, we're missing James. You know, and we're just filling in the pieces for him.”