Teregold: The Nets' dynamic, dramatic, disappointing season -- in their own words

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Malika Andrews
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ESPN Staff Writer
- Staff Writer
- Joined ESPN in 2018
- Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000
Tim Bontemps

The Brooklyn Nets spent over a year waiting to see what Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would look like together on a basketball court. Their presence alone ensured the 2020-21 season would be an eventful one.

And over the course of the past season, the Nets have been one non-stop story. From dramatic hirings to massive trades, from injuries to absences, Brooklyn endured a little bit of everything as it tried to turn its hastily constructed superteam into an NBA champion.

They fell short of that goal on Saturday night, losing on their home court in Game 7 to the Milwaukee Bucks, the toll of injuries to both Irving and James Harden too much even for a star as transcendent as Durant.

But that doesn't make the season any less memorable. For a team that's lived within the shadow cast by its neighbor across the East River, Brooklyn was, for at least this year, the center of the NBA universe.

Here's a look at how that came to be, and how the Nets navigated the many chaotic twists and turns they experienced during an unforgettable 2020-21 season.

Steve Nash introduced as Nets head coach

Nash, on Sept. 9, 2020: "Well, I did skip the line, frankly. But at the same time, I think leading an NBA team for almost two decades is pretty unique. So while I haven't necessarily learned some of the skills that I'll definitely seek to understand and learn as far as the technical aspects of coaching, I was never far from that."

When the Nets hired Nash, a Hall of Fame point guard, no one argued he didn't know basketball. But in a summer that saw several Black head coaches fired and five coaches of color beginning the 2020-21 season, there was plenty of criticism that Brooklyn hired a white man who had never even been a formal NBA assistant -- let alone a head coach -- as opposed to giving a candidate of color an opportunity to coach a team with championship aspirations.

Steve Nash says some of the criticism of his hiring is fair, but adds that his experience leading a team as a player gives him a unique advantage as a coaching candidate.

Marks, on Sept. 9, 2020: "There's nobody that I've been around that hasn't wanted to be pressure-tested on the spot quite like Steve. He's never shied away from a moment, so when you say first-time head coach, we've seen that been done before. This guy has never run from anything. He wants the ball in his hands at the end of games, and his career spoke for itself. He's made the right decision more times than not, and the experience he'll bring here speaks volumes."

Thanks to his friendship with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Nash entered the job with a very strong relationship with Durant from his time working as an adviser to Golden State's program. Between his iconic career as a player and his temperament, Nash had long been seen as a strong head-coaching candidate, but had never shown an interest in pursuing a job.

Kyrie Irving ducks media week

Irving, on Dec. 4, 2020: "Instead of speaking to the media today, I am issuing this statement to ensure that my message is properly conveyed. ... I am committed to show up to work every day, ready to have fun, compete, perform, and win championships alongside my teammates and colleagues in the Nets organization."

For more than a week following this statement, Irving used Instagram stories and more written statements as his primary methods of communication. Despite the league's requirement that healthy players be made available to reporters before or after practices and games as well as speak during training camp, Irving refused, instead issuing a statement. As a result, both the Nets and Irving were fined $25,000. Irving appeared to react to that fine on Instagram: "I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more."

Nash, on Dec. 12, 2020: "I haven't addressed it with [Kyrie]. He's been unbelievable in camp. He's been playing at an extremely high level. He's been a leader... While he may not be in your guys' good books, he's in my good books."

Nash suggested that because he was so new on the job, he hadn't "got into the off-the-court stuff yet." Nash added that he did not know what caused Irving to violate the league's media guidelines, nor whether or not he planned to speak to reporters in the future. Two days later, Irving spoke to the media for the first time this season.

Durant makes his return to the court

Durant, on Dec. 13, 2020: "I was anxious, nervous. I visualized this moment for so long -- nine, 10 months of thinking about how it would be, this next phase of my career. I felt like I was chomping at the bit."

Durant had 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting in 24 minutes in a preseason tune up against his longtime teammate Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards. But, more importantly, Durant made it through that game unscathed, setting him up to make his Nets debut the following week at home against the Golden State Warriors.

Durant, on Dec. 22, 2020: "I don't think I have to show anybody anything. I'm just going to come out there and just hoop. ... So, I don't feel like I've got to prove myself."

Nearly 17 months had passed since the 2014 MVP had signed with the Nets, and he immediately showed what the wait was for. Durant scored 22 points in a dominant 125-99 victory over his previous team, the Warriors.

James Harden traded to Brooklyn

Harden, on Jan. 13, 2020: "I've been [in Houston] for a very long time. I have been through all the ups and downs, you know, with that organization. And I wasn't disrespectful toward anyone. I just made a comment that the team as a whole wasn't good enough to compete for a title. And at this stage in my career, where I am now, that's what I would love. And so, I wasn't trying to be disrespectful to anybody -- especially not to the organization. And like I said, I am excited to be here in Brooklyn and, you know, excited for a new start."

Harden makes his Nets debut -- and history

Harden, on Jan. 16: "I hope that you can tell by my smile and my play -- [I am] just excited, excited for the opportunity. This is an unbelievable organization from top to bottom. For me, all I have to do is go out there and be the best James Harden I can be and good things will happen."

Durant, on Jan. 16: "It was incredible. You can see him trying to figure the best way to play early on. I felt we all were overpassing, trying to make everybody comfortable. He just got into his mode -- being aggressive to score opened up the game for all of us."

Harden became the first player to post a 30-point triple-double in a team debut: 32 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds in a win over the Orlando Magic.
While Irving wasn't playing well at the time, there were still plenty of reasons to be excited about this newly formed juggernaut. Harden is best-known for his stepback 3s and ability to draw fouls, but he's always been a phenomenal passer, instantly renewing the chemistry he and Durant shared eons ago in Oklahoma City.

Nash, on Jan. 16: "I think he's had a strange start to the season ... He's not at his best condition yet. For him to do as many things as he did on the basketball floor tonight was incredible."

Harden was criticized for how he handled his departure from the Houston Rockets, including his lack of conditioning and participation in preseason. But upon arriving in Brooklyn, Harden was as good as anyone in the league over the next several weeks as he settled into his new surroundings.

Irving rejoins team after two weeks away

Nash, on Jan. 7: "I don't know. I've sent him a message. I've just found out. I've sent him a message in the last half hour and haven't heard back yet. But obviously thinking about him and hope all is well and yeah, it's a private matter."

Marks, on Jan. 14: "We're going to let Kyrie address this in his own way. Without a doubt, the organization's disappointed in not having any one of our players -- in this case, Kyrie -- not amongst us, not in the trenches with us. I don't want to speculate and say why he's out."

Irving missed seven games, spanning from Jan. 7 to Jan. 18. There were several mixed messages sent on where exactly Irving was and whether or not the team had given him approval to be away from the group. Nash suggested that initially, he did not know where or why Irving was away from the team and was unable to get in touch with him.
Irving eventually returned for a pair of games against one of his former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Jan. 20 and 22. Saying he needed to take care of some personal and family issues, he added he was happy to be back. "When things become overwhelming in life, you've just got to take a step back and realize what's important," Irving said.

Brooklyn's Big Three makes its debut ... in a loss

Durant, on Jan. 20: "It felt right. Felt perfect, felt like we belong together. It felt like just joining together is going to be fun. It was a tough start."

Nash, on Jan. 20: "We had breakdowns all over the place. So we've got a lot of work to do. We know that. We know we have a very offensive team right now, so we have to find ways to defend, to get connected, to be on the same page."

The Big 3 showed they'd have no problems scoring, as they combined to pour in 96 points and make 9 3-pointers. What they also showed, though, was that the Nets were not exactly going to be a defensive juggernaut. Playing one of the NBA's worst teams, and worst offenses, the Nets gave up an insane 147 points in the loss to Cleveland, including giving up 42 to Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton. While Brooklyn made some slight improvements during the season defensively, it remained the team's biggest question mark -- beyond health -- entering the playoffs.

KD's confusing night at Barclays

Nets forward Joe Harris, on Feb. 5: "I mean, it's bizarre. For [Durant] to not start, and then be able to come in, play, and then be taken out of the game. That literally just doesn't make any sense. I woulda said, 'Hey, if he's sitting for contact tracing, he's with all of us on the court... It's just a lot of stuff where it really doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm not the one making the decisions. I just work here."

Harden, on Feb. 5: "There's too much going on. It's kind of overwhelming. We're in the midst of a tough game, and these games are going to add up, especially if we're talking about playoff seeding ... to catch a rhythm. It's overwhelming. It's frustrating... Especially with him already having it and we get tested every single day. He's been negative. So I don't understand what the problem is. The game should've been postponed, I feel like. If we're talking about contact tracing. He was around all of us. So I don't understand why he wasn't allowed to play, then allowed to play, then taken back off the court. If that was the case, we should've postponed the game."

At the height of the NBA's issues battling COVID-19 during the season, the Nets became the latest team caught in the crossfire. Confusion surrounding a case of contact tracing saw Durant initially be told not to play, then be allowed to play, then ultimately be pulled from the game midway through the third quarter.
The Raptors would eventually go on to win the game, but it was only one of many examples of the NBA scrambling to figure out how to handle the ongoing pandemic on the fly while keeping its season going. Several teams throughout the season saw players and coaches contract the virus in compact periods, derailing their seasons.

Durant, on Feb. 12: "I was a little upset during and after the game, but I'm cool now. I'm ready to play. ... It was just an unfortunate situation. I was looking forward to that game that night and being told right before tipoff that I had to wait a second for a test. You know, it just threw off my rhythm a bit because I wanted to go out there and play, but I'm back out there now. It is what it is."

Durant injures hamstring upon return, misses 23 games

Nash, on Feb. 20: "Like I keep saying, I don't think this is a long-term thing. But there are elements of maybe it taking a few more days than we thought."

Nash, on March 10: "[Durant is] doing really well right now, and we all feel really positive about the direction he is going. But we just need to be very cautious because he's a really important player for us."

Nash, on March 23: "Kevin is doing very well. If this was the playoffs, there's a chance he'd be back very soon, but there's no point in taking a big risk with him."

Durant's extended absence wound up preventing him from playing in the All-Star Game, and ultimately knocked him out of All-NBA consideration. However, the Nets -- thanks to Harden continuing to play as well as anyone in the NBA since arriving in Brooklyn -- went a stellar 19-4 in the games Durant was forced to miss. In what quickly became a theme for Brooklyn's season, however, just as Durant was ready to return, Harden found himself forced to the sidelines with an injury of his own.

Nets sign Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge

Marks, on March 7: "We're fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake's caliber to our roster at this point in the season. Blake is a versatile frontcourt player with a long track record of success in our league, and we're excited about the impact he'll make for us both on and off the court in Brooklyn."

Griffin, on March 15: "I promise you I still can [dunk]."

Griffin had not dunked all year for Detroit -- only to look like a different player, in a smaller role, upon arriving in Brooklyn. The former All-Star forward signing with the Nets was quickly held up as a sign of how broken the league's buyout system is by critics, who said players of Griffin's caliber shouldn't be able to exit one situation for another the way he did. This chatter was only exacerbated after both the defending champion Lakers signed Griffin's former teammate, Andre Drummond, and Aldridge joined the Nets in Brooklyn. Just a short time into his tenure in Brooklyn, however, Aldridge abruptly retired after a recurrence of a heart issue that had bothered him earlier in his NBA career.

Harden exits with hamstring tightness, misses 18 games

Nash, on April 5: "Who knows -- this may linger, it may be all behind us like we thought it was before the game. But it's just one of those things where the scan is clean, the strength tests are clean but he feels something, so we're going to err on the side of caution."

Harden sat out two games with hamstring tightness, before returning to play against the rival Knicks on April 5. After just a few minutes, however, Harden exited after the hamstring began to bother him again, causing him to miss an additional 18 games. He eventually returned for a couple games in the final week of the regular season to prepare for the playoffs, but the extended layoff knocked him out of the running for both the league's MVP award and All-NBA consideration.

Nets finish Celtics in five games, set up series with Bucks

Harden, on June 2: "I'm thinking about [the Bucks] right now. Just the matchups and things that they do on both ends of the ball. Obviously, we know how good they are on both sides and their individual talents."

Durant, on June 2: "We got our work cut out for us. I mean [Giannis Antetokounmpo is] a two-time MVP, defensive player of the year for a reason. So we're looking forward to the challenge."

While the Celtics were able to steal Game 3 of this series thanks to a 50-point explosion from Jayson Tatum at TD Garden, the Nets dominated it from start to finish. Finally getting a chance to have their three stars play together for a few games proved to be an intoxicating sight. That was particularly true in a dominant performance by all three of them in Game 4, as Brooklyn responded to that loss by seeing its three stars combine to score 102 points while shooting 58.9 percent from the field, 11-for-20 from 3-point range and 27-for-28 from the foul line.
After routing the Celtics again in Game 5, the Nets then turned their attention to what was billed as arguably being the NBA Finals against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. With Joel Embiid dealing with a knee injury, the defending champion Lakers having been sent home and the LA Clippers barely surviving the first round, it was a popular opinion that the winner of Bucks-Nets would be the heavy favorite to emerge as this year's NBA champion.

Injuries to Harden, Irving spell the end of Brooklyn's run

Nash, on June 7: "I'm heartbroken for [Harden]. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if he's playing the next game, if he's out. I have no idea. But I'm heartbroken for him that he had to miss tonight."

Nash, on June 13: "We missed [Irving], obviously. It was a big adjustment tonight to play without him and James, but we've had that type of year. So, we have to find a way to figure it out, to look at the tape and get better."

Harden re-injured the hamstring that derailed the final few weeks of his regular season 43 seconds into Game 1 against Milwaukee, casting an immediate cloud of doubt over the titanic clash between two of the league's elite teams. And while Brooklyn won that game, as well as Game 2 at home, the Bucks not only evened the series as it shifted back to Milwaukee, but the Nets were dealt another blow when Irving landed on Antetokounmpo's foot in the second quarter of Game 4, spraining his right ankle. The injury cost him the remainder of the series.
Durant would play all 48 minutes in Game 5 and put together arguably the best performance of his career -- a 49-point, 17-rebound,10-assist masterpiece -- to will the Nets to victory in a game that saw Harden make his return to the court with what he would later say was a Grade 2 hamstring strain, moving them within one victory of the franchise's first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2003. Milwaukee held serve in Game 6 -- setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Brooklyn.

Nets are eliminated by the Bucks in Game 7

Harden, on June 19: "I don't know what to say. We gave it everything we had. Just having to deal with injuries throughout the course of the year set us back. Whether it's Kevin twice, myself twice, Ky in the postseason. It's just draining and it's very very difficult to fight through that, you know, when basically the three best players are in and out of the lineups. We just gotta take care of our bodies and be ready to go for the next one."

Griffin, on June 19: "Not having James ... and then Ky going down; I don't care what anybody says, nobody would've had us winning this series."

In an unforgettable series decider, Durant set an NBA record with 48 points in a Game 7 -- including an unbelievable turnaround jumper with one second left in regulation to send it to overtime. But the Nets fell just short when Durant missed a very similar look with 0.3 seconds left in the OT period that would've tied the game again. Harden and Durant played all 53 minutes, and Brooklyn's roller-coaster season came to an abrupt end.
When asked whether his history-making performances lessened the disappointment in the series defeat, Durant put things succinctly: "Not at all. Who cares?"

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