The Nets have battled injuries and inconsistent play all season, but franchise cornerstone Kevin Durant has refused to pin the team’s up-and-down play on coach Steve Nash.
In fact, Durant gave a ringing endorsement of Nash when asked about his coach on Friday night following the team’s 118–107 victory over the Cavaliers.
“I think he’s done a great job. The last two years he’s been dealt a wild hand. Injuries, trades, disgruntled players, guys in and out the lineup, stuff that he can’t control and I felt like he handled it as best he could,” Durant told the media on Friday night.
The Nets have one game remaining on the schedule, as they host the Pacers on Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They currently hold the No. 7 seed in the East, and appear primed to face off against the No. 8 seed Cavaliers in the play-in game. While the Nets, Cavs, Hawks and Hornets have all clinched play-in tournament spots, the first two teams are ahead by just one game from the latter two squads.
While the Nets currently reside in seventh, much will be decided over the next 48 hours regarding who they will play in the play-in tournament next week.