Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
The Knicks share the city with the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3, but have not yet split the court in the previous two meetings – both Knicks losses.
This is, as far as possible, Monday night at the Barclays Center, when the Nets threaten that they will all be healthy and ready to face the Knicks as a trio. There is hardly a guarantee, but at least there is a chance.
After the Knicks’ 44-point victory in Detroit on Saturday, Reggie Bullock and Julius Randle climbed the Zoom stage together after combining for 49 points.
Randle and Bullock sent a sharp message about the Brooklyn Bridge when they were asked to finally face the Nets’ Big 3 Monday.
“We have a Big 5,” Bullock said.
“A big 15,” Randle said quickly.
“A big 15,” Bullock continued. “We have a pretty good team. We’re not really concerned about their Big 3. We know what kind of basketball we can play. We focus on our team and on the game plan that the coach draws up. That’s all we focus on – Knicks. ”
Even with personal days and Nets injuries, they are still hot – leading the Eastern Conference to 34-15 entering Sunday’s Bulls game.
This is the season when the Nets participate in a championship, even recently adding former All-Stars Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Knicks? They signed a third-string Norvel Pelle center, which already had an impact on the blue-collar image in its debut. He played further with his right index finger dislocated to make a free throw and block two shots in the last two minutes on Saturday.
This is Knicks 2020-21 – devoid of stars, but not of a warrior spirit. At least they have that advantage over the Hollywood Nets in KD, Harden and Kyrie.
“We’re worried about us,” said Randle, named All-Star for the first time this season. “We have a whole team of boys. We try to play the right way, we play hard. We play with energy. We feel we are doing this, we have a chance to win against anyone. It’s not about them and who they have or not. It’s about us and competing at a high level every night. ”
The Knicks have withstood a variety of injuries on the roster – mainly at starter Mitchell Robinson – because he has depth.
The big 15 indeed.
“It should be the mentality of every team,” Bullock said. “There are 15 players on the list. With our team we have our leader, coach. We know how great we can be. This was our goal at the beginning of the year to compete against everyone and have fun while we do it. ”
Another key to the Knicks’ 25-25 record is that the first two players, Randle and RJ Barrett, were the iron horses.
Randle missed a game. Barrett has played in all 50. Each has suffered recent injuries – Randle with a bruise on his thigh and Barrett sprained his ankle. This is not Nets culture.
Along the East River, Durant has played just 19 games this season due to a hamstring strain that followed his Achilles surgery Sabbath last season. Irving has spent many personal days and Harden recently reached the list of injuries with a hamstring.
If Durant matches on Monday, that would mean in his two seasons with the Nets, he would have played 20 of the 127 possible games (including the bubble playoffs).
Instead, in the two seasons with the Knicks, Randle played 112 of the 115 possible games. But who matters in this new NBA?
Newcomer coach Steve Nash’s culture is about being sustainable for the playoffs. Perhaps Tom Thibodeau’s culture of sustainability and chemistry developed during the regular season will strengthen them for the post-season.
Bullock and Randle were part of a starting five that was stable for 42 games – whether the starting center was Robinson or Nerlens Noel.
“We know how talented they are,” Thibodeau said. “We will have to be prepared. Even if one is out, they still have a ton of talent and have added more talent to their team. But we know that if we defend ourselves and keep our turnovers low, we are more than capable. ”