Observations and different notes of curiosity from Saturday evening’s 110-95 loss to the Brooklyn Nets:
— This, imagine it or not, was not the stuff of nightmares, even when it did imply a fourth consecutive loss.
— The nightmare can be an opening-round playoff sequence for the Warmth in opposition to the Nets.
— They definitely aren’t stopping Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
— And it’s not as if they will outscore them.
— The Warmth’s opening-round playoff opponent will in any other case be Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland or maybe Atlanta.
— The reply for the time being is “the entire above” on the subject of the playoff selection within the first spherical.
— That would make No. 4 the most secure first-round playoff spot, in opposition to Toronto, Chicago or Cleveland.
— And if the Warmth do wind up within the No. 4-No. 5 within the opening spherical, and if the Nets wind up at No. 7 after the opening play-in recreation, it might imply no Warmth-Nets till the East finals.
— Not that there wouldn’t be a frightening path alongside the best way.
— (Something seems dauting at this level.)
— However it might beat going through Durant-Irving (and Ben Simmons).
— And that’s not even entering into getting punked on this one by Andre Drummond.
— This was not just like the losses to the shorthanded 76ers, Warriors and Knicks.
— This was shedding to the higher group.
— And it’s not as if Victor Oladipo for the time being is inspiring secret-weapon ideas.
— And it’s not as if Markieff Morris is even figuring into the combination.
— It once more was Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Duncan Robinson firstly for the Warmth.
— All however Adebayo and Lowry had been listed as questionable entering into.
— The Nets opened with Durant, Irving, Bruce Brown, Seth Curry and Drummond.
— Brooklyn entered 2-1 with that beginning 5.
— Tucker opened defensively on Durant, with Lowry opening defensively on Irving.
— And the Warmth usually switching nearly every little thing.
— Lowry was referred to as for his second foul with 5:05 left within the first, and remained within the recreation.
— After two video games away because of knee ache, Tyler Herro was again as sixth man.
— That helped.
— Oladipo, again from again spasms, then entered alongside Dewayne Dedmon and Caleb Martin.
— As soon as Tucker went out, Butler took the defensive task on Durant.
— The upshot was Morris being shuffled out of the rotation.
— In addition to Max Strus.
— It opened as one other foul-a-thon for the Warmth, placing the Nets within the bonus with 9:15 left within the second interval.
— Saturday’s recreation featured a tribute to former Warmth guard Goran Dragic, who's now with the Nets.
— Quinn mentioned that made it a particular evening.
— “No query,” he mentioned. “I do know, personally, I labored very carefully with G and have very fond reminiscences. Top-of-the-line level guards to placed on the jersey. So, yeah, any time we get to see him, we love seeing him. Clearly. we don’t love seeing him on the opposite group, nevertheless it’s at all times good to be round somebody of that caliber.”
— Nets coach Steve Nash mentioned the tribute in the course of the recreation’s first timeout was a pleasant contact.
— “I've the utmost respect for him as the kind of particular person and competitor that he's,” Nash mentioned. “Properly deserved. All of the successes and his time right here in Miami was very particular. So it’s becoming that he can be proven that kind of respect this night.”
— Quinn mentioned the group reviewed its late-game struggles forward of Saturday’s recreation.
— “It’s a problem we’re working by,” he mentioned. “Clearly these days it hasn’t been good, and our guys try to determine it out, as effectively, protecting the ball shifting all through the sport, whereas additionally getting our greatest gamers the ball of their palms to make performs for our group. We've got loads of unselfish guys, guys who wish to make performs for one another. So simply protecting that going persistently.”
— The Warmth entered 3-0 in opposition to the Nets.
— “I feel they only have such an awesome system right here and historical past right here,” Nash mentioned. “Their continuity, they're such a well-oiled machine. The way in which they compete. The way in which they defend. The way in which that they play collectively and the place their requirements are. They don't seem to be going to beat themselves and I feel that’s an awesome signal of a group, a company, tradition that has actually constructed one thing.”
— Nash added, “I feel that greater than something is simply how stable they're and the way aggressive they're.”
— Saturday was the primary time the Nets had each Durant and Irving obtainable in opposition to the Warmth.
— “Each time we get the blokes collectively like this, it’s simply vital that we make the time to work, get higher and enhance,” Nash mentioned.
— The Nets effectively might wind up as a Warmth first spherical opponent.
— “We're the place we're,” Nash mentioned, “so we have now to play what’s in entrance of us. And for us, that’s possible the play-in recreation, and all that issues is that we're as ready and as far sufficient ahead as we will presumably be within the quick period of time to play effectively within the play-in recreation.”
()