National Basketball Association

Brooklyn's Finest

Updated Aug. 10, 2020 3:24 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

There have been plenty of surprises in the Orlando bubble during the seeding games of the NBA's restart, but the biggest of them all might be the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets arrived in Orlando without the services of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Spencer Dinwiddie, and DeAndre Jordan ⁠— with many people leaving Brooklyn for dead.

Fast forward to now, after six games the Nets currently hold a 3-2 record in Orlando and have secured victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers.

When the Nets announced that they would be arriving to Orlando without their franchise cornerstones, the expectations were that they might struggle to hold on to an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Instead, they did just the opposite.

Sunday night's win against the Clippers locked the Nets into the seventh seed and a first-round matchup against the defending champion Toronto Raptors.

With their surprising success in the bubble, it's fair to wonder just how dangerous the Nets could have been if Irving and Durant indeed suited up for them in the NBA's restart.

Skip Bayless believes that duo, combined with the current roster, would have been enough to challenge for an NBA Finals berth.

"I believe Kevin Durant is fully healed from his Achilles tear. I believe Kyrie Irving is fully healed from shoulder surgery, which was four months ago. ... If they would have gone early enough to the bubble and gotten in rhythm, I believe that they could have won the East with this supporting cast."

There is validity to Bayless' claims as well.

Shooting guard Caris Levert has averaged 22.6 points per game in the bubble, while forward Joe Harris has averaged 20.2.

Both came up big in the Nets' stunning win over the Clippers.

Combine that production with Irving, a career 22.4 point per game scorer, and Durant, a career 27.0 point per game scorer, and the Nets would have had some serious firepower on their hands in Orlando.

Levert has also recorded a 50-point game this season against the Boston Celtics.

Irving himself had two 50-point outings this season before being shut down due to a shoulder injury.

With Durant, Irving, and Levert on the floor, the Nets would be one of only three teams in the NBA with three active players with 50-point performances under their belts.

The Portland Trail Blazers have had three players to reach that mark with Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Carmelo Anthony, as well as the Houston Rockets with James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Eric Gordon.

Nets fans will have to wait until 2021 to get a chance to see all of these pieces come together on the floor at the same time.

But if Orlando is any indication, there's a lot to look forward to in Brooklyn.

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Brooklyn Nets

National Basketball Association