On a normal team, James Harden missing all but 43 seconds of the first two games of a second-round playoff series would be a catastrophic blow.
Through the first three games of the series, Irving and Durant have been shouldering a bulk of the offensive workload for the Nets, and it appears the same will happen at least through Game 4, as Harden will once again be sidelined.
Less than one minute into Game 1 of their second-round series against the Bucks, Harden left and went to the locker room.
For James, we obviously are desperate for him to return and he’s a huge piece of what we do and our team, but at this point I think it would be all guesswork to really understand — he’s had such an up-and-down recent history with it and it’s really hard to predict, so let’s hope for the best.
This is playoff time, this is time to take some risks, but it has to be right to take those risks.
The Nets played the first three games of the series without forward Jeff Green, but he’s expected to be available for Game 4, which would be the first time he’s played since May 25.
The duo of Irving and Durant is still more than enough to keep the offense afloat for a short period, but in order to win the championship, the Nets will likely need all three of their stars contributing.