That basic scenario was ideal, but it was complicated by the fact Kyrie Irving was out with an ankle sprain and James Harden played the past two games with right hamstring tightness that limited his physical ability and explosiveness.
He lifted them to a Game 5 win with an unbelievable 49-point triple-double that included 17 rebounds and 10 assists, and he followed up with a 32-point effort in a Game 6 loss in Milwaukee that included 11 rebounds.
“I believe you guys have seen throughout his career what he’s capable of and what he’s done just throughout his career,” veteran forward Jeff Green said of Durant on Saturday morning after shootaround.
That underlined the immobility of Harden and the Nets’ problems pushing the ball in transition, which meant they had to score out of their half-court offense the majority of the time.
Sometimes, it comes down to shotmaking, especially we had a lot of good looks that didn’t go in and that hurt us.
We’re going to solve as many puzzles as we can and we’re also going to try and play our hearts out and enjoy the opportunity as we have done all year.
In fact, the Nets were leaning heavily on their home-court advantage going into Game 7 of a series in which the home teams had won each of the first six games.
In the first two games, the Nets held him to 15.0 points per game on 30.2% shooting.
Without a doubt, Middleton was the deciding factor in the Bucks’ Game 6 win when he scored a career playoff-high of 38 points on 11-for-16 shooting, including a 5-for-8 effort from three-point range and two four-point plays.
“We have to make his shots tough,” Green said.
“It’s rare that a lot of people get a chance to play in Game 7,” Green said.