“This is the first night that we’ve had everyone on the floor together. We seemed a little lost at times, which is natural since we haven’t played together, so there’s a little indecision,” said head coach Steve Nash. “We started the game turning the ball over. I think we had seven or eight in the first quarter. We cleaned it up and got ourselves back in the game, but obviously we have to defend better.
“But I stay positive. These guys, it’s their first night out together, just getting a feel for each other, and this is going to be a process. It’s going to take the entire year. While we’re all disappointed, we have lots to build on, a lot to grow, and a lot more opportunities.”
The Big Three combined to score 96 of the Nets’ 135 points, with Durant leading the way with 38 points and Irving right behind him with 37 of his own. Harden’s night got off to a slower start as he would've gone scoreless in the second half if not for two late free throws, but he still ended up with another triple-double, posting 21 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
“I think any one of us would definitely take a win over all those great stats,” said Irving. “Those sound incredible for a first game out for a few great teammates' first time out touching the floor. We’re not so much consumed about what we can do, we’re more or less responsible for putting these pieces together and making it work.
“Offensively, it clearly wasn’t enough tonight. We still needed to get stops on the other end. So, that’s going to be the tale of our season, how committed are we to that end of the floor moving forward? Like I said, these are just words. Until we meet it with actions and we go out and do the little things and we prepare a little bit better. ... We’ve just got to keep smiling and having fun.”
A win would have been nice, but it was clear afterwards that all involved were pleased with the first game of this new chapter.
“Obviously, we’d love to win the basketball game. That’s the most important thing,” said Durant. “We’re definitely disappointed about that, but we’ve got a long season ahead of us. Just keep plugging away. I like what we are. I like the camaraderie that we have. The communication that we’re building from the coaching staff to the players is at a high level. I’m looking forward to keep building and keep grinding. We’ve got the same team next game."
“We’ve got a long way to go, but I think we’re in the right direction and we’ve got some film to watch, and defensively we’ve got to be a lot better,” said Harden. “Offensively, we still had 135 points, so just correct some things on our switching and our defensive principles.
“If we’re on the same page and have that communication, we have a very good chance of winning the majority of our games.”
The Nets turned the ball over 16 times on Wednesday and shot 15-of-41 from the three-point line, so there’s clearly a lot of room to grow.
But as far as debuts go, Wednesday’s game showed that the sky could be the limit for this loaded Nets group.
“We’re still early in this process. It’s only game one for all of us,” said Harden. “We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re still excited about everything that’s going on."
Added Durant:
“It felt right. It felt perfect. It felt like we belong together. It felt like this journey together is going to be fun. It was a tough first start, especially (since) it was an up-and-down game for us, but I like where we are.”
