Nets don’t press ‘panic button’ on 7-game losing streak

SALT LAKE CITY – Brooklyn Nets point guard, Kyrie IrvingHe doesn’t want his team to get too discouraged even though they have now lost seven straight games, their worst losing streak of the season, after an embarrassing 125-102 loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

As the losses pile up, skepticism is growing in the league about whether the Nets can achieve the championship potential many thought they could before the season began, but Irving wants his beleaguered group to focus on what’s left. in front.

“It’s really where we are, facing reality, that we’re not winning games right now,” Irving said after the game. “And we have to get out of that hole with just one win and then start a new streak from there. But there’s no time to feel like our season is on the verge of the end of the world or we need to hit the panic button, but we have to face the reality that a lot of the players, a lot of my teammates, we’re still getting to know each other, how we play, what our spots are, offensive and defensive tendencies.

“And then the communication. Knowing that we can get along and that the players love being coached. And it’s not just from the head coach or the assistants, but just from us as teammates. Trusting that we have the experience to win basketball games.”

The Nets have dealt with a variety of issues throughout the season, and continue to deal with injuries as Kevin Durant (MCL sprain), joe harris (ankle surgery) and LaMarcus Aldridge (sprained ankle) remain out for the foreseeable future. the all star james harden was ruled out of Friday’s game with a recurring hamstring problem and Irving remains a part-time player this year because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and cannot play at home due to the city’s vaccination mandate from New York.

Despite all the problems, Irving remains optimistic that the Nets will finally be able to turn the tide as they continue to learn more about each other.

“Creating championship habits takes time,” Irving said. “And time isn’t always necessarily on our side. I don’t know what game this is for me, so I’m still getting used to being in this flow of everything right now, still being in a spot of observation. But building habits of championship means staying resilient and knowing there’s another level to come to when you’re tired and you have all the excuses in the world and you just keep going. You don’t drop your head or anything like that.”

After more than a decade in the league, and with a championship under his belt, Irving remains focused on making the group play better while waiting for Durant and Harden to recover.

“On my own, I can’t do it,” Irving said. “It’s always going to be about collective unity. And how it feels good to be united as a team and then go out there and play basketball, which is supposed to be fun. But when you’re losing and it’s a win-first league and you’re judged on wins and stats and how well you put together a streak… and how consistent you are, then where we’re at will seem a lot worse than it is.

“But being in this league for 11 years, I’ve seen ups and downs, had experiences, and we have to trust that we have the group, regardless of who is in or out of the lineup to be able to put together a 48-minute game.” Nets coach Steve Nash echoed that positivity, praising his team for continuing to fight to the end despite the lopsided score.

“It was a tough game,” Nash said. “I felt bad for the guys. I was so proud of them for keeping their spirits up throughout the game. We’re going through a tough time, we’re understaffed and we’re asking the guys to do more, and we played against a great team. offensive, great team overall. So you could go into all kinds of details of what went wrong, but the reality is they’re a very good team, they played very good basketball, they made shots and our guys stuck together and fought until the end. So I’m proud of them for that.”

Irving, who has only played in 10 games this year after returning Jan. 5, remains steadfast in his belief that better days are ahead for him and his team.

“I don’t feel like I’m close to where I want to be personally,” Irving said. “I have very high expectations for myself, but right now I feel like with our staff, if I don’t shoot well or play well or don’t have the same production guys that we’re used to, it’s going to be a tough night. And I don’t want to let that be the note in our team.

“I want all of our guys to feel confident, they’re all working hard on their game. They’re all confident that they can make an impact and we have to keep that forward-looking mindset.”

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Nets don’t press ‘panic button’ on 7-game losing streak