"Kareem and Magic had to figure out totally different personalities!" - Colin Cowherd on why Brooklyn Nets All-Star duo is "clueless" compared to legendary team-ups, cites sacrifice as a key reason

The Brooklyn Nets of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, for one reason or another, have failed to reach their goal of winning at least one NBA championship. Injuries, James Harden forcing a trade, and Irving’s vaccine stance are just a few bumps that have prevented them from achieving their fearsome potential.

Even with Ben Simmons’ much-anticipated debut in Game 4 of the Celtics-Nets series, Brooklyn seems to be facing more questions than answers. Colin Cowherd, on his podcast, lambasted Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant for bringing these things unto themselves.

Here’s Cowherd’s stinging rebuke of the Brooklyn Nets’ superstars:

“There’s a reason Golden State, and the Bulls, and the Showtime Lakers worked; people sacrificed of themselves. Kareem and Magic had to figure out totally different personalities, how do we give to ourselves and of ourselves. "

"Draymond Green, Steph Curry selfless, plans, able to be coached and be coached hard, to be confrontational and work through problems. Let’s be totally frank, the Brooklyn Nets is a massive failure.”

Cowherd stressed that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant’s alleged lack of planning and humility to be coached are the two biggest reasons for their failures:

“KD and Kyrie, they kind of rolled their eyes at the rest of the league. They leaned into being villains, but they’re lousy villains… These guys are terrible villains. 10 minutes into the movie they got foiled…They have no plan, they didn’t want to be coached…The great coaches hide your flaws… They don’t have a plan and I'm not sure they want a plan. I’m not sure they want a coach.”

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant agreed to form a superteam during the 2018-19 season in Brooklyn. Injuries prevented both players from appearing in the playoffs, where they were swept by the Toronto Raptors in the first round.

KD, without Irving and with a hobbled James Harden, pushed the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks to the limit the following season. Only the break of the game and Durant’s big toe prevented what could have been a different narrative to this whole story.

It was supposed to be this season when it would all come together. Kyrie Irving, however, chose not to be vaccinated while Harden eventually forced his way out, partly due to Irving’s uncertainties.

Harden’s replacement, Ben Simmons, has not played all season long and could be in for a rude awakening against the aggressive Boston Celtics. Kevin Durant, who’s played almost the entire season, didn’t look ready to face the Celtics’ suffocating and physical defense. One can only imagine what Simmons will look like, considering he’s only just about to make his season debut.

The odds are seemingly stacked against the Brooklyn Nets’ superstars. But the duo, considered by many to be the most-skilled tandem of all time, could just pull it off and make their doubters look foolish.

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Steve Nash needs to bring more variety to his offense to maximize Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant’s offensive prowess

Steve Nash has been thoroughly outcoached by his counterpart and former assistant Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics. [Photo: New York Post]

Steve Nash was once one of the NBA’s best playmakers. How the Brooklyn Nets are playing on offense is almost unthinkable given how good Steve Nash was in orchestrating his offense.

The Nets are so predictable that the Celtics fearlessly blitzed them, particularly Kevin Durant, with almost no fear of backlash. What was jarring in Game 2 was how much time KD spent bringing the ball and setting up the offense. Boston ruthlessly jumped all over him to force him to give up the ball or bothered his shots.

Off the ball, the Celtics pushed, held and bodied up Kevin Durant to make him work hard to just receive the ball. Steve Nash’s ingenuity should have found ways to counter Boston’s suffocating defense.

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant can undoubtedly figure things out on their own, but they need Steve Nash to get the entire roster working as a unit.