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Steve Nash is under the microscope. The second-year head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and basketball Hall of Famer's role will be closely scrutinized after his team's first-round exit from the 2022 playoffs.
The Nets suffered a series sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics after losing Game 4 112-116 on Monday night at Barclays Center. This is Nash's second exit from the playoffs after being beaten in seven games by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Brooklyn Nets are the only team to go winless in the NBA's ongoing postseason. The absence of Ben Simmons and Joe Harris proved to be a crucial factor for the franchise in their first-round loss to the Celtics.
Simmons didn't play a single minute for the Nets after being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers on February 10. Harris, who shot a league best 47.5% from downtown last season, suffered an ankle injury after playing the first 14 games of the 2021-22 season. He was therefore not available for the Nets.
Steve Nash believes that the return of both players will be crucial in improving the Brooklyn Nets' fortunes next season. He told the media in his post-game interaction:
"I've loved doing this [coaching], loved these guys, loved my staff, really had a great working environment and want to continue doing it. I think Ben Simmons and Joe Harris will give us a good lift."
"We grew a lot" - Steve Nash about Brooklyn Nets' 2021-22 season
The Brooklyn Nets faced adversity throughout the season. It began with Kyrie Irving's initial unavailability due to his unvaccinated status and Joe Harris' injury. James Harden then got traded from the franchise, and Kevin Durant missed a number of games in February.
The Nets had to go through several distractions that ultimately played a pivotal role in derailing their title ambitions. Steve Nash focused on the positive side of how the team coped with the challenges. He said:
"To have gone through everything that we went through this year... We fought hard to stay together through all the stuff that happened. Like I said, I'm proud of this group."
"We had a patch in the season where we basically dropped to the bottom of the playoff picture in 10th with Kevin's absence, so just being able to stay together and stick around and give ourselves a chance... We grew a lot, we're just not able to see it at this moment in time."
