Ime Udoka is coaching circles around Steve Nash, and everyone seems to notice.
Nash is getting absolutely roasted.
The Celtics overcame a 17-point deficit and defeated the Nets 114-107 in Game 2, thanks in large part to Udoka’s outstanding halftime adjustments. Boston bullied Kevin Durant and smothered Kyrie Irving, which both of the stars conceded after the contest. They went just 8-of-30 from the floor Wednesday.
Durant is shooting 13-of-41 from the field through the series’ first two affairs.
But rather than adjust, the Nets relied on the same isolation ball in the second half that’s failed them so far. Brooklyn relied on free throws to score for the bulk of the final two quarters.
With Durant and Irving scuffling, Nash seemingly has no answers. Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News wrote that Nash, one of the great scoring guards of all-time, runs a “junior varsity-level offense.”
Unsurprisingly, the critics on Twitter aren’t any more forgiving.
Nash’s existence represents the downsides of coaching a star-driven team. Ravaged with injuries, the Nets used 43 different starting lineups this season. But Nash doesn’t receive any credit for keeping the Nets afloat. They have two of the best players ever on their roster. If Nash can’t get the most out of them, that’s a fireable offense.
Nobody appears to be arguing with that. Nash’s time with the Nets may only last as long as the rest of the series.