The Brooklyn Nets are 1-3 after losing to Milwaukee on Wednesday night, the first half of a back-to-back that has them back home to face the Mavericks on Thursday.
Not the start anyone envisioned, especially with their Big 3 back together – which makes many, including Brandon Tierney, wonder if Steve Nash's seat is getting hotter by the minute.
"When does the Steve Nash watch truly start?" BT asked during Thursday's Tiki & Tierney Show, to which Tiki replied: "I think it's already started, BT, because they don't look cohesive."
Part of the issue? Ben Simmons.
"He's trying to find his way, because essentially, they don't even guard him," Tiki said. "He missed a runner in the lane from about 10 feet by a mile, and he tried to get the rebound and couldn't even get that tip in."
"It's almost like he wants to get the ball out of his hands quickly because he doesn't want to get fouled," BT replied, and Tiki noted that shooting below 50 percent from the free throw line definitely feels like a confidence issue…and this is even worse:
"I can't even pinpoint how to fix him," said Tiki.
For all the Nets' troubles, the opposite seems to be true on the other side of town, where the Knicks are off to a 3-1 start (with their only loss in overtime) and the much-questioned Jalen Brunson signing has been a big reason why.
"There is a sound of hope; I don't want to overstate it, because it's early, but when the Knicks have a good team, (MSG) sounds different," BT said. "It's hope, but it's also conviction, and when those two mesh, it's The Garden!"
"They're good," Tiki replied. "They have to beat some good teams before we turn the corner on last year, but it's encouraging because they play so well together – even the second unit. You watch these games, and you're wondering, did Thibs just go to coaching 101 and change his philosophy?"
BT agreed with that synopsis, especially singling out Tom Thibodeaux's usage of Cam Reddish and Mitchell Robinson diversifying his offense – and noted they're doing it without a key piece.
"This is four games in, and the one good team they played, they lost, although it was tightly contested," BT said, "but they're doing this without Quentin Grimes, who was supposed to be one of the big pieces in the trade for Donovan Mitchell. He's highly thought of around the NBA. We're not here to overstate this, but the Knicks are really interesting, which makes the winter a whole lot more fun."
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