Nets fans have reason to be happy about the team's performance recently, but they also had trouble today. Today, the mayor of New York still said that Irving still has to get vaccinated if he wants to play in the home game. And that could also determine the fate of the Nets this season.
There have been previous reports that New York may remove mandatory vaccinations, and Owen has also made overtures to the mayor of New York. There is also news that Irving may be lifted on March 15. But today, the matter is gone.
For now, the most likely scenario is that a ban in New York won't change until the playoffs. In this case, the Nets will face a serious problem, that is, they have worked hard to get home advantage but there is no advantage to speak of, because Irving can not play at home, only play on the road.
This is a problem: even if Ben Simmons can play at that time, first, he has been out of the game for a long time, and second, he is not good at attacking, the Nets' offensive burden will still all fall on Durant alone. The past of the second round in the East End in 2021 also makes the Nets executives vividly remember.
This series of situations related to Irving has also generated heated discussions in NBA circles. Most people sided with Irving, saying that since Irving could watch at home, why couldn't he play? Why are away players who come to New York to play, but they are not subject to New York's epidemic prevention regulations? To this end, many people called for the "release" of Owen and the lifting of the ban.
You can't play "double standard" with Owen because he refuses to be vaccinated, which is why many insiders are on Irving's side. But then again, in fact, today, the initiative to solve the problem is still in Owen's own hands, as long as the vaccine can completely get rid of the ban. And things have developed to this day, Irving is also mainly responsible. He should not be an exception because he was treated unfairly and allowed to play in all competitions without vaccination. And the mayor of New York said what he said at the beginning of this article, and this is the starting point.
This is also the helplessness of the Nets. Durant scored 53 points in 42 minutes today, and the Nets were excited and said it was impossible not to be distressed. But as coach Nash said, the plan was to control Durant's playing time in 40 minutes, but today except for him, the Nets can not score today. But the problem is, even if the New York derby is significant, it is just a regular season game, and now that Durant is overused, what about the playoffs?
In short, the future of the Nets is still uncertain. If Irving's ban cannot be lifted by the playoffs, it is almost impossible for the Nets to win the championship. (Supine Braces/Hairy)