Former Nets defensive consultant Steve Clifford pushed back on the notion that putting Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden on the same team was a bad idea.
“I know people look at that like it was a failed experiment,” Clifford, now head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, said ahead of tipoff against the Knicks on Sunday. “To say that wasn’t a good idea or that they didn’t do this enough, I was there. They did work hard. They did have a great attitude. You can’t play games in this league without your best player.”
Clifford joined the Nets staff ahead of the 2021-22 season, after the Nets had come within an inch of Durant’s shoe from defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs. The Bucks went on to defeat the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals and then the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
The Nets are among a number of basketball minds who believe they would have won the title if Durant’s foot was behind the three-point line. Clifford made a gesture with his thumb and index finger that resembled the size of the portion of Durant’s foot that was over the line.
“The year before [I got there], they were that far away from going to the NBA Finals,” he said.
Durant, Irving and Harden were a dominant trio when on the court together, stringing together a 13-3 record as the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed when whole. An MCL injury robbed Durant of time on the court in consecutive seasons, Harden suffered a debilitating hamstring injury that significantly limited him in the playoffs, and Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 rendered him ineligible to play at Barclays Center until the city created an exemption for pro athletes well after All-Star Weekend.
“The biggest problem when I was there was games played,” Clifford said. “Kevin had a significant injury. James was coming off a major injury, like his leg was never right. And Kyrie with the vaccination issues. Those guys never played together.
“In basketball whoever’s got the best on the floor at any time always has a decided advantage. You can’t lose Durant for eight weeks and think you’re gonna be OK. It just doesn’t work that way.”
Clifford said he learned from the Brooklyn Big 3 during his time with the Nets — but said Durant specifically brought the best out of his teammates.
“It started off the year with James, Kyrie and with Kevin, and you learn something different from all of those guys, but Durant, to me, was there because he cares deeply about how the team plays,” Clifford said. “He cares if they don’t practice well. He cares if a young guy doesn’t have the right concentration level, he was gonna say something to him.”
Clifford said he would observe Nets practices on the sidelines. A defensive drill would lead each practice, and Durant would always go first.
“He went first every time. His thing was all these drills matter,” he said. “Everyone’s gotta lock in every day.
“I’ve been fortunate: My first year here it was Larry Johnson and Latrell Sprewell and Alan Houston, Marc Jackson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Kobe [Bryant], [Steve] Nash, [Pau] Gasol, Dwight [Howard]. So I’ve been around a lot of superstars, and that’s where you learn as a coach. You learn so much from those guys.”