Steve Nash has countless wonderful memories of Phoenix from his playing days. On Tuesday night, he made the first big one of his coaching career.
When Nash faced the Suns for the first time as head coach, his fast-shooting Nets turned a huge backlog into an even bigger rally, winning 128-124 in front of an astonishing 3,181 crowd at Phoenix Suns Arena. .
“That one was nice,” Tyler Johnson said. “That one was nice.”
The Nets play without Kevin Durant (hamstring tension) and let Kyrie Irving (tight end) scratch as their Big 3 to 1 was big. Despite a great night of James Harden, finishing with 38 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, the Nets fell behind by 24 points. But they fought back for their second biggest comeback win since 2012, with a late 12-0 run to do so.
The Nets outscored the Suns 40-24 in the fourth quarter, holding Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to just two points in the fateful final period.
“It’s all vibrant right now. All vibes, ‘Nash said. ‘The guys are rightly excited. This is a good morale booster, especially since Kevin and Ky find a way to put up a 24-point deficit, showed a lot of character and a lot of heart. As a coach, it makes you proud. ”
The Nets trailed 73-49 in the second quarter. They ran together to play at 108-106 on a Johnson three-pointer with 6:40 left. Still just 124-116 with less than three minutes left, the Nets scored the final 12 points of the game.
Harden’s driving finger with 1:39 left got them inside 124-121. Jeff Green drove the track to reduce the lead to one, and the Nets forced a miss from Mikal Bridges. Harden then paired a 3-pointer to give the Nets their first lead of the night at 126-124, with another 29.8 seconds.
The Nets’ malicious defense forced a miss from Devin Booker, and Harden sank two free throws on the other side.
“The way we play and the potential we have as a team is what I’m excited about,” Harden said.
“This is the true definition of a team; one man, two men go down, next man up. ”
Nash and assistant Amar’e Stoudemire were in Phoenix during the Suns’ glory years and played under current Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni. Nash has won several MVP awards in his ten seasons with the Suns. But this will be his first big memory as a coach.
‘Well, this place obviously means a lot to me. “It has had incredible years here, incredible teams, teammates, coaches,” said Nash. ‘The organization was first class, and the fans here are fantastic. When I lived here, I lived here for ten years and loved it, loved every minute of it.
‘So to come here and actually be in the game is to play against them very special. I feel very happy. And it is – I’m not the most sentimental person, that’s for sure – but it’s really exciting. Just driving into the arena and seeing familiar faces, people who mean a lot to me is very special. ”
The Nets ran their winning streak to four. Now they are going to face LeBron James and the Lakers Thursday at Staples Center, with both Durant and Irving. But after using a 20th different NBA series (Tuesday was a ninth game with different starters), it’s equal the course.
“I think guys get used to it. We said it from the beginning of the year: this is how it’s going to be this year, ‘Nash said of the absence. ‘It is impossible during a pandemic and with a waterlogged timetable not to let things arise and to stand up consistently. I think guys knew so well that this is the type of season we would face and that they are a little numb now.
“The challenge is that we have to improve, no matter who comes out every night. How can we get better at what we try to do so that we do not give away games or weeks? This is a season in which we are constantly dealing with problems, solving problems and working towards a bigger goal. ‘