The Brooklyn Nets \u201cBig 3\u201d could well be down to a \u201cBig 1\u201d for Game 5 on Tuesday night, but they are still favored to win the NBA championship, according to Betonline.ag.<\/b>
\nThe Brooklyn Nets \u201cBig 3\u201d could well be down to a \u201cBig 1\u201d for Game 5 on Tuesday night, but they are still favored to win the NBA championship, according to Betonline.ag. Kyrie Irving is out for Game 5 after having an MRI on his sprained right ankle, while head coach Steve Nash said he did not know if James Harden (hamstring) will play on Tuesday. Nash said he believed Harden was working out Monday afternoon, but wasn\u2019t certain if he would play or not. \u201cEither he or the performance staff will let us know,\u201d Nash said of Harden Tuesday on a Zoom call with reporters. According to Betonline, the Milwaukee Bucks are -145 favorites to win the series with the banged-up Nets, but Brooklyn still remains the favorite to win the NBA title. \u201cIn an anomaly, the Brooklyn Nets are still the NBA title favorites despite now being an underdog to the Milwaukee Bucks in their second round series,\u201d said Dave Mason, BetOnline SportsBook Brand Manager. \u201cWe have only seen this happen in the NBA and never in any other sport. There is tremendous liability for the sportsbook already on the Nets and to push the odds higher for the Nets could create an even greater liability if the Nets get through this round and Harden and\/or Irving return to health. So while the book believes the Bucks should be the favorite due to injuries to Harden and Kyrie, if the Nets get through this series the return to health of two of their stars would make them a prohibitive favorite.\u201d For now, things don\u2019t look good for the Nets, who once had a seemingly commanding 2-0 lead in the series (and a 93 percent chance to advance) and have now dropped two straight and will be without Irving in Game 5. \u201cWe don\u2019t like to dwell on the bad luck or the negative,\u201d Nash said. \u201cWe have a great opportunity to play against a great team in the playoffs and to take the lead in the playoffs. We\u2019ll focus on the opportunity regardless of who\u2019s available.\u201d The Nets are 4-1 this season with just Durant and no Irving or Harden, and Nash likes to stress that his team played \u2014 and won \u2014 all season despite various injuries to the \u201cBig 3.\u201d \u201cWe have experience with this, so we\u2019ve been pretty good at adapting and adjusting,\u201d he said. Asked if he believed there was anything nefarious behind the play in which Irving was hurt in Game 4, Nash said he couldn\u2019t get into the head of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who stepped under Irving and undercut him just before Irving landed on his size 18 sneakers with 5:52 remaining in the first half of Game 4. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to go inside Giannis’ head and make any proclamations,\u201d Nash said. \u201cI think it was an awkward play. He ended up getting underneath Kyrie when he was in the air. It was just awkward and unfortunate.\u201d Without Irving and Harden for most of Game 4, Durant had 28 points and 13 rebounds, but no other Net stepped up offensively. Nash knows Durant will have to be the focus of the offense no matter who plays in Game 5. \u201cWe definitely want to play through Kevin and have Kevin have a big imprint on the game,\u201d Nash said. \u201cHopefully we can make a further adaption tomorrow and feel more confident and comfortable.\u201d Durant, meantime, said he feels badly for his \u201cbrothers\u201d Irving and Harden that they can\u2019t play at this time of year, and accepts that he will have to play a bigger role. \u201cI picture me doing everything, just like I do every night,\u201d Durant said. \u201cI might have to handle the ball more, I might have to post up more, come off pin downs more, I just gotta be prepared to do everything more, just like I do every night.\u201d He added: \u201cFor me, I\u2019m not the one who\u2019s injured. Kyrie and James, this is an opportunity to play at the highest level and to not play because of injuries, I feel more for them than for me. It\u2019s got nothing to do with me. \u201cI wish my brothers were out there playing, I wish they were healthy. But that\u2019s part of the game and we all understand that. We wish they were out there playing, but I know they\u2019re going to do their best to get back on the floor playing and get healthy as fast as possible. And that\u2019s all we can hope for. And the rest of the guys who are healthy enough to play, we gotta come out there and play as hard as we can \u2014 every possession.\u201d<\/p>\n