Back in early February, both the Nets and Celtics were not doing so well.
The Nets were in the midst of an 11-game losing streak. Kevin Durant was out with sprained meniscus, Kyrie Irving was still not permitted to play at home and James Harden was playing like he wanted to go elsewhere ... and fast. Rumors began to heat up that the Sixers, desperate to dump season-long holdout, would like to talk trade.
Things were a bit better in Boston, but not my much. The Celtics were playing a middling game and fans were calling for rookie coach Ime Udoka’s head.