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sports Friday 15 January 2021
Analysis: Nets have pieces, now they need to fit together

By TIM REYNOLDS the history of the NBA with
AP Basketball Writer three or more scoring titles
Having a Big Three is great. — and two of them now
That is, if those players want play for the Nets, with Du-
it to be great. rant’s four and Harden’s
And that’s the challenge three.
in Brooklyn now, after — There are nine active
agreeing to the trade that players who have played
landed three-time reigning more than 500 games and
scoring champion James averaged at least 22.5
Harden from Houston: Get- points; Durant, Harden and
ting Harden, Kevin Durant Irving are three of them.
and Kyrie Irving, all individu- But, and it’s a big but: All
ally great, to want to be three are used to having
great together. the ball in their hands at
A lot of futures and a lot of an absurd rate; unless the
legacies depend on what NBA changes the rules and
happens. allows for multiple basket-
Durant found a way to balls at once, that’ll obvi-
make it happen in Gold- ously have to change. And
en State when he played unless the NBA allows six
alongside Stephen Curry defenders, guarding them
and Klay Thompson on the James Harden of the Houston Rockets reacts to a basket during the first quarter of an NBA will be a problem as well.
way to a pair of NBA titles. basketball game Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Houston, Texas. “You can’t double-team
It worked there because Associated Press all three of them,” Orlando
Curry and Thompson, more coach Steve Clifford said.
than happily, checked Irving’s mind is at after now reunited with not just Du- las in 2011 and needed to Durant and Harden were
their egos at the door and a week and counting of rant, another former team- win two elimination games great together, but that
made it seem like a seam- personal leave away from mate in Oklahoma City against Boston just to get was nearly a decade ago
less incorporation. the Nets. He reportedly left when they were starting out of the Eastern Confer- and Harden wasn’t even
Harden never made the for family birthday parties out and still found their way ence on the way to that a starter for those Thunder
NBA Finals in Houston with and a Zoom call to help to the 2012 NBA Finals, but 2012 title. While it took time teams. Durant is a much
big-time backcourt part- organize a candidate’s also former Rockets coach for Miami to jell, it worked bigger star now than he
ners like Chris Paul and Rus- campaign for district attor- Mike D’Antoni as well. because Wade, the best was then, and Harden’s rise
sell Westbrook, plus didn’t ney in Manhattan. Oh, and D’Antoni is a Brooklyn assis- player the Heat had ever has been meteoric since
even give it a chance this that Zoom happened on tant under first-year coach known, stepped aside so those days.
season alongside John a night that the Nets were Steve Nash and isn’t shy James could be the first Harden should be happy;
Wall. He wanted a trade, playing. about grabbing a clip- option. It worked because he got what he wanted.
stars who want trades al- At this point, it’s unclear board and offering opin- Bosh accepted playing Durant should be happy;
most always get their way, when — or if — Irving will re- ions in timeouts. third fiddle behind a pair of the Nets are better now
and after what amounted turn to the Nets. And doing it during a pan- fellow future Hall of Famers. than they were when he
to a resignation speech on But give the Nets credit. demic with limited prac- If any of those three balked got there, without question.
Tuesday night after a loss to They went all-in with this tices and seemingly inevi- at their respective roles, the But now they must wait and
the reigning champion Los trade. They dealt away a table breaks, makes it a stiff Heat wouldn’t have those see if Irving wants to be
Angeles Lakers it was clear rising standout in Caris Le- challenge. James, Dwyane two titles. The only way part of this.
that he was never wearing Vert and bet most of their Wade and Chris Bosh were Brooklyn wins a title or two If he comes back and han-
a Rockets jersey again. foreseeable draft future — the trio that led Miami past with this group is if Durant, dles it the way someone
Irving won a title in Cleve- three first-round picks, at those Thunder in the 2012 Harden and Irving accept like Bosh did in Miami, the
land with LeBron James, but minimum — on the hope finals, getting a ring in their their roles now. On paper, Nets could be champion-
that relationship never was that Harden is the last piece second year together (and the infusion of talent could ship-caliber, quite possibly
what it could have been — needed on the way to a one the next year, too). be astoundingly good. the favorites in a loaded
and nobody knows where championship. He’s now They lost the finals to Dal- — There are nine men in Eastern Conference.q
Peterhansel leads Dakar Rally heading into last stage

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Stephane Peter- seconds on second-placed Peterhansel. They rode the last 200 kilometers together and
hansel will take a 15-minute lead into the last “We lost just a few minutes, it’s nothing,” Peter- opened the way after teammate and Spanish
stage of the Dakar Rally after overcoming two hansel said. “There’s only one day to go ... it’s rider Joan Barreda ran out of petrol.
punctures on Thursday to stay in front. time to cross fingers and hope that we will be Barreda, who started the stage fourth overall,
Peterhansel’s record 14th win and record in first place at the end.” missed a refueling station and lasted only an-
eighth in a car are pending on the last stage Defending champion Carlos Sainz was third other 50 kilometers, until around 267 kilometers
back to Jeddah, where the rally in Saudi Ara- on the stage and remained third overall, more in. He called for medical assistance and was
bia started 11 days ago. than an hour behind. airlifted out.
The Frenchman led the 11th stage from AlUla Kevin Benavides of Argentina looks set to win “Tomorrow we will push like every day, no oth-
south to Yanbu beside the Red Sea through his first Dakar title after holding off Honda er strategy than that,” Benavides said. “There
the middle section, and led title rival Nasser teammate Ricky Brabec, the defending mo- are no team orders.”
Al-Attiyah by up to 3 1/2 minutes. torbike champion from the U.S. Benavides’ closest rival became stage winner
But Al-Attiyah, a three-time champion, over- Brabec, who started the stage only 51 sec- Sam Sunderland of Britain, the 2017 champi-
came his own punctures to win his sixth stage. onds and second behind Benavides overall, on. He clawed back six minutes to lie only four
However, the Qatari gained only 1 minute, 56 ended it seven minutes behind and third. minutes behind going into the last stage.q