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The Nets’ resounding (and rewarding) rout in Philadelphia raises some interesting questions. Can they win a title no matter their playoff seed? Are they the team to beat in the East? After all that has gone wrong this season, could they still match up favorably with the elites of the East, such as the Heat, 76ers and defending champion Bucks?
Kyrie Irving may answer every one of those questions.
If Irving can keep the same passion he showed in eviscerating ex-teammate James Harden and backing a new one in Ben Simmons — and perhaps even be allowed to play home games should New York City loosen its COVID-19 vaccine mandates — Brooklyn not only can advance out of the play-in, but perhaps even make some noise in the playoffs proper.