Report: Nets unlikely to fire head coach Steve Nash originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Brooklyn Nets' season is on life support.
In a stunning 3-0 first-round series hole, the Nets are on the brink of elimination entering Monday night's Game 4 against the Boston Celtics. Considering no team in NBA history has ever been able to overcome a 3-0 series deficit, the Nets are almost certain to be heading home much earlier than expected.
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Despite Brooklyn's underwhelming playoff performance, owner Joe Tsai and the Nets' regime don't currently appear set to make a head-coaching change.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Monday that head coach Steve Nash "is likely to avoid being rendered management's fall guy for the Nets' meek playoff showing," citing a source close to the situation.
Stein added that it will be key for Nash to retain the support of Tsai and Kevin Durant.
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"My personal sense is that Nets owner Joe Tsai is far too impulsive and unpredictable to read in terms of how he'll react to a lopsided first-round ouster," Stein writes (h/t Bleacher Report). "Nash landed the Nets' job with no prior coaching experience largely because he had the backing of Kevin Durant as well as the gravitas to manage a team built around the mercurial Durant and Kyrie Irving. There is no evidence in circulation—yet—to suggest that Nash is in some sort of jeopardy ... as long as he retains the support of Tsai and (more importantly) Durant."
The Nets went just 44-38 in their second season under Nash, entering the playoffs as the No. 7 seed after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Play-In Tournament.
But Brooklyn's season has been a roller-coaster ride from Day 1. Irving spent nearly the entire regular season either away from the team or as a part-time player due to his vaccination status. Durant missed 27 games while Joe Harris' season ended after 14 games played. James Harden forced his way out of town midseason. And Ben Simmons, the centerpiece of the Harden trade, still hasn't made his Nets debut.
Taking all of that into account, it'd be understandable for the Nets to give Nash at least another year at the helm.
