Opinion: Nets prove they're still good enough to beat Bucks without James Harden

The Brooklyn Nets had the worst possible start to Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets had a play called. Kevin Durant searched for James Harden, and Harden wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

"I looked at him," Durant said. "He was grimacing."

Harden left the game 43 seconds into the first quarter with a right hamstring issue, and TNT reported he left the arena for an MRI.

Given that circumstance, the Nets had the best possible finish to Game 1, albeit with worry over Harden's hamstring. Minus Harden, the Nets defeated the Bucks 115-107 in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

"I was really impressed with our perseverance in what could have been an emotional toll on us," Nets coach Steve Nash said. "To get out of the first round and prepare for a few days for this series and have our lead playmaker go down in the first minute, that could derail a team. But our guys have been through this and they hung in there and their toughness was on display."

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving did what they do: Durant had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Irving scored 25 points and delivered eight assists.

Others contributed necessary performances in Harden’s absence. Blake Griffin had his best game since joining the Nets with 18 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Mike James, who just two months ago played for Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow, had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

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"We have the capability of rising to the occasion," Irving said. "We’re a very mature basketball club because we play selflessly and trust each other. Any situation in the game, I feel like we have the talent, we have preparation, we have the coaching staff to be able go to go out and execute. After that, its just mainly up to us to continue to play the right way."

It turned out to be an impressive victory, and the final margin doesn’t tell the story. Brooklyn turned an 86-80 lead late in the third quarter into a 112-95 lead with 5:02 left in the fourth.

Brooklyn also sent a message to Milwaukee: Without Harden, the Nets are still good enough to beat the Bucks. That’s a psychological hurdle Milwaukee needs to overcome.

The outcome shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Nets played several games without Harden and won this season. With Irving, Durant and Harden in and out of the lineup for various reasons — they played just eight games together during the regular season — Brooklyn used a franchise-record 38 different starting lineups this season and endless other in-game combinations.

"We’ve had a lot thrown at us this year, so we were in a sense well-trained for this event," Nash said. "But you never want to see someone like James who is such an important player, such an incredible player and cares so much. I’m heartbroken for him.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if he’s playing the next game. I don’t know if he’s out. I have no idea. This guy was so ready and excited to play. You know the preparation he puts in, you know how much he cares about the game, how much he cares about the team. You never want to see that — someone who gives everything they have toward this."

Brooklyn’s performance does not alleviate the concern it has moving forward regarding the availability of Harden, who was ruled out for Game 2 with right hamstring tightness. The Nets might be able to win this series and even the next one. But it’s that much more difficult without him.

"It sucks. It just sucks," Durant said. "I want him to be out there. I know how much he cares. I know how much he wants to be in this moment. Wish him a speedy recovery. We’re going to keep him involved as much as possible. But it’s just a bad break."

The Bucks shot just 20% on 3-pointers (6-for-30), and Durant said, "I know they’re not going to miss that many shots."

Nash didn’t know the severity of Harden’s injury, but certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, who tracks player injuries in a database, tweeted, "He was going to be at an increased risk for recurrence for the remainder of the season, especially since he already aggravated the injury site during his initial rehab. Data shows the average time lost increases with each subsequent strain."

That could be bad news for the Nets and Harden, who missed 21 of the final 24 regular-season games with a strained hamstring.

"We’ll have to see how we go here and watching the film and taking a look at our rotations and our options," Nash said, "and see what buttons we can push and persevere."

Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.