Expected to be a force, Nets turned out to be a farce

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — With Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets had expectations of being the last team standing. Instead, they were the first team sent packing. Irving wasn’t around to start the season. Harden was long gone before the end of it. And after their flop culminated in a first-round sweep by the Boston Celtics, the Nets acknowledged that all their distractions off the court kept them from becoming a great team on it. Brooklyn could only manage a 44-38 record with Irving playing part time and Harden traded for Ben Simmons, who never suited up this season.