“The best offense is good defense.” “Defense wins championships.” These old adages were most likely created by a coach whose team had as much offensive firepower as a second-grade CYO team. 

I mention these maxims in light of recent concerns regarding the Brooklyn Nets. With their Jan. 13 acquisition of premier guard James Harden, the Nets have become one of the NBA’s most feared offenses. Since Harden officially joined the squad, pundits, fans and everyone in between have ripped into the Nets’ lack of defensive prowess. 

I would argue that for Brooklyn, the best defense is exquisite offense. I am convinced this team will make it out of the Eastern Conference and go to the NBA finals. The league has changed into an offense haven, so the only thing that can stop the Nets are the Nets themselves. 

Assuming that all goes smoothly between now and the end of the NBA regular season, the Brooklyn Nets will be healthy come playoff time. This perfect storm would result in guards  Kyrie Irving and James Harden playing alongside forward Kevin Durant in a best of seven series.

Doubters will point out that the Nets are currently ranked 26th in the league in terms of defensive rating (DEF RTG), and that their big three will never “bring it” for a full 48 minutes. However, we must stop and ask ourselves if defense even matters in the current playoff format. To say that the Nets will be eliminated is to say that Harden, Durant and Irving will be atrocious offensively for four games of a series and that another team will be able to take advantage of this. These outcomes are highly unlikely, especially when one considers that Durant is averaging 29 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 5.3 APG. The team as a whole has the highest field goal percentage in the league at 50.2%, and the second-highest three point field goal percentage. 

The Nets themselves are so offensively gifted that even if one of the “big three” struggles, the other two, along with the bench, will be able to pick that player up. Role players such as Joe Harris and Tyler Johnson are more than capable of shooting threes successfully and could easily be starters on other “playoff caliber” teams. The NBA is an offensive league centered around three-point shooting. Gone are the days in which an organization could win by dominating the paint or attacking from mid-range. As proven by the “splash bros” and others, a strong three-point game is critical to championship success. Brooklyn has this in abundance, especially when compared to their Eastern Conference opponents.

It is clear that the Nets have a dominant offense. However, let us imagine for one moment that they do have a “less than stellar” series shooting the ball. Can anyone honestly think of another Eastern Conference team that could take advantage of a Brooklyn blunder with the current roster? Probably not. The Miami Heat are still very young and struggling in the standings. The Boston Celtics seem to choke away every fourth-quarter lead, and neither the Philadelphia 76ers’ nor the Milwaukee Bucks’ stars can shoot three-pointers like Durant, Harden or Irving. Talent-wise, the Nets are far ahead of the competition.

Essentially, I’m appealing to logic. The Brooklyn Nets are so offensively talented that the only way their defense matters is if they do not show up and attempt shots. Moreover, to lose a playoff series, they would all have to be awful for four games, which is virtually impossible given their offensive depth. The NBA is an offensive league, and the rest of the East is trailing behind. Barring any unforeseen injuries or roster moves, the NBA Finals are Brooklyn bound. You can book it.