Defenses getting into the zone against Nets

Now that the Nets have the Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, they can expect to see a proliferation of zone defenses. All three might be shooting lights-out from three-point range — Durant is 44.6%, Irving is 42.5% and Harden is 35.6% — but those three are even more deadly when they penetrate the paint, which means defenses are smart to force them to shoot from long range.

In their past four games, the Nets lost two straight on the road to the Cavaliers, who played a zone defense, and they were hard-pressed to win two straight home games against the zone defenses employed by the Heat.

Describing the Nets' offensive struggles against the Heat, Harden said, "Zone. Zone. There’s going to be nights where we don’t shoot the ball. It’s going to be very minimum nights where all of us don’t shoot the ball well. But that zone, Cleveland did it, we see Miami do it because teams are going to try to slow us down as much as they can, try to throw different looks at us.

"Once we get adjusted and we see different defensive schemes more often, then we’ll know how to counter them and be more efficient offensively."

Durant had a rough 3-for-12 shooting night from three-point range in the Nets’ 98-85 win over the Heat on Monday night, and he had a terrible 6-for-21 shooting night overall. So it was clear the Heat’s zone, which allowed Miami to double-team and trap him all over the floor, had a profound effect. Irving also struggled, shooting 6-for-17.

"Teams are going to throw zone at us because we have three guys that can penetrate and score at will from all three areas, so teams are going to mix it up a little bit with us," Durant said.

Referring to what the Heat did on Monday, he added, "It felt like they were in zone all night. They definitely mucked the game up and made it a physical game and were able to stay in the game until late in the fourth. We were able to make some shots there in the fourth and pull away, but our defense won this game for sure."

The Nets put together a 15-0 fourth-quarter run when they got 10 straight defensive stops against the Heat. It was their sixth win in the past eight games as the Nets (11-8) got to within 1 1/2 games of the top spot in the Eastern Conference. They begin a three-game road trip Wednesday night in Atlanta, where they expect to see more zone schemes designed to keep the Big 3 from attacking the rim.

Against the Heat on Monday, Harden and Durant each connected on two threes in the fourth period. Harden also made a mid-range jumper and a layup in the fourth to account for 10 of his overall 20 points. He led the NBA in scoring the past three seasons but has concentrated on a playmaking role with the Nets. When Durant and Irving struggled against the Heat, Harden stepped up in the fourth quarter.

"It feels like he just transferred to a new school and he’s trying to figure out the curriculum," Durant said. "It’s going to take some time to figure out who your teammates are, what your rotations are in the game, when to be aggressive, when to score, when to pass. As a scorer, sometimes the balance between score and pass — you’ve got to figure that out each night. Tonight was the perfect balance for him . . . When we’re all knocking down shots, it’s going to open the floor for everybody. We just need guys to take the shots that are there and be aggressive to the rim."

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.