Nash bemoans Nets' 5th loss in first 6 games: 'It was a disaster'
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash didn't mince words after his team lost 125-116 to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, dropping Brooklyn to 1-5 on the season.
"It was a disaster," Nash said when asked about Brooklyn's defensive performance, per YES Network. "How else do you say it? I didn't see the will, didn't see the desire or the connectivity necessary to get stops and get rebounds."
The Pacers outrebounded the Nets 53 to 34, including 17 offensive rebounds to Brooklyn's six.
Nash expressed frustration with his team's lack of effort in defeat.
"Too many errors on top of lack of effort at times," he said. "Sometimes it's not even about schemes; it's about fighting."
The Pacers shot 23-of-46 from beyond the arc, including a scorching 12-of-19 combined for star guard Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Bennedict Mathurin.
Brooklyn has the league's 29th-ranked defense, allowing 121.6 points per 100 possessions. The Nets have given up over 125 points to opponents in four of their five losses.
"We have to look deep, deep inside ourselves and what we want to do, what we want to accomplish," Nash said. "Do we want to give up on this because it's been difficult early, or do we want to stay the course and start to build something?"
Guard Ben Simmons said the Nets held a players-only meeting after the game to discuss the team's issues, per YES Network.
"We all have one goal: It's to win," Simmons said. "We're all competitors. I believe everybody on this team is competitors and wants to win and be here, so we have to have those conversations and be honest and open about it."
The Pacers were missing starting center Myles Turner, who sat due to injury management for his left ankle. They were also playing the second game of a road back-to-back. Indiana boasted a 2-4 record coming into Saturday's game in Brooklyn with the league's 27th-ranked defense.
"When things don't go our way, we haven't had enough resilience to fight through," Nash said.
"That's what we're seeking right now. Some resilience, some character, and being able to continue to find a way to play for each other."