Kevin Garnett Wants Brooklyn Nets to Hold Teams Under 80 Points Per Game

There’s a ton of pressure on the reloaded Brooklyn Nets this season — frank discussions of winning a championship and completely dominating foes are being had. Kevin Garnett is not only embracing the challenge, but adding to it by setting an insane defensive goal for his new squad. Per the NY Daily News: “He is the heart and soul of our team,’ declared Jason Terry. And this was just after Garnett’s first formal practice with the Nets. It’s safe to say he feels comfortable. ‘The energy was better (than last season),’ Deron Williams said. ‘It was more intense. It was just a better feeling.’ After landing in North Carolina, the Nets gathered Monday night following media day for a team dinner, and that became a springboard for goal-setting and role-defining, with Garnett as the powerful voice. Whomever the Nets pick as captain for this squad — and they have an incumbent in Williams and the longtime Celtics captain in Paul Pierce — it’s really just a figurehead position unless it goes to Garnett. ‘KG made a point about it (Monday) night — every day we step on the floor, it’s defense first,’ Terry said. As much as he likes to chat with other players, Garnett has a reputation for avoiding the media — and it took only two days for the forward to become the only player to excuse himself from availability. According to Williams, Garnett set a very lofty goal of keeping opponents to under 80 points — which is more realistic for a single-game mark, but nonetheless an example of how Garnett sets bars. More importantly, he has already made an impression on Brook Lopez, the mild-mannered center who could benefit most by being exposed to Garnett’s mean streak. During the team meeting Monday night, Lopez recognized two areas where he needs to improve. The first was defense, which has been a concern throughout his NBA career. The second was rebounding; Lopez has averaged just 6.3 boards the last three years.”