Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn shares secret behind the team's renewed success
New York, New York - Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn feels his side's focus on court matters alone is key to their form, after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving set up a ninth win in a row.
The pair posted 32 points each in a remarkable double act to ensuring a 125-117 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, which gave the Nets their longest NBA winning streak since 2006.
It marks a sharp contrast from the early season blues the Nets suffered from, with Irving's temporary suspension and prior head coach Steve Nash dismissed amid poor form.
Vaughn credits the turnaround to keeping his players tightly trained on their performances rather than matters away from the court, indicating that discipline has been the secret of the success.
"I am a simple person," he said. "[I] really try to keep things simple. We stripped our playbook down a little bit, we are simple in what we do."
"[We] have our guys play extremely free of mind. I think there's something important in that if you're going to ask your guys to play hard."
Durant concurred with his coach's assessment, noting the Nets feel like they are in a better headspace under Vaughn's command, while suggesting outside forces were played up in the media.
"To be honest, I think we've always been about ball," he added. "Everybody has a platform, so there are many voices speaking [about] what we do inside our locker room."
"I think that's the noise that you hear. But from us, we've always been about the game. We struggled early on, we were always focused on playing basketball."
Cover photo: Jess Rapfogel / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP