Coach Jordi Fernandez demands accountability. He defines the stark difference between losing and being a loser after a crushing defeat.
The 2025-26 iteration of the Brooklyn Nets are no stranger to devastating defeats, and their latest has given head coach Jordi Fernandez a chance to level with his guys in the locker room on a deeper level.
Following Brooklyn's demoralizing 126-89 loss to Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, Fernandez offered his opinions on where the team stood from a competitive standpoint throughout the night, detailing exactly where he felt there was a mentality switch from his players.
"We won the third quarter, and we were competitive for those (last) six minutes of the second. And outside of that, the other 30 minutes, we played like a losing team," Fernandez told ClutchPoints' Erik Slater after the loss.
"You can lose, and you can be a loser," Fernandez continued.
"So for 18 minutes, we lost and we were competitive. And for 30, we were losers. So we have to decide what we want to be and who we want to be."
Leonard poured in an effortless 28 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the floor and James Harden finished with a pedestrian (for his standards, of course) 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds while knocking down all 10 of his tried from the free throw line, and the Nets' defense was completely helpless against the superstar duo.
The Clippers' offensive brilliance spread far and wide throughout the squad, as their versatile backup forward Jordan Miller continued his impressive season with an uber-efficient 16 points, seven rebounds and two swipes on 70% shooting from the field in 23 minutes of work.
Brooklyn's defensive effort against Los Angeles was not just unacceptable, it as completely non-existent, and it begs the question of whether their incredibly cold offensive beginning lended itself to the utter defensive collapse.
Believe it or not, the Nets actually sunk their first shot of the night courtesy of a Michael Porter Jr. reverse layup to take an early 2-0 advantage, but they'd only connect on two of their next 14 attempts over the next 8:32 of the first period, falling behind 27-12 with 3:07 left.
The Nets saw just 34.1% of their field goal attempts fall against a No. 19 ranked Clippers defense (115.8 defensive rating), and it would be a tough sight for a Nets team that's become one of the more underrated defensive groups in the entire association over the past few months to be taken out of the fight mentally because of their inability to hit shots.
All January long, this Nets group could be counted on for their hyperactive defense on the perimeter, but a lack of 'winning' offense might have led to its downfall.
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