2 key questions for the Nets with James Harden

LOS ANGELES -- Brooklyn’s now star-laden solidified with James Harden, Kevin Durant, and first-time coach Steve Nash -- all MVPs and Kyrie Irving -- who along with Durant has something on the resume that Harden and the coach aspire to -- NBA Champion. Inheriting a bleak Brooklyn milieu, Nets GM Sean Marks got the franchise into the playoffs with grit via coach Kenny Atkinson and players like Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, who are gone. Two key questions emerge -- -- one tangible and the other philosophical -- vis-à-vis Brooklyn’s culture: Will the ultra-talented Nets defend, get deflections, 50-50 balls, blocks, stops, rebounds, and take charges with tenacity? Will the sustained sacrifice, accountability, chemistry, and commitment that will determine Brooklyn’s fate be embraced systematically throughout the roster? Some of the best moves in life are the ones you never make, and Marks wants to be holding The Larry O’Brien trophy and not reflecting on that mantra.