Nets' James Harden out for Game 2 vs. Bucks; Hamstring Injury Diagnosed as Tightness

Brooklyn Nets star James Harden is going to miss Monday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with tightness in his right hamstring, the team announced Sunday. 

Harden gave the Nets a scare right out of the gate in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Milwaukee Bucks. He had to be removed less than one minute into Game 1 with a hamstring injury. 

It was announced during the TNT broadcast of the game that Harden left Barclays Center to undergo an MRI. 

Harden's hamstring was a problem during the regular season. The former NBA MVP missed 20 of 21 games at one point with a strained right hamstring. He showed no lingering effects in the first round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics with 27.8 points per game. 

If the Nets are going to play without Harden for any length of time, look for head coach Steve Nash to go with a combination of Mike James and Bruce Brown in his backcourt with Kyrie Irving. 

As long as Irving and Kevin Durant are still going strong, they can get by without Harden for the time being. They may eventually get to a point when the Nets not having all three of their superstars is a problem, but we haven't seen it in 2020-21.