Nets HC on Loss to Unbeaten Cavaliers: 'It Is My Fault'

Jordi Fernandez took responsibility for the narrow falter.

Nov 4, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez coaches against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In the second half of a back-to-back, the Brooklyn Nets nearly knocked off the NBA's lone unbeaten team just days after falling short against the reigning champs.

Saturday night's 105-100 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers served as Brooklyn's latest display of 'what if.' The Nets led by seven with just over four minutes remaining in the contest, but just like against the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics, they couldn't escape with the win.

Following the blunder, rookie head coach Jordi Fernandez took responsibility for the collapse.

“That’s not how you close games in this league on the road against a very good team. Like I told the guys, it is my fault,” Fernandez said via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “I ran Dennis [Schröder] 12 minutes in the fourth. I didn’t give him a break. That’s how your execution goes down. That’s how your defense goes down."

Schröder tallied 37 minutes against Cleveland, his second-highest mark this season. While the high volume translated to a 22-point, five-assist performance, neither he nor Cam Thomas received much of a break down the stretch.

"I didn’t give Cam Thomas breaks," Fernandez said. "And then at the end, we paid for it. So I have to be better with my subs, being cleaner with the calls of the end, and we have to execute and hit the shots."

The performance didn't translate to a win but still provides optimism going forward. Brooklyn's faced a brutal early-season schedule and remained competitive against every squad considered superior to its own.

Now 4-6, the Nets look to right the ship against the Zion Williamson-less New Orleans Pelicans on Monday at 8 p.m. EST.

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