The Brooklyn Nets made a statement in Dallas last night with a 113-96 win over the Mavericks—their 40th of the season. Deron Williams finished with 31 points in his only trip to his hometown since he spurned them in the off season to remain with the Nets. Brook Lopez added a game-high, and personal season-high 38 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Reggie Evans grabbed another 22. All individual statements in a game that typified the second half of the Nets' season, and yet another reason the rest of the Eastern Conference should be looking over their shoulders into Brooklyn.
For the first time since the All-Star break I missed a week of Nets basketball because I was on the road, which is relevant to mention because the Nets now find themselves in the midst of their longest road trip of the season, and at a crucial juncture.
I won't bore you with the details of every game from the past two weeks, but it's been a very methodical stretch of 6-2 basketball that has seen the Nets climb to within a point of the Atlantic Division-leading Knicks. It's also a stretch that has seen Deron Williams return to his All-Star form, averaging over 23 points per game since the break; with the fourth best defense in the league, it's safe to say Brooklyn is hitting their stride right before the playoffs. But it is this current road trip that will dictate the course of that playoff run.
Yes, every team must go through extensive road trips, and as the Nets will find out this week, the coastal teams have it extra hard battling through more time zones. But not every team will face an eight game mid-/west coast road trip while fighting for playoff positioning with only 16 games left on the schedule. In fact 11 of the Nets' final 16 games will be played away from the Barclays Center. With a win in Detroit on Monday, Brooklyn is currently 2-0 on the swing.
So far so good.
It's hard to find fault in the way they've been playing as of late. About the only knock you could pose against the Nets is the fact their run has been so consistent, it's easy to overlook them. Especially with Miami's 24-game winning streak, Denver's 13 and the crosstown Knicks finally showing their age, Brooklyn isn't stealing any headlines. Still, last night's win was a reminder of just how dangerous this team can be.
"When you're feeling good and feel like you can't miss, it's a good feeling," said Williams, who shot 11 of 18 in the second half and, along with Lopez, repeatedly hit crucial shots in the fourth quarter to keep the Mavericks at bay.
"It just depends on who's hot. We have so many options on this team,"added Lopez.
Ironically, this is the type of production the Nets' front office must have envisioned when they were courting Dwight Howard. With both their point guard and center clicking, consistently out-rebounding and out-defending opponents, it's hard to discount Brooklyn against any team not wearing a Miami Heat jersey.
Now ten wins shy of 50 in their inaugural season in Brooklyn and two road wins away from the franchise record of 20, the Nets find themselves peaking at the right time. But now is no time for complacency. With only 7.5 points separating the two and eight seeds, it will be these next six West Coast games that determine what position the Nets will be in when they provide the borough with their first professional playoff game in over 50 years.
