History will tell you the Nets have not made the playoffs since 2007, but Brooklyn hasn't been to the playoffs in 57 years. You can now strike both from the record books.
When the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Denver Nuggets last Thursday, the Nets secured their first playoff appearance ever as Brooklyn's professional basketball team—I for one think that is worthy of celebration. Apparently I'm not alone: Nets' majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov issued a press statement to make sure you were aware.
Oh, and for those keeping track, they clinched a day before the New York Knicks.
With all of the ups and downs of their inaugural season—most notably the firing of Avery Johnson during a 3-10 stretch to start December—if you were to tell me the Nets would clinch a playoff spot with 12 games still left on the docket, I would've gladly taken it. What's even more exciting is the idea that this team is playing some of the best basketball in the league as they jockey for playoff positioning.
The week didn't start so rosy however, as the Nets dropped a tough loss in Los Angeles to the Clippers, 101-95. It was a game in which the Nets led for most of the contest and kept the Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin in check. But a 13-point outburst by Paul, including a key 3-point play in the waning minutes to put the game away, sealed Brooklyn's fate.
"He [Paul] takes command of the offense within the last four or five minutes and he makes sure they get a great shot every time," Joe Johnson said of the opposing point guard. Paul scored 11 of the Clippers 13 final points.
On an eight game road trip, a gut-wrenching loss can be a catalyst for sweeping momentum change, usually for the bad. But the Nets got right back on the horse and pulled out their own late-game heroics in Phoenix the following night.
With four players scoring in double digits, including Kris Humprhies' 17 in only his second game in three weeks, the Nets got back to the consistent ball that have made them such a force in the month of March. Sure they blew a 16-point first half lead to the West's worst team, but it was the second night of back-to-back games and they were playnig without Joe Johnson.
"It is still a very good win." Coach P.J. Carlesimo clarified. "It wasn't pretty. It wasn't like we are going to say we did 800 things well but we did enough things to win. Maybe we didn't play as well as we did last night and we got a loss last night. Tonight we found a way to get the win."
Another big positive was C.J. Watson, whose 12 fourth quarter points was the catalyst in keeping the Nets momentum going without Joe Johnson on the floor. With all of the big men at the Nets' disposal, it will likely be their guard play that determines the length of their playoff fun. It's no coincidence that both Deron Williams and Johnson are playing their best ball of the season as the Nets are peaking, and having Watson as a third option will make their rotation that much stronger come May.
Of course the week was not over, and last night's 111-93 win over the Portland Trailblazers comes with some very memorable notes:
1. Reggie Evans had 22 points and 26 rebounds. Let me repeat that: 22 points and 26 rebounds! It's the first time an NBA player has gone 20-20 all season, and the first time Evans has scored 22 points since 2006.
2. The Nets led by as much as 50-21 in the first half, and were able to rest their starters for most of the second.
3. The win was their 20th road win of the season, tying a franchise best. They are also now 4-1 on their season-high eight game road trip.
With 11 games left in the season, the Nets are currently in fourth place in the East and, aside from the Miami Heat, playing the best basketball in the conference, which is significant since only 2.5 points separate them from both the two and six seeds. Now with the playoffs on the horizon, Brooklyn will look to secure home court advantage for at least one round and maybe more. They're one win away from breaking a franchise record for road wins, eight wins shy of 50 for the season, and oh yeah, did I mention…
Brooklyn is back in the playoffs.
