Within just the past month, the Brooklyn Nets have quickly turned around the fate of their season, and they now sit tied with the Boston Celtics for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The versatility of new addition Thaddeus Young, as well as the consistently exceptional play from center Brook Lopez, has propelled the Nets to a 12-4 record in the past month. The improved play of Deron Williams, though he still isn’t playing up to his contract, has helped, too. Even though the Nets have posted a great record of late, they sit just one game ahead of the looming Indiana Pacers and two and a half games ahead of the Miami Heat. With less than a week to go in the regular season, the playoff race in the Eastern Conference will definitely come down to the wire.
Brooklyn’s Playoff Push
The Nets’ formula for success has been rather simple. They have shied away from an isolation-heavy offense, and instead have been running a heavy dose of pick and rolls with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. This opens up the floor and allows for more ball movement, two key aspects of the much improved Brooklyn offense. Deron Williams has done a fantastic job distributing the ball and running the offense, while Thaddeus Young has been all over the court, providing the Nets with an athletic combo-forward they have so desperately needed. The swap of 38 year old Kevin Garnett for 26 year old Thaddeus Young was a steal for GM Billy King and the Nets, and it’s unlikely that they would be in this position in the standings if it weren’t for that trade. Without Garnett on the roster anymore, Lopez needed to step it up on the glass, and he certainly has, averaging 9.3 rebounds per game since March 14th. Along with a better effort on the boards, Lopez has scored the ball at a much better rate, averaging 23.5 points per game on 59% shooting in the past month. The NBA has recognized Lopez’s dominance, awarding him with the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for two weeks in a row.
Lopez, Williams, and Young have been the three main contributors to Brooklyn’s winning ways, which is a great thing entering what the Nets hope will be a third consecutive playoff appearance. In fact, in the four years that they’ve played together, the chemistry between Lopez and Williams has never looked as fluid and natural as it does now. However, not all members of the Nets’ roster have been playing their best basketball down the stretch. Veteran Joe Johnson and sophomore Mason Plumlee have been fairly non-existent as of late. Johnson has struggled mightily from the field and is not giving the Nets the scoring output he usually does. As for Plumlee, his minutes have decreased significantly, and he has not been nearly as energetic or productive when he has been on the floor. Ever since the All-Star break, head coach Lionel Hollins has rarely played Plumlee in the same lineups as fellow-center Lopez, so Plumlee’s minutes have also dipped as a result Lopez’s increased minutes. With all this being said, the struggles of Johnson and Plumlee clearly haven’t hurt the Nets, so maybe it’s best if Lopez, Williams, and Young continue to be the focal points on offense for Brooklyn.
Since March 14th, the Nets have only lost to the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Hawks (twice). They have beaten multiple playoff teams throughout the stretch, including the Raptors, Wizards, Blazers, Bucks and Cavaliers. It will be important for Brooklyn to beat quality teams the rest of the way, as they wrap up the season with games against the Bucks, Bulls, and Magic.
If Brooklyn squeezes in the playoffs, a postseason matchup against either the Atlanta Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers looms, depending on whether they get the seventh or eighth seed. Neither matchup seems too promising, as the Nets are winless against Atlanta this season and have mustered just one victory against Cleveland. It will be tough for Brooklyn to advance to the second round of the playoffs like they did last season.
