Now, as a basketball fan, I watch the Brooklyn Nets on a nightly basis, and have followed them as if i'm a die-hard fan myself. In this blog post, I will give my unbiased remarks on the Brooklyn franchise currently playing in the playoffs without their big brothers from Manhattan. Below are three things I have have noticed with the Nets over the course of the 2013-2014 season:
Experience-Once the Nets pulled off the trade to land Garnett and Pierce, along with Jason Terry, we envisioned a scenario where big shots were going to be made by very experienced players come playoff time. We all know how the Nets season started and ended. Once at 10-21, the Nets owned the league's best record when the calendar turned to 2014. Give credit to coach Kidd, the players, or both, but something sparked a fire under the Nets. Now, as they battle the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, the Nets are relying on their key veterans to pull out a series victory. I predicted the Nets would win in 5 or 6, and the reason is simple: Paul Pierce. While it is not as automatic as it used to be, Paul Pierce has carried the Nets through the first four games of the playoffs. The team has lived the died with Paul's play, and if you look at his track record you'll learn that's not a bad thing. Pierce was brought here for the playoffs, and he's producing. There's not question the Nets have the experience to make a deep run but do they have the talent? Which leads us to...
Talent-Many NBA fans, media, and radio personalities concluded that the Nets had the game's best starting five when the season opened back in October. I mean, add Pierce and Garnett into a lineup already featuring Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez, and you have an eastern conference all star lineup. Unfortunately or Nets fans, the starting five took a major hit when Lopez was lost for the season after another foot injury. With Garnett injured as well, and D-Will in and out of the lineup, the Nets' starting five was far from the best. In fact, their bench was their strength this past season. Deron Williams is not what he once was in Utah. The same can be said for Pierce and Garnett with Boston. The Nets will rely on their experience, and bench, to make a deep run in the playoffs. Not necessarily raw talent, like the Wizards, Warriors, or Raptors are doing.
Heart- Every aspect of the Brooklyn Nets is based on the aforementioned blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics. The heart of this team sits in the chests of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Deron Williams. In fact, the experience, talent, and heart all fall on Pierce, Garnett, and Williams. Many Nets fans will argue Joe Johnson fits into this equation, and he may, but let's face it. Joe Johnson wasn't brought here to change the culture. He's just an expensive and streaky piece of the puzzle. We all know the 2012-2013 Nets were heartless. They lost to an injured Bulls team in game 7 of the first round on their own court. THAT is the only example I need to prove the Nets were a heartless bunch. The Nets knew this as well. That's why they brought two future hall of famers to this city. This team was supposed to be tough as nails. In some cases this season they were. They beat the Miami heat 4 straight times for God's sake. Having said all of that, the series with the Raptors is truly testing the toughness of this team. Last night, the Nets were a disaster. They came out of the gate flat against a Raptors team that had their back's against the wall. The Nets let them back into this series. As said before, many of the Nets aspirations live with what Garnett and Pierce do. But last night, all blame needs to be on the coach. His team showed the same toughness they showed all of last season, and in the first half of this one. If the Nets win the series all of this will be forgotten, but if you are a Nets fan you have to be saying, "oh no not this again."
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