Is one other vital successful streak on the desk in Brooklyn? The NBA’s schedule-makers want to have a phrase.
If there’s something the Nets proved by way of their 12-game successful streak, their 12-1 stretch within the month of December and a 16-1 span main into Wednesday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, it’s this.
The Nets are for actual after they play arduous, and underneath newly minted Coach of the Month Jacque Vaughn, they play arduous as a rule.
Brooklyn’s upcoming stretch, nonetheless, will inform us extra in regards to the Nets and their championship hopes than they confirmed whereas operating the desk over the past month and a half. It takes extra than simply taking part in arduous and doing the little issues to defeat cream of the crop competitors — because the Nets’ missing document in opposition to these foes would point out.
While the Nets’ schedule was favorable in the course of the run that moved them as much as second seed within the Eastern Conference — together with a seven-game house stand and video games largely in opposition to Play-In Tournament hopefuls and injured championship contenders — the schedule-makers weren’t as type getting into the New Year.
The New Orleans Pelicans blew-out the Nets, for instance, within the season opener at Barclays Center and are the primary crew the Nets see after the successful streak resulted in Chicago. The Pelicans are severely shorthanded with out Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, however CJ McCollum remains to be a handful offensively, and Herbert Jones has turned himself right into a lockdown defender particularly at Kevin Durant’s place.
After the Pelicans, the Nets make a journey to Miami to face the Heat, who’ve underperformed this season with a 20-19 document however nonetheless have the championship pedigree related to a Pat Riley-run group. Not to say virtually each skilled athlete within the historical past of professional sports activities has succumbed a minimum of as soon as to the South Beach scene.
The Nets then return to Barclays Center subsequent Thursday, Jan. 12, to host the No. 1 seeded and defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. The final time the Nets and Celtics performed, Boston snapped Brooklyn’s four-game successful streak, led by as many as 16 and gained by 11.
Only after the following three video games does the schedule loosen with matchups in opposition to the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
And then it begins once more: Brooklyn performs Phoenix twice, Utah and Golden State as soon as, Philadelphia twice, the Knicks thrice, each Los Angeles groups, Chicago two extra instances, the Heat once more, the Hawks, Bucks and Celtics twice.
In whole, 22 of Brooklyn’s subsequent 24 opponents have authentic playoff aspirations and 13 of these opponents could be thought of championship contenders.
The Nets have confirmed they’ll deal with enterprise in opposition to lesser opponents, which is a breath of contemporary air contemplating their struggles in that class in previous seasons. If they’re going to lastly make good on their promise to the borough to be the final crew standing on the finish of the season, the Nets should beat the league’s elite.
This upcoming stretch will decide precisely the place the Nets stand — and it’ll reveal way more about this crew than their 16-wins-in-17-games stretch ever may.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com