Friday evening was merely a formality.
With the Eastern Conference’s sixth and closing assured playoff seed hanging within the steadiness, and a date with a short-handed and low-ranked Orlando Magic staff on the docket, the Nets dotted their I’s and crossed their T’s.
Then they signed, sealed and delivered the Magic a 104-81 defeat, a Brooklyn victory that punched the staff’s ticket to Philadelphia for a first-round playoff date with Joel Embiid, James Harden and the 76ers subsequent week.
Coincidentally, the Nets will play the 76ers in a playoff preview in Sunday’s season finale at Barclays Center.
The information was delivered on the 4:41 mark within the fourth quarter by the Barclays Center public announcer: The seventh-seeded Miami Heat, who rested all 5 of their starters plus a further function participant, misplaced their sport to the Washington Wizards on Friday.
The solely manner the Nets might have risked falling into the Play-In was with a loss and a Heat win.
Yet Brooklyn’s standing because the East’s sixth seed is cemented, even when they lose towards the Sixers on Sunday. The Nets swept the season collection, 4-0, towards the Miami Heat this season. Even in the event that they end tied with the seventh-seeded Heat on the finish of the season, the Nets will nonetheless advance to the playoffs, whereas the Heat should defend their standing within the Play-In Tournament.
And now the celebration could start, although the bar has been lowered because the starting of the season.
The Nets entered the 12 months with professional championship aspirations constructed on the thought of a future revolving round superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Those aspirations flew out the window the second Irving blindsided the group with a commerce request two days forward of the Feb. 9 deadline.
And when the mud settled, the Nets held agency to the idea they might stay a playoff-contending staff.
That a lot is definite: The Nets have discovered cohesion on the defensive finish of the ball and play a free-flowing type of offense that results in tons of threes and drives to the rim. They gained precisely the variety of video games wanted to safe a visit to the playoffs.
And in fact, it didn’t occur with out drama.
The Nets solely took a four-point lead over the lottery-bound Magic into the second quarter and trailed by 4 within the sport’s opening moments. They blew the lid off with a 31-16 second quarter and by no means appeared again.
But that object within the rearview mirror is all the time nearer than it seems.
The Nets’ lead ballooned as giant as 24 within the third quarter earlier than the Magic started chipping away on the deficit. With about seven minutes left within the fourth quarter, the Nets discovered themselves up by simply 10.
Four Nets gamers scored in double figures, led by Mikal Bridges, who tallied 22 factors. Seth Curry got here off the bench and scored 13 factors in quarter-hour, together with two four-point performs when he was fouled on a made three-point try. And Spencer Dinwiddie dished 13 assists to go together with six factors and 7 rebounds.
Cam Johnson successfully put the nail within the coffin with simply over three minutes left within the fourth, utilizing a jab step to flooring overzealous Magic guard Jalen Suggs earlier than pulling up for a mid-range two.
Now comes their preparation: The Sixers sat their total beginning 5 plus their sixth man towards the Hawks on Friday. Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn stated his rotation decision-making is unaffected by the choices one other staff makes with their rosters but when the Sixers observe swimsuit and sit gamers on Friday, it’s honest to count on the Nets to load handle their gamers.
On the opposite facet of the identical coin, apply time has been restricted for a staff assembled on the fly, and Sunday’s matchup offers a chance for Brooklyn to work out some kinks earlier than the playoffs start.
“‘Be present. Nothing else matters, a week from now, tomorrow, be present in today’s game’,” stated Vaughn. “That’s the most important thing and to challenge our group to play four quarters. Like, we haven’t put four aggressive, in-sync quarters together yet. So, great challenge for us to try and do it tonight.”
EXTRA POINTS
The Nets secured their fifth consecutive playoff berth on Friday. They are amongst simply 5 groups to safe a playoff spot in every of the final 5 seasons, becoming a member of Boston, Denver, Milwaukee & Philadelphia.
This can also be the Nets’ eighth playoff look in 11 seasons in Brooklyn. It is probably the most in any 11-season stretch within the Nets’ NBA historical past.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com