The last time a Brooklyn team faced a seventh game was 1956 when the Dodgers lost the World Series to the Yankees in 1956. The last time the Nets faced a seventh game was in 2004 when they lost to the Pistons in the second round. So it's been a while
The Bulls will take the floor tonight with many of their top players in street clothes or out of sorts. Tom Thibodeau ended speculation about Derrick Rose Thursday saying he's "out;" Kirk Hinrich is "most likely" out; Taj Gibson and Luol Deng GTD.
So who's got the pressure Thursday night? It would seem to be the Nets. If the Nets lose, their season is over. But the Bulls played poorly in their loss at Barclays Center and the Nets appear to...
It's quite simple now: if the Nets win Monday night in Brooklyn, they will get a chance to redeem themselves in Chicago Thursday and the possibility of facing the Heat in Miami next week. If they lose, their first season in Brooklyn will end.
Here's another P.J. truism: "We’ve got a one-game season. It’s as simple as that." He's encouraged by a couple of things: the team has proven resilient all year (after other "disappointments") and that Joe Johnson remains Joe Johnson
It started with Mo Williams tweeting about Jerry Stackhouse's three airballs in Game 2 vs. the Bulls. Then, Twitter-happy Jared Dudley noted Stack missed the basket again in Game 3. But Stack got the last tweet, noting neither are still playing.
First, it was Tyshawn Taylor who told Alyonka Larionov of his frustrations in a BCTV interview ... before it was taken down. Then, Gerald Wallace complained, "I don’t have a clue what my role is on this team." Now, MarShon Brooks is wondering about
If the Nets win Saturday, they return to Brooklyn 2-2 and a chance to win their first round series at home. If they lose, they return to Brooklyn down 3-1 and face the potential embarrassment of losing their first playoff series at Barclays Center.
The Nets and Bulls will air on TNT nationally Saturday and on MY9 in New York. But pre- and post-game broadcasts will be on YES. Here's the details for Games 4 and 5.
It's fairly simple: the Nets have to steal a game on the Bulls homecourt this weekend. If they do, they go home in good shape, win both and they can win it at Barclays. If they don't, the loss in Game 2 will look a lot worse.
It's the playoffs so when Joe Johnson is listed as "game-time decision," you know it's likely he's more hurt than he's letting on. No one wants to miss a playoff game, particularly one as crucial as a Game 3 with the series tied, 1-1.
The Nets and their coach realize what they need if they're going to win this series, now tied at 1-1 and headed to Chicago: toughness ... mentally and physically. In comments Tuesday, there was a realization that the Bulls had treated them as fragile
Before he left Moscow last week (and slipped into his all-black outfit Saturday), he spoke with Bloomberg News about the Nets prospects ... as they move toward his twin goals for 2015: a championship and a billion dollar valuation for his investment.
The Nets are saying all the right things about Game 2 ... after doing all the right things on Saturday. Now, they'll have to play better, say Keith Bogans and Deron Williams. The Bulls know it, too.
The Nets injury report, handed out to the media on Saturday afternoon, was blank. No "out," "doubtful," day-to-day" or "questionable" marred its beauty. As P.J. Carlesimo said, ""We’re as healthy as we’ve been all year, which is a good."
Five years of bad basketball have ended. The Nets made the playoffs and won homecourt advantage. Now comes the hard part: playing and winning the games, giving it all for as long as you can in hopes of getting a shot at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The big battle is likely to take place up front where the Bulls have one solid starter in Carlos Boozer along with Taj Gibson, recovering from a knee injury; and Joakim Noah, from plantar faschicitis. So it may be up to Brook Lopez.
One of the favored rationales for doubt about the Nets playoff possibilities is the team's record against teams above .500. Marc Stein of ESPN regularly mentions it in his power rankings. To which, we answer, compared to what?
Five and a half months after having their home opener at Barclays Center washed out by Hurricane Sandy, the Nets end their regular season with a chance to win 49 games and tie three other Nets teams for the second best regular season record in ever.
It's not so much who isn't playing tonight but who IS playing. Out for the Wizards game: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, Reggie Evans, Keith Bogans and Jerry Stackhouse.
The seeding is set. The Nets will have homecourt advantage next weekend. They don't yet know who they'll play. Could be the Bulls or the Hawks. Won't know for a few days. Also, what the Nets don't know yet is who will among them face the Wizards.
Surprise, the Raptors are hot. The Nets' next opponent may have a losing record and may have lost a number of their best players to injury, but they've won two straight, both against the Bulls (thank you!) and four of their last five.
Gerald Wallace is out with a heel contusion suffered in the Boston game and Keith Bogans, his back-up at SF, is a game time decision, increasing the likelihood that Jerry Stackhouse, who's played 37 minutes the last two games, will see more action.
Kris Joseph has been signed for the rest of the season, presumably at the veterans minimum. The 6'7" Canadian swingman is now eligible for the playoffs. The Nets also control his NBA non-Bird rights which would permit them to keep him next year.
If the Nets want to reach the 50-win milestone, Friday may be the key game. Brooklyn's best, who need to go 4-0 to reach 50, are in Indianapolis for their final regular season game against a team with a winning record.
The Nets have, as noted earlier, some unenviable stats, principally their record against .500 teams. But Mike Mazzeo puts together some positive numbers in his pre-game blog item, like under P.J. Carlesimo, theyre the NBA's second best road team.
