It's been, as Alex Raskin writes, as close to a "bye week" in the NBA. The Nets have played one game in a week and that one again against the lowly, historically bad Philadelphia 76ers.
The game was tight. The Sixers even led in the fourth. So despite a limited workload, the Nets don't seem to be making much progress. They still haven't beaten a team with a winning record. The five teams they've defeated (including the Thunder twice) are a combined 17-61, Stefan Bondy notes.
But Lionel Hollins didn't seem to mind. Nor did Deron Williams or Kevin Garnett. They were actually upbeat, suggesting that they believe the "process" is working. Was it non-chalance or just the NBA?
"WE wouldn't go away," said Hollins post-game. "We jumped out, played extremely well in the first quarter. They came back in the second quarter, made quite a few turnovers. We came out in the third. We jumped on them again. They got back, they actually got all the way to the lead, had the momentum. But we kept our poise. We wouldn't go away. We kept battling, battling. We made big plays down the stretch and we got some big stops down the stretch."
"I told the team we made progress in being us and we got to keep going. We got to understand that the NBA is a tough league. You can say this team is winless, but they're still NBA players."
D-Will said somewhat the same thing after admitting they are, indeed, "Pretty far off, as a whole" from where they want to be.
"I think we’re already off to a better start (than last season)," said Williams. "We’re not where we want to be, of course, but we’re off to a better start than last year, and there’s just a different feeling."
KG, who doesn't normally talk after games, made a surprise appearance Wednesday.
"You are worried about (the start of the season). It’s not so nonchalant. But the mentality is to not get bored with the process," Garnett said. "It’s chemistry. It’s the process of which you are trying to build a foundation on something. It’s not going to work the first two weeks."
So, while the Nets remain a "work in progress" and getting there is a "process," there is some optimism that ultimately it will all work out. Who knew?
- Nets, still a work in progress, taking slow start in stride - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
- Winless Against Winning Teams, the Nets Experiment a Little - Alex Raskin - Wall Street Journal
- Nets still lack an identity and need to click as a team - Rod Boone - Newsday
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Nets know they're a work in progress - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- The biggest problem plaguing the Nets so far - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- What every NBA team should be thankful for on Thanksgiving - Matt Moore - CBS Sports