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The Power Ranking pundits have had their say and although the Nets beat the Cavaliers and Pacers back-to-back, they can't get out of the bottom five. Close but no cigar.
Here they are...
The Nets have been the worst defensive team in March, but held the Cavs and Pacers to a total of just 29 points on 7-for-38 shooting in the fourth quarters of wins on Thursday and Saturday. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson threw down a serious dunk in his first game back from a 50-game absence, Brook Lopez has been doing work in the paint, and Bojan Bogdanovic has continued to shoot well.
Brooklyn's visit to South Beach on Monday will give the Nets their first up-close glimpse of the rejuvenated Joe Johnson, who's shooting better than 50 percent from the floor as one of the key sparks in the Heat's recent 10-4 surge. It should be noted, though, that the Nets have been quite the spoilers of late with their unexpected wins last week over LeBron James' Cavs and Paul George's Pacers.
Hey, they beat the Cavaliers! The Brooklyn "put the screws to Boston's lottery odds" agenda is in motion! Seriously, though, the youngsters on this team are surprisingly fun to watch, which is a whole different look.
They beat the Cavaliers and Pacers last week, Bojan Bogdanovic is shooting well, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is back on the court. That’s about as much positive news about the Nets as we have had in a while.
Tim Bontemps, Washington Post (26)
Few teams have garnered a more inexplicable pair of back-to-back wins than the Nets over the Cavaliers and Pacers this week.
Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated (26)
Name five things less likely than the Nets winning consecutive games against the Cavs and Pacers. Actually, because it’s a chore. The comment section is below.
Adi Joseph et al, USA Today (27)
In those stunning back-to-back wins against the Cavaliers and Pacers, Brook Lopez averaged 22.5 points and eight rebounds
As for Yahoo's "Most Interesting Power Rankings," fore get it. It's a failed experiment.