April 19, 2024

The New York Knicks did its part beating Toronto to help itself get an NBA playoff spot, but the Nets kept them out by losing to the Hawks 93-88

We are at the point in the NBA season where teams have solidified their playoff position. Some teams are trying to improve their spot, while others are hanging on to faint hopes. Such is the story of the four teams that took to the floor Friday night. The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center while the New York Knicks were on the road against the division leading Toronto Raptors.

The Nets know they will face the Chicago Bulls (who took them out in 7 games last year) when the playoffs start in two weeks. There will be no urgency to play their starters extended minutes to keep them as fresh as possible. For Toronto, it's the same story, the team is looking to win its division for the first time in franchise history. Atlanta holds a 1.5 game lead over New York for the 8th and final spot. It's more like 2.5 games as if both teams end up with identical records, the Hawks would get in due to having a better conference record. Comments were made recently by the Hawks general manager Danny Ferry that they would not mind missing the playoffs (they would face Miami or Indiana in the first round) so they could be a team in the lottery. It had folks from the NBA shaking their heads.

When the Nets introduced their new big 3 (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry) last year the biggest question was how many minutes they would play during the course of the regular season as new first year Head Coach Jason Kidd knew that keeping them healthy and fresh would be the key to their postseason success or failure. Terry is no longer with the team, Pierce has been relatively healthy under those controlled minutes but Garnett's (his replacement Mason Plumlee has played very well in his place as evidenced by his game-winning block against LeBron James and Miami this past Tuesday) back has been a reason for concern. Before playing against Detroit last week on the road, Garnett missed the previous 15 games.

So it was no surprise when Brooklyn took the floor Friday night, the starting line-up had the look of an exhibition game. The Nets were without the services of Deron Williams, Shaun Livingston and Alan Anderson with little used Jorge Gutierrez starting in place of Williams. Garnett started his second straight game at center.

Plumlee continued his stellar play coming off the bench after Garnett's 3 minutes of play. Although he missed 2 of 3 free-throws, he connected on all 3 field goals scoring 7 points as the Nets took a 7 point (23-16) first quarter lead. The Hawks didn't play the second quarter like they were giving up on their playoff hopes. Led by Jeff Teague (all 14 points in the quarter) Atlanta outscored Brooklyn 39-24 to take an 8 point lead (55-47).

Atlanta extended the lead to 10 (66-56) after a Teague layup but the Nets closed out the 3rd quarter on a 17-8 run getting them within 1 (74-73) setting up the game that could define the Hawks post-season plans.

Neither team led by more than 5 (86-81 Hawks) after 2 Paul Millsap free throws. His 27th point of the game gave them a 1 point lead (89-88) with 1:46 left. Teague adds to the lead with 2 free throws and then Kyle Korver blocks Marcus Thorton's lay-up attempt. Joe Johnson misses a floater followed by another Teague basket. Game over.

The New York Knicks did their part beating Toronto on the road but had to be hanging their collective heads when they learned about the 93-88 Atlanta win. The loss broke Brooklyn's 15-game home winning streak. Maybe Ferry was playing reverse psychology with his players when he made his no playoff comment. Looks like it's working.

Brooklyn's Bit: Prior to the game, New York High School, College and Pro legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar introduced his SkyHook Challenge to bring awareness to the Chronic Myeloid Leukemia he was diagnosed with in 2008. Skyhook Challenge is a timed trivia game fans participate in to see how many questions they can answer about Abdul Jabbar's basketball history. 

Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin set the tone from the start to spoil Paul Millsap’s return to the Atlanta Hawks lineup

On January 10, 2017, the last time the Brooklyn Nets played the Atlanta Hawks at the Barclays Center, the Hawks ate their lunch beating the Nets 117-97. Tonight, it was a different story, the tables were reversed. In fact, the Brooklyn Nets looked like it was the team headed for the playoffs instead of the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks, as the Nets grounded the Hawks, 91-82.

What plagued Atlanta this time around? Several things according to Atlanta Hawks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer, but especially the Nets’ three-point shooting and the versatility of Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez.

“He’s become such a great 3-point shooter,” Budenholzer said about trying to contain Lopez. “We tried to stay connected to him at the 3-point line more. And Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, I think he’s shooting 20 percent on the year at the 3-point line, he had two that helped them. Trevor Booker had one and that helped them.”

Lopez scored 18 points in the first quarter and 29 points overall (12-of-21 FG) with five rebounds, five assists and five blocks in 30:32 minutes of playing time. In so doing, Lopez became the second Net in franchise history to record 25+ points, five+ rebounds, five+ assists and five+ blocks in the same game. The last person to do that was Darnell Hillman almost 40 years ago vs. Chicago on November 11, 1977. Hillman now works for the Indiana Pacers.

With Lopez scoring 18 points in the first quarter, Budenholzer saw a need to change Atlanta’s strategy.

“I think we felt like we could keep Dwight Howard around the rim, around the paint,” Budenholzer said about his center. “Brooklyn is driving the ball a lot, and really our defense is not our problem – 91 points. So of course Brook Lopez had a really good game. Generally speaking, I don’t think our defense was the issue. I think we need to look closer at our offense and how we can score more, score better.”

But, seriously, it just wasn’t Atlanta’s night.

“We were just trying to be aggressive and we got hot,” said Nets point guard Jeremy Lin. “I feel like on the back end of a back-to-back that’s kind of just setting that tone, and establishing that just felt like we were in control of the game throughout, and even though we were the ones scoring points, that our whole starting five defensively came out and did a great job.”

“When you replay the game really quickly and you feel like there were some good chances we didn’t make – everybody, lots of different guys. And at times we were a little sloppy. It’d probably be great to get to the free-throw line a little bit more. I think it was just a combination of a lot of things and we just weren’t very good offensively,” Budenholzer added.

Yes, because sometimes playoff-bound teams sleep on teams that are not headed to the playoffs. They tend to think that it may be a cakewalk when they encounter a team like the Nets (17-59) that is in the last place in the NBA standings. However, in Brooklyn’s case, they are better than their win-loss record shows.

“They denied us, they gave us a little pressure,” Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap stated. “Something we could have done a better job of was countering off of their aggressiveness.”

Atlanta’s center Dwight Howard was more pointed in his remarks, “We have to play team basketball; we can’t do it by ourselves. One person isn’t going to win us a game.”

Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, known for his young player development abilities, has been drilling that mantra into his young team all season, that basketball is team ball. The Nets’ young players led by Lin and Lopez set Atkinson’s tone early in the game.

“That’s kind of why they’re your two best players,” Atkinson said about Lin and Lopez. “There’s just a mentality, I was saying that about Brook. Brook after a bad game or a not good shooting game like Detroit, he’s going to come back and bring it the next game. They set the tone; I thought Jeremy and Brook really set the tone. Look at Brook and we’re talking about his offense; five blocks, I thought he was monstrous defensively, helping off Dwight and just kind of controlling the paint basically. No doubt about it, they set the tone.”

“Coach always stresses, just be resilient,” said Nets shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, who added 11 boards towards the Nets total of 51 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. “Make sure that you’re doing everything for the team and I think that’s something that everyone is doing on a normal basis. Down to recovery and down to the fact that everyone’s getting their work in early and making sure that we’re playing for one another.”

Brooklyn Nets players scoring in double digits in addition to Lopez were Lin with 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists; and Hollis-Jefferson with 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

In the loss, four of the five Hawks’ starters scored in double digits. Dennis Schroder had 16 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Tim Hardaway Jr., who is probably grateful that the NY Knicks set him free, scored 14 points and six rebounds; Taurean Prince added 13 points and five rebounds and; Howard chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Nets take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

NOTE:

Kilpatrick’s 11 boards marked his second-most rebounds in a game in his career (high: 14 in double OT on 11/29 against the Clippers).

Kilpatrick became just the third Nets guard to record 11 or more rebounds off the bench in a game since 1983-84, joining Markel Brown (4/10/16 at Indiana) and Stephen Jackson (12/10/00 vs. Dallas).

Brook Lopez leads all scorers with 20 points; With loss against the Hawks, the Nets fell to 8-29 overall and 7-12 at Barclays Center

“I think they’re playing excellent basketball, I think (they’re) an elite program in this league and this is one game where I’m looking at the opponent saying they’re pretty darn good.”

Those were the words of Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson at the post-game presser following a torching of the Brooklyn Nets by his former team, the Atlanta Hawks.

With the 117-97 loss to the Hawks, the Nets just lost its seventh straight game on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center. It must have been surreal for Atkinson, who last season, was an assistant coach with this up-and-coming Hawks team to now be the head coach of a team that is in the NBA basement.

“I wish we were a little more competitive, but again, I know I have an intimate knowledge of how they play and the players they have,” Atkinson said regarding playing his former team. “Again, we’re going to look at the tape and watch it to see if we can pick up some things. They set the bar high and we can look at it and say someday we’d like to strive to be a similar program, but we have a lot of work to do.”

Yes, the Nets do have a lot of work to do. The closest team Black and White came to the Hawks was in the first two minutes of the first quarter when twice the Nets were within one point. The Hawks held the lead throughout. The first stanza ended with a six-point spread, Hawks 35 Nets 29; and the Nets ended the first half with an 18-point deficit (61-43). In the Nets defense, they did try to turn things around, as they began the third quarter on a 15-7 run and pulled to 68-58 on Kilpatrick's bucket with 6:28 left. However, when the third quarter was over, the fruits from that run disappeared. The Nets ended the third down 16 points (86-70).

“They had more energy I think, especially the first half,” said a disappointed Nets center, Brook Lopez. “They just outworked us. The numbers clearly showed.”

“….we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball and have to rebound better,” Atkinson added. “I did think in the third quarter we came out with a little more aggressiveness. We were more aggressive on the ball, I thought that helped us. We came out with more energy, so that was a positive considering we’ve struggled in the third quarter, so I’ll take that. And overall in the second half, better. But we have a lot of things to work on.”

Perhaps, muscle memory will kick in soon.

In the loss, Lopez scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting with two blocks in 32 minutes against the Hawks. Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 points and six rebounds, Sean Kilpatrick had 14 points and five rebounds, Caris LeVert chipped in 11 points, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.

For the Hawks, Dennis Schroder scored a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists. Dwight Howard contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Paul Millsap had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Up next for the Nets is the New Orleans Pelicans at the Barclays Center on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

 

Jarrett Jack’s defensive moves with nearly 30 seconds left in regulation panicked Atlanta’s Schroder

The Brooklyn Nets have been off to a rough start for the 2015-15 NBA Season. However, last night offered a glimpse of hope. The Nets toughed it out and survived a nail-biting, 90-88 win over the Atlanta Hawks, one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. And they did it all on the defensive end of the court when it counted the most.

After Jarrett Jack drained a jumper, tying the game at 88-all with 33.3 seconds until the end of regulation, Jack nearly forced a turnover from Hawks, Dennis Schroder on the ensuing possession. With the Hawks shot-clock expiring, Jack's defense compelled Schroder to dribble into no man's land, using the baseline as an extra defender. A panicking Schroder almost lost the ball and had to resort to a rushed floater, which was rebounded by Paul Millsap, who was blocked by Brook Lopez, on his attempt to tie the game.

The Nets defense, when it was needed the most, got a stop, giving the team an opportunity to win the game, which was executed by Thaddeus Young, who sank two free-throws after being fouled on the fastbreak. And that particular sequence involving Schroder mirrored the entire game. Atlanta's, Spurs-like makeup of a team scored 10-less points than they are used to, averaging 101.6 points per game, the 11th best in the league, according to ESPN.com.

Mike Budenholzer's team committed 20 turnovers, the most they've committed this year in a single game.

"I give Brooklyn credit," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. "They played well. They forced the turnovers. We didn't take care of the ball. So we're going to have to clean that up."

The win, which improved the Nets record to (2-9), exhibited the solution to their season, which has been disastrous to say the least and it all derives from the defensive side of the ball.

As a team, the Nets racked up 14 steals and seven blocks which are the type of production that will help the Nets remain in games against teams with superior talent. Although their defense was the star of the game, five players scored in double figures, led by Lopez's double-double, 24-10. Shane Larkin, in his first season with the Nets, had another great game, posting 14 points and Joe Johnson nearly reached a triple-double in 13 points, 9 assists, and seven rebounds.

Disastrous 3rd Quarter Dooms Nets, Playoff Upset Hopes Dashed with 4-2 Series Loss

Unfortunately for the Brooklyn Nets, their Game 7 has come a game early.

Down 3-2 in their 1st-round series against the Atlanta Hawks in this year’s NBA Playoffs, the Nets returned home, hosting the Atlanta Hawks for their Game 6, a possible closeout-game for the away team.

Earlier in this series when the Nets backs were against the wall, they delivered. Down 2-0, the Nets tied this series up winning the next two games at home, highlighted by a 35-point outburst from Deron Williams in Game 4.

But the Nets failed to win a pivotal Game 5, on the road and here we are.

The Nets season is on the line and to force a Game 7, the Nets have no choice but to lay it all on the line like a Game 7 and Friday night, they failed to do so.

The Hawks had their way with the Nets all game long en route to a 111-87 win, advancing to the second round to challenge the Washington Wizards, eliminating the Nets from the post-season.

In tonight's contest, Paul Millsap led all scorers for the Hawks with 25 points (6 assists and 9 rebs) accompanied by DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver, who found success consistently, both scoring 20 each.

As far as the Nets are concerned, as a team, this game got away from them in the 3rd quarter alone, which sealed their fate early in the second half.

The Hawks scored the first seven points of the 3rd, extending what was a 51-45, six-point half-time lead to a 14-point, 59-45 lead, forcing a Nets timeout, through the first two minutes of the quarter.

Deron Williams would answer with a trey, cutting the deficit to 11, 59-48, with less than nine minutes remaining in the quarter and then the Hawks retaliated with yet another run.

Deron Williams Media Day PhotoBrooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams

"When it started happening (Hawks run), I called a time out," Hollins said post-game.

"Then I called another time-out and you could just see they had the wave of momentum that they weren't going to let up."

Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll would hit back-to-back three's and Al Horford would sink two consecutive buckets generating a 10-0 run, which ballooned their double-digit lead to 21, 69-48, forcing the second Nets timeout of the quarter in less than three minutes.

And that 21-point lead continued to 26, as the Hawks shot 57.4% from the field in the 3rd alone, shutting out the Nets who struggled to keep up with the no.1 seeded Hawks, shooting 37.5%.

In addition to their shooting woes, the Nets had a hard time taking care of the ball, committing five turnovers which aided the Hawks in scoring quick, easy baskets, contributing to their runs in the 3rd, routing the Nets in the process.

"The thing that's been killing us turnovers," said Joe Johnson. "Each and every game, no matter what game, and especially again tonight, at the start of the third quarter we started off with three or four turnovers and they go on a 12-0 run. We never bounced back from that."

Joe JohnsonBrooklyn Nets shooting guard, Joe Johnson

The runs, early in the 3rd quarter by the Hawks sucked the life out of the Nets, and created a deficit that the home team was unable to cope with and the pace of the game, without a doubt favored the visiting Hawks.

"We gotta stay being true to who we are and that's playing house basketball," said Carroll post-game.

"That's getting up and down the court, and I think Jeff Teague did a good job of that even though he didn't score tonight."

And they didn't need him to.

Teague distributed the ball like a true floor general, collecting 13 assists, helping three Hawks to score 20+ points, almost four in Horford who finished with 18 points.

The Nets on the other hand, didn't have a 35-point D-Will performance to lean on and as a team, lacked one 20-point scorer which defined their offense tonight.

It wasn't there.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 19 points, followed by 13 from Williams and 12 by Johnson.

The Nets entered the final quarter down by 26-points, and with an uphill battle ahead of them, waved the white flag within time.

At the 4:40 minute mark in the 4th, Hollins called a timeout subbing in Jerome Jordan, Darius Morris and Earl Clark for Williams, Johnson and Mason Plumlee and you didn't need a basketball analyst to know that this Nets season has come to a close.

Those subs were drowned out by the boos that filled the Barclays Center and to begin the quarter the PA announcer didn't even bother addressing the crowd, a home-game ritual where he asks Brooklyn to stand-up.

It wouldn't have helped.

The Hawks were focused and the Nets couldn't match the level of play necessary to force a Game 7.

"They were the better team and they showed it in the last game here," Hollins said during his post-game press conference which is the painful truth.

Only three teams in NBA history have successfully upset a no.1 team in the NBA playoffs (94 Nuggets, 99 Knicks, 07 Warriors) and like father time, history is undefeated also.

In closing, Hollins reflected on the season expressing his gratitude to the players he's coached and also shared his thoughts on the immediate future.

"We'll have to collect our thoughts and get ready for the summer," Hollins said.

"It is an important summer for our young players. We're going to attend two summer leagues and try to get some of our internal players better, then I'll get with Billy [King] and our front office and we'll talk about other needs."

And those comments capped off a frustrating season leading into what could be an interesting off-season for the home-team, but most importantly there's always next year.

Disastrous 3rd Quarter Dooms Nets, Playoff Upset Hopes Dashed with 4-2 Series Loss

Deron Williams 35 Points led the way

All they needed was one.

All the Brooklyn Nets needed was one win in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks to generate the confidence they needed going forward to have a realistic shot of winning or just being competitive, after losing the season series 4-0.

And after failing to return home with a win, the Nets answered the call in game three to extend this series, at least for another game.

They defeated the Hawks 91-83 in their 2015 postseason home debut, recapturing the attention of the fans while dispelling the early projections of an opening-round sweep, of course, favoring the Hawks.

I mean they are the no.1 seed in the Eastern Conference and pretty much owned the Nets all season long.

But those fortunes have changed.

The tides have turned, and on Monday night, the Nets enjoyed that good ol' home-cooking for the second straight game behind the performance of an unlikely hero.

After an up-and-down year of injuries and inconsistent play, Deron Williams erupted for a team-high 35 points and helped lead the Nets to a 120-115 win in extra time, tying the series at two apiece.

Unlike any other game this season, as an observer watching how he was able to exploit his match-ups and get to his spots, you actually wanted the ball in Williams’ hands.

He finished the first quarter with 11 points, but I highly doubt that anyone saw what was to come from the Texas native once the second half arrived.

Williams scored 16 points in the 4th quarter alone, connecting on four threes, none bigger than his last points of the quarter, a trey, which put the Nets up, 102-101 with under two minutes to go.

And moments later, Brook Lopez, who feasted down low for 26 points, found the basket for two on a floater, a critical possession, improving the Nets lead to three, 104-101.

Brook Lopez 600x591Brooklyn Nets center, Brook Lopez

You could almost feel it. The Nets were about to execute the unthinkable and what seemed like a long shot a week ago was becoming a reality, but this is the Nets were talking about, 38-44 at season's end and that's not how this past regular season played out for the home team.

This 2014-15 campaign was a roller coaster ride, and the Nets, staying true to who they really are, took the crowd on yet another twisted turn.

One made free-throw by Jeff Teague, poor defense on Paul Millsap and a missed game-winner by Williams, was all the Hawks would need to tie this game up in the closing minutes of the 4th and send this game into OT.

At least if you were a fan, you got your money's worth in addition to a free "We Are Playoffs", T-shirt.

But in all honestly, Brooklyn was provided with a reason to smile.

In the OT period, the Nets traded baskets with the Hawks and in the end, made the necessary plays to secure the victory.

And this time, they didn't need Williams to rise to the occasion.

Instead, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young took turns saving the Nets season from an improbable 3-1 comeback situation.

Bojan Bogdanovic 600x338Brooklyn Nets shooting guard,  Bojan Bogdanovic

 

Thaddeus Young 650x366Brooklyn Nets power forward, Thaddeus Young

With the Nets down by a deuce, 113-111 and a little over a min remaining in the 5-minute period, Lopez found Bogdanovic for a corner three, giving the Nets the go-ahead basket, now 114-113, quickly erasing the thoughts of a loss looming which seemed like the likely narrative just 20 seconds ago.

With the Nets down by a deuce, 113-111 and a little over a min remaining in the 5-minute period, Lopez found Bogdanovic for a corner three, giving the Nets the go-ahead basket, now 114-113, quickly erasing the thoughts of a loss looming which seemed like the likely narrative just 20 seconds ago.

"I got a couple open shots today because we are doing a great job on the pick and rolls," said Bogdanovic following the game.

"Brook is doing a great job swinging the ball to shooters."

And then Young, who has been a godsend since his arrival in Brooklyn, scored the final basket the Nets would need in this contest, sinking a running jump shot and collected the foul, missing the and-1, which put the Nets up for good 116-113, with 54 seconds left.

In a must-win game, the Nets delivered despite the constant criticism from the outsiders especially Washington Wizards own Paul Pierce, who last week, was openly critical about his time with the Nets last season and the core players which this team was built on.

Pierce said he "Hated" his time with the Nets and called out Williams for not wanting to be the man that $99 million dollars would warrant him being, but yesterday night, Williams showed up and quieted the critics.

He was the man and every man.

He was the man the Nets needed to come alive in a crucial game four and everyone including Nets Head Coach Lionel Hollins-loved every minute of it.

Lionel Hollins 07072014 resized 700x586 Brooklyn Nets head coach, Lionel Hollins

"For him to come out, it showed a lot of character to put on the performance like that, especially when we needed it because without that performance, I don't know if we get out of here with a win," Hollins said during his post-game press conference.

But that's why Williams has been the target of the criticism aimed in the Nets direction.

In the team’s season-long struggles, Williams has struggled and as the "Star" of the team, all of the blame, unfortunately, has landed on the shoulders of No.8.

But it's only right to shower him with the praise he deserves because William's performance has provided the Nets with new life in this first round series.

"We really needed to get this win to stay in the series," Williams said.

"It was definitely one of my better games this year for sure and probably as a Net."

And how can you argue with that?

Williams also said that this win was a team win, and that is a fact as six Net's scored in double-figures.

In addition to Deron and Lopez, Bogdanovic scored 15, Young added 10, Joe Johnson poured in 17 and Alan Anderson finished with 11.

As a team, the Nets were out-rebounded, 55-40 especially during the second half of tonight's game where Hollins elected to go small surrendering rebounding and defense for offense.

"Well, Brook got in foul trouble and he was tired, and we needed a change," Hollins said.

"It's just something that sometimes your gut says, 'what else is there to do?' That was what came about in my gut, and fortunately for us, it worked."

And what worked for the Nets, on this night, happened to be enough to fend off the Hawks, who boasted six players in double-figures, just like the Nets.

Teague and DeMarre Carroll led the way with 20 points each.

Kyle Korver and Millsap both scored 16 points. Al Horford added 17 and Dennis Schroder chipped in 10.

But it wasn't enough.

"We had some opportunities tonight that we just didn't take advantage of,” said Mike Budenholzer Atlanta Hawks Head Coach and NBA Head Coach of The Year, for your information.

"In this situation and in this time, it's important when you get an advantage or an opportunity. You have to take advantage of it. Credit to Brooklyn."

The Hawks led by 12, late in the 3rd and also led by eight heading into the 4th, to no avail.

Monday night belonged to the Nets, and most importantly Deron Williams.

"I played with Deron in Utah for a few years and that's the Deron I remember," Korver said post-game.

No kidding.

He continued: "You know, that's what he's capable of. He hit some really amazing shots, and you've got to give him credit."

This team will go as far as Deron will take them; and with the series tied 2-2, the Nets have the momentum and are in the right position to upset the no.1 seed.

It also doesn't hurt that Deron has the full support of Coach Hollins, who defended the point-guard earlier today regarding all of the criticism he's received recently.

"It means a lot when you're struggling like that and your coach comes out and defends you the way he did," Deron said.

"It means a lot. Says a lot about him and how much he cares about not only me but, this team and our players."

For the first time in a long time, the Nets are actually in a good place.

Game 5 is tomorrow night back in Atlanta.

The Last time the Nets won a road playoff game was when they outlasted the Toronto Raptors, in the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs, game 7 to be exact.

It's time for the Nets to mirror those results come Wednesday night.

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