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ESPN Power Rankings: Marc Stein Sarcastic Towards Nets in Week 20

By Tyler Dencker

Mar 1, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) congratulates guard Jeremy Lin (7) during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) congratulates guard Jeremy Lin (7) during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Brooklyn Nets finally got their tenth victory last week, but the only thing it did was trigger a sarcastic response from Marc Stein in this week’s rankings.  

Current Ranking: 30

Ranking Last Week: 30 (no change)

ICYMI: Last Week’s Rankings

The Brooklyn Nets may be ranked dead-last in Marc Stein’s weekly ESPN power rankings for a 12th week in a row, but that’s beside the point. Their quest for the tenth win of the season is over, and now they can finally shift their focus to moving up in the power rankings.

If only.

The Nets still boast a miserable record, and have plenty of work to do before they can even come close to moving up.

After roasting the Nets in last week’s rankings, Stein was sarcastic to open up in the Nets’ comments this week. He writes, “The Nets sure showed us, didn’t they? After going winless since Jan. 20 and enduring a bunch of snide barbs from the Committee in last week’s comment space, Brooklyn dug out a 109-100 victory in Sacramento to ensure that it would not go winless on this seemingly interminable eight-game road trip.”

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It didn’t stop there for Stein. He then mentioned how the Sacramento Kings “not-so-secretly want to be losing games,” completely destroying any moral victories the Nets gained from their tenth triumph.

Regardless, it’s still hard to blame Stein. Who knows, maybe his harsh comments are what motivated the Nets to win this week, and they did just that last night against the Grizzlies.

We’ll see if that becomes a trend this week. The Nets still have the Hawks, Mavericks, and Knicks on deck. Two of these games will be on the road.

We’ll see if the Nets can make Stein eat his words for a second straight week.

Big Movers: Phoenix Suns (up four spots)

This move from #29 to #25 shouldn’t be overlooked, but it happened to be the biggest movement of the week. The Suns are on a three-game win streak, including a win over the Boston Celtics in what was one of the best finishes in a game this season.

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Big Losers: Sacramento Kings (down four spots)

Just two weeks removed from being the big losers of the power rankings, the Kings already find themselves back on the decline. Obviously, the Kings were losers to the Nets this week, but they lost in a heartbreaker against the Utah Jazz on Sunday. Hope seems to be lost for the Kings as they look forward to the future, much like the Nets themselves.