Brooklyn Nets: Would the Nets Benefit from a NBA World Cup?

WOULD THE NETS HAVE A CHANCE?

Check out O’Connor simulated drawing for the 20 teams:

Of course, this is one of the hundreds of potential combinations the Nets could find themselves in with a “World Cup” proposal. Though they certainly would not fancy them favorites to advance, stranger things have happened.

While they are yet to play the new-look Clippers this season, the Nets thumped the Sacramento Kings by 19 at home in November. They’ve won four straight over the past two years over the Denver Nuggets and after losing two matchups earlier in the year against the Indiana Pacers, took the most recent contest in February courtesy of one Spencer Dinwiddie.

To have a chance of advancing, they would realistically need to 1) sweep the two games against the Kings, 2) sweep either the Pacers or Nuggets and split with the other, and 3) manage to split with the Clippers to go 6-2. Call it about a 10% chance, and that’s optimistic (I tried to run this using 538’s ratings and kept getting under 5%).

Regardless, there are hundreds of possible draws the Nets could find themselves in. What if they get the Bucks, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Pelicans (worst case)? Or, what if they get the Raptors, Utah Jazz (without the injured Bojan Bogdanovic), Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs (probably the best case)?

The odds of advancing to the final eight are probably less than 15% in the most optimistic of scenarios. Is that greater than the chances the Nets would’ve had in a best of seven against Boston or Toronto?