Brooklyn Nets: Analyzing the team’s 8 games leading up to the Playoffs

With the NBA set to return, the Brooklyn Nets and their eight-game “tune-up” schedule leaves the team with a stressful road to the NBA Playoffs ahead.

At last NBA executives reached an agreement regarding this year’s playoff format following the league’s three-month hiatus. Offering teams a few games to potentially shake up conference standings before the postseason tips off, the Brooklyn Nets stand amongst those with the most to lose.

Our most recent memory involving Nets basketball feels disgustingly distant at this point, having received nothing to feed our basketball appetites since March. That memory, which involved the Nets defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, likely left most fans feeling relieved and honestly quite surprised given Brooklyn’s mediocre play this year compared to the Lakers and their spot atop the Western Conference.

But going forward, adjusting to competition against high caliber teams such as the Lakers seems like a wise move for the Nets given their recently revealed road ahead. While Lakers remain absent from Brooklyn’s proposed 8 game playoff tune-up, their equally powerful roommates, the Los Angeles Clippers do, even showing up twice.

With the Orlando Magic, who trail the Nets by only a half-game, also set to line up against Brooklyn twice, as well as another game against the 43-21 Boston Celtics. Those teams formulate some serious threats against the Nets their stance as a playoff team, having built up only a six-game barrier between themselves and an early offseason thus far.

In between these ominous hurdles also lies games against the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, and a finale against Damian Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers. Overall, Brooklyn’s opponents form a 272-244 record, adding certainly some additional stress to those who bet on a Nets playoff berth this year.

Like it or not, these were the cards dealt to the Nets by the NBA this week, and unable to call for a re-shuffle, the way by which they play them out singlehandedly decides whether either an early offseason or an invitation to Mickey Mouse’s “party” exists before them.

Game 1 – Nets vs Clippers

No team threatens to dish the Nets an inconvenient loss more than the Los Angeles Clippers. Likely still giving the Nets trouble even if they were to carry a fully healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant into the contest, the Clippers poise to stress Nets and their playoff wishes by considerable measures with this matchup.

The Clippers won 44 games this year, leaving only the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks above them, earning a position that although valuable, oddly enough might not accurately reflect the team’s merit considering their load management strategies during the regular season.

No matter which way you look at it, the Clippers just wield too much firepower for the Nets to handle right now.

Within the coaching department, with Doc Rivers towers over Jacque Vaughn, who quite frankly failed during his only other head coaching stint, stitching together a 58-158 record with the Magic.

Also equipped Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who both frequently find themselves a part of the MVP conversation, the Clippers most likely see this Nets team as just an annoying bug to just swat aside before moving onto the NBA Finals.

Additionally, with Patrick Beverley at the point, almost no team stacks up defensively quite like the Clippers. Beverley’s presence as a defensive stopper especially calls for concern, as a potential tool primed to neutralize arguably Brooklyn’s best player, Spencer Dinwiddie.

When playing against Beverly and the Clippers last year, Dinwiddie shot an abysmal 5-for-32 from the floor, formulating a shooting percentage during those games 29 percentage points below his season average.

The bench situation also tips LA’s way, leading the entire league this year with 51.4 bench points per game. Meanwhile, the Nets average just 35 points per game from their reserves.

Only a gritty, low-scoring game sees the Nets pull off this upset, as expecting Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, or DeAndre Jordan to outplay LA and control the game’s tempo from tipoff to buzzer frankly feels like too much to ask. Although both stand as tall tasks, slowing down Leonard, George and company appears slightly more doable than instead breaking through their defensive wall and turning things into a shootout.

Still more likely taking a swift punch from them, a scenario involving the Nets winning this first game against Los Angeles, unfortunately, feels very unlikely.

Game 2 – Nets vs Kings

The NBA introduced the Sacramento Kings to their “second act” despite the team’s position 3.5 games outside the original playoff picture. The Nets knocked off the Kings with ease during their only contest this year, defeating them at home 116-97. But as a youthful and hungry team, they stand as no easy impediment for the Nets to surpass en route to the playoffs.

This year De’Aaron Fox successfully took the always critical “second step” during his third year, now leading his team with 20.4 points, 6.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. His speed and stingy playstyle might cause some trouble for Brooklyn, but to lose sleep over it contrarily seems like an overreaction as well.

Dinwiddie and LeVert’s numbers both matchup almost identically to their Sacramento opponents’, and LeVert’s amazing athleticism combined with Dinwiddie’s craftiness keeps the Nets well equipped to combat Fox’s attributes both offensively and defensively. But at the forward position, veteran Harrison Barnes sticks out as a more probable candidate to hurt the Nets.

This year, the Nets struggled terribly to defend against the pick and roll. For some reason unable to figure things out against this “bread and butter” type offense, the Nets ranked dead last giving up 23.2 points per game to ball handlers while attempting to defend against it.

With potentially a roll man to set things up like Barnes, who possesses both the ability to attack the rim and threaten from outside, and excellent off-screen shooters like Fox, Buddy Hield, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Kings might take advantage and run this set down Brooklyn’s throat all night long.

Controlling the glass seems like Brooklyn’s best chance to win, and also seems like an easily attainable feat, as only the Bucks averaged more RPG than the Nets this year, while the Kings rank just two up from the bottom spot.

Likely getting their way inside, expect solid games from both Jordan and Jarrett Allen, which hopefully also opens up more opportunities for Joe Harris, Dinwiddie, and LeVert to create additional offense off of the kick.

Game Three – Nets vs Wizards

Likely without John Wall, the Wizards only possess one real threat, and according to some, that threat might even find himself wearing Brooklyn threads by next year. But whether or not those rumors hold any stock, Bradley Beal remains as Wizard for now, and an increasingly difficult player standing between the Nets and a playoff berth.

https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1223755985971568645?s=20

During their most recent game, the Wizards managed to comeback from a 37 point onslaught dealt by Brooklyn during the third quarter and win the game 110-106. As expected, Beal led the way with 30 points, five assists and five rebounds. Once again, Beal singlehandedly willed his team to a victory, while the Nets customarily blew another lead during the game’s late stages.

But luckily for the Nets, the Wiz kids wield very little firepower beyond Beal, as secondary scorers Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura both average fewer points per game than Beal combined. With that understood, stopping Beal essentially stops the Wizards, giving way to a hypothetical Nets victory.

To do accomplish this, the Nets must successfully frustrate Beal with constant double teaming and aggressive play.

Although he appeared almost entirely unstoppable this year, Beal showed some serious difficulties once faced with multiple defenders at once against the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors last year immediately following Wall’s injury.

Although evidence aged two years might not exactly feel too accurate, it astonishingly enough remains the most recent evidence depicting any struggles from Beal.

Furthermore, getting out to a quick start seems likely to help the Nets as well. With a greater deficit at hand for Washington, the more inclined Beal will feel to play “hero ball,” and consequently begin taking low percentage shots. Also known as a clutch shooter, this strategy keeps the Nets away from any situation that leaves Beal with the ball and a chance to win the game at the buzzer.

Ultimately, this game remains one we expect the Nets to win, and one they quite frankly need to when considering the other teams still lying ahead of them.

Game Four – Nets vs Celtics

The Boston Celtics punched their tickets to the playoffs just before the NBA hit pause on the season, but despite their stature as an undoubtedly top tier team this year, the Nets experienced some success when facing off against their northern rival, even achieving a 2-1 record against them.

This leaves the Celtics as a difficult team to project against the Nets, as their head to head record contradicts what the Eastern Conference standings might tell you.

Dinwiddie and LeVert both outplayed Boston’s backcourt duo which includes Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown during all contests other than their inaugural one, which dates back over six months, and in fact, did not include LeVert at all due to an injury. But even Walker’s 39 point outburst during that game now feels overshadowed by LeVert’s 51 piece that eventually led to Brooklyn’s second consecutive win against Boston.

Although the evidence suggesting that Nets indeed carry a backcourt more superior than Boston’s, their opponent’s young forward Jayson Tatum enters the bout as a threat worth another look as well.

Tatum took a significant leap this year, elevating his numbers across every major statistical category. Averaging 23.6 points per game, his increased offense this year even places him as a top-five Eastern Conference scorer and top 15 league-wide.

But things become increasingly strange once comparing Taytum’s outputs with his team’s success against the Nets. Playing Brooklyn only twice, a higher scoring game for Taytum where he shot 52.6 percent from the field saw the Celtics surrender a loss, while a lower scoring affair from him where he shot an ugly 29.4 percent oddly enough resulted in a victory.

Although he likely still holds the shamrock crown as Boston’s best overall player, when stacked up against the Nets at least, sharing the team’s offensive duties appears like a more fruitful option.

Down low, expect Allen and Jordan to handle Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter with ease, which really just forces you to circle back to the guard position.

For Boston to even the series, other players besides Taytum must show up, perhaps looking for Marcus Smart to add more as a third backcourt weapon, or for Walker and Brown to take things up a notch. But for Brooklyn, continued domination from Dinwiddie and LeVert with everyone else simultaneously doing their job keeps them right where they need to be.

Game Five – Nets vs Magic

With the Magic just a half-game behind the Nets, no contest feels more important for Brooklyn in regard to any potential playoff implications. Despite Brooklyn’s position above them, the Magic continue to persist as thorn within Brooklyn’s side, having stolen both games during each team’s limited series this season.

Although Brooklyn established a lead going into the fourth quarter during their most recent matchup against the Magic, they surrendered the game during its waning moments, also dropping the series having fallen behind two games to zero.

With such circumstances considered, the Magic appear as no easy foe once lining up against the Nets. But despite their advantageous situation going into the game, their narrow yet still convincing victories and the manner by which they played during said victories now redirects the Nets and their efforts hopefully toward the right direction.

During Orlando’s most recent victory, forward Aaron Gordon served as the Magic’s most damaging weapon, with Brooklyn only responding with undeniably laughable forces set up defensively. Whether down low within the pain or from far out, even beyond the arc, Gordon punished Brooklyn with his versatile scoring capabilities.

Once the buzzer sounded, the scoreboard reflected an Orlando deficit turned into a lead thanks to Gordon’s diverse offensive playstyle alongside his closing swat against LeVert, which truly concluded his performance with a memorable finale. But, although coach Vaughn remains a generally inexperienced coach, he must know how to adjust his team based on these repeated failures against Orlando.

With Gordon’s excellence backed up behind former All-Star Nikola Vucevic, the Nets must upgrade themselves down low to finally defeat the Magic.

Going forward, a lineup featuring Jarrett Allen as a power forward, backed up by Jordan at the five spot feels extremely beneficial, offering the Nets a chance to even things out against Orlando’s powerful frontcourt duo and then allow their superior frontcourt players to take advantage.

This might keep Brooklyn from stretching the floor as much and consequently limit their offensive capabilities, but it was their defensive struggles that brought Brooklyn crumbling down during their last game, and as noted earlier, Dinwiddie and LeVert should help pick up the slack.

Once again considering their future competition, alongside the small real estate separating them from to Orlando, this game highlights their schedule as one crucial to Brooklyn’s playoff plans, and one optimistic fans certainly expect to the team to emerge victorious from.

Game Six – Nets vs Clippers (Again)

Load management stands as perhaps the factor most responsible for LA’s position below the Lakers going into the playoffs, and now with the playoffs even closer, their “rest up” strategy grows even more justifiable.

With the Clippers at full strength, the still Nets lack the star power to contend with them, but if they continue to play things safe and stow away their star players after they adjust back into playing shape but before the playoffs begin, and opportunity for the Nets to steal a win certainly arises.

More specifically, if either Leonard or George decided to sit out their second game against the Nets, watch for Brooklyn to make no fuss about it and take advantage. Without either Leonard, George, or sometimes either player, the Clippers appeared undoubtedly vulnerable this year, dropping games against unimpressive opponents like the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, and Phoenix Suns. Those teams combined have a .382 winning percentage, one far below Brooklyn’s .469 mark.

Brooklyn’s position as a borderline playoff team opposed to LA’s cemented spot also helps apply a slight mental edge for the Nets during this matchup.

Although the Clippers might show some aggression while trying to keep the Denver Nuggets from hopping up a spot and snatching the two seed, the motivation provided by just playoff berth alone weighs far heavier than one derived from only a playoff positioning ordeal.

Ultimately, you only really worry about something like missing a flight, rather than what seat you might get.

Potentially sprinting through the terminal after buying a ticket for the middle seat, farthest from the bathroom, and without an air conditioner, the Nets might need to win this game in order to hop aboard the NBA’s playoff plane just before it takes off.

Game Seven – Nets vs Magic (Again)

Once more the Nets plan to face off against the Magic during second to last game, and due to its later timetable, this encore matchup may carry even more intensity and severity than its predecessor.

Considering these implications, and his clutch play during this season, this game shows all the signs forecasting a big game from Spencer Dinwiddie.

Although his tweets over the last few weeks possibly left some fans puzzled regarding his commitment to the team, Dinwiddie remains a Nets and certainly seems committed to making a playoff run.

With factors such as Durant and Irving confirming their plans to omit themselves from the playoffs, Brooklyn’s razor-thin lead ahead Orlando, Dinwiddie’s clutch tendencies and a chance for him to close out a career year for him with a bang all surrounding this game, no affair exists owning better odds for the “tech guy with a jumper” to put on a show.

Likely guarding him at the point guard spot, Markelle Fultz defends adequately, but once going against Dinwiddie’s crafty moves and top tier game IQ, that high arcing layup poises to fall into the net time after time for Dinwiddie during this game.

During his most recent game against the Magic, Dinwiddie dropped 24 points, knocking down four three-point shots with Fultz struggling to keep up.

Fultz indeed resurrected his career with Orlando this season, and truly reminded the league why Philly took him first overall, but stopping a determined Dinwiddie still feels like a bit too much for him.

While the game’s fate might still weigh primarily on defending both Gordon and Vucevic, the circumstances endorse Dinwiddie as a potential hero by unignorable measures.

If things play out accordingly, Durant might need to extend another high five invitation Dinwiddie’s way despite what happened last time.

Game Eight – Nets vs Trail Blazers

Brooklyn’s only matchup against Portland this year truly played out as a game for the ages, with the Nets narrowly walking away with a 119-115 road victory. But without Irving this time around, who contributed 33 points to the team’s prior victory, things naturally become far more difficult.

Slowing down Damian Lillard obviously tops Brooklyn’s “to do” list when playing against Portland, and they find themselves with nowhere to go but up after surrendering 60 points to him last time around. As a premier player, Lillard highlights this game as the best player set to hit the hardwood by a wide margin.

Likely still causing nightmares for Oklahoma City Thunder fans, Lillard remains the last person any opposing NBA team might want to get hot. So to keep him on ice, look for the Nets to trap him often and try to dictate the game’s flow early on.

C.J. McCollum threatens as a dangerous weapon poised to hurt the Nets as well, but this remains a “pick your poison” situation for a depleted team like the Nets, and Lillard’s venom stings a bit more menacingly than his backcourt partner’s.

But moving on from Lillard, only a few other teams averaged more screen assists than Portland this year, so fighting through any man-made roadblocks remains crucial to their defensive efforts as well.

Putting an emphasis on perimeter defense seems wise too, as only the Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, and Pelicans shot better from three than the Blazers.

As a final game for the Nets likely holding massive playoff implications, this contest reeks with pressure, but if they slow down Lillard, break through any pesky screens, deny the three-point shot, and keep their cool, this matchup likely ends with Brooklyn securing a dub and hopefully celebrating their either recently clinched or now furtherly maintained playoff position.