The NBA's longest current winning streak belongs to ... the Nets?
Yes, the "aren't-they-tanking?" Nets from just two weeks ago won their sixth in a row Tuesday by defeating LeBron James' Lakers 115-110 at Barclays Center.
After losing eight straight and 11 of 13 following blossoming guard Caris LeVert's leg injury in Minnesota on Nov. 12, the Nets' season appeared destined for disappointment. With Brooklyn at 8-18, the social media talk ventured toward blowing the whole roster up again, with a few exceptions (LeVert, center Jarrett Allen and the two rookies -- Rodions Kurucs and Dzanan Musa). It wasn't just that the losses were piling up, but the way the Nets were losing was more deflating. I count four defeats this season as just plain holiday gifts to the Nets' opponents.
Few saw this streak coming. What changed in two weeks?
LISTEN: 'The Evan Roberts Podcast': Instant Reaction To Nets' Win Over Lakers
Not a whole lot. Much of the list below, which looks deeper beyond the simple "D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie are scoring more points," falls under the "A followed B. Therefore, B caused A" illogic. Individually, each "factor" can be debunked somewhat. But there's no question that the cumulative effect has made this team harder to beat.
1) The Schedule
Four of the six wins have been at home while neither road game (Philadelphia and Manhattan) required a plane ride. Other than the overtime upset over Toronto that commenced this streak, each opponent was either a tanker (Knicks and Hawks) or one that Brooklyn caught on the right night. The Sixers were missing an All-Star (Jimmy Butler) and a key reserve (Mike Muscala), while the Wizards (Otto Porter Jr. and Dwight Howard) and the Lakers (Brandon Ingram and JaVale McGee) were each down two starters.
Of course, the Nets have had their own injury issues, as Allen Crabbe joined LeVert on the sidelines in the last three games. And Brooklyn hadn't exactly been a haven going into the streak -- the Nets took just three of their first 13 home games. I estimated Barclays Center was two-thirds Lakers fans on Tuesday.
2) The Film Session
The details have been kept a state secret, but the Nets did hold a players-only film session following their 114-112 loss to the Thunder two weeks ago.
They haven't lost since, making it easy for the media to proclaim it a "turning point."
It's not like the Nets have played differently since. However, they certainly have been executing better. Their 117.6 points per 100 possessions during the winning streak trails only San Antonio for the league's most efficient offense over this time span, per NBA.com.
The offense still can get stagnant at times, and the defense has been below average to putrid, but the Nets clearly have come together at a point when we've seen other teams combust.
Give credit to ...
3) Veteran Leadership
The Nets are a young team. As NetsDaily.com pointed out, the average age of the starting lineup in the last three games has been 22.4 years old.
However, don't underestimate the value that veterans such as Ed Davis, Jared Dudley and DeMarre Carroll have given on and off the court.
Dudley, who was allegedly a key ringleader during the aforementioned film session, shocked the Lakers with four driving layups among his 13 points Tuesday.
Dudley "is that guy you play with in the park -- you come to the park and he's got tattered sneakers, he's like 42 years old (Dudley is 33), but the darn guy always stays on the court because his teams are always winning," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "You want that guy when you go to the park. You want Jared Dudley on your team because the IQ is off the charts and he plays so hard."
Atkinson has recently turned to Davis in the cases in which brutish opposing centers were having their way with Allen. Davis, who has the team's best net rating (plus 15.2) in the last six games, was instrumental in limiting Sixers star center Joel Embiid in the second half of last week's contest.
4) Rodi in the Rotation
It took Atkinson a lot longer than I hoped to see what seemed obvious to me since the beginning of the season -- that Kurucs belonged on the floor playing non-garbage-time minutes.
Better late than never.
The 6-foot-9 Kurucs plays with an infectious energy. His length and deceptive speed allow him to be lethal in transition and kept him from being singed like I thought he might be on defense. More importantly, he can space the floor as a long-range shooting threat.
Kurucs, whose last DNP-CD came versus the Thunder, has started in Crabbe's spot the last three games. I believe he will be more impactful as a reserve going forward, though the stats in the small six-game sample size suggest otherwise.
5) In Closing
Barclays Center exploded when Russell buried a pull-up 3-pointer over Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma with 22 seconds remaining to put Brooklyn up by six points. Some called it "a dagger."
I knew better.
No lead is safe with this team. The Nets' victory wasn't secure until James air-balled a 31-foot pull-up 12 seconds later.
The Nets had been cartoonishly bad in end-game scenarios, at one point 8-8 when holding a double-digit lead.
There have been some close calls down the stretch during the winning streak, but the key is that Brooklyn survived each time. Four of the six games were within a five-point margin during the final five minutes. The Nets committed six turnovers in the 14 "clutch" minutes, but they made enough shots from the field and the foul line (54/33/70) while holding opponents to 40/30/50 shooting. Not one side-step 3-pointer from Dinwiddie in this sample. Thirteen points on nine field goal attempts, mostly off drives.
Isolation hero-ball still rears its ugly head too often, but it hasn't led to the killer mistakes that once caused the Nets to pull defeats from the jaws of victories.
The streak will surely end soon. Brooklyn has a back-to-back in Chicago Wednesday, and while the Bulls are dysfunctional, the Nets could easily show up with less than the requisite energy after Tuesday's euphoric night.
How the Nets deal with the prosperity from their improved play will be the next test for their development program.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1. And listen to Steve's "City Game" Nets podcast on WFAN.com, Radio.com, iTunes and other places where podcasts are found.
