On Jan. 22, just a shy over two weeks ago, the Nets stood in first place in the Eastern Conference, looking like the titans many expected them to be, especially with Kyrie Irving back in the fold as a part-time contributor.
Fast forward to Sunday night, and after an eighth straight loss, Brooklyn finds itself currently in a play-in spot as the trade deadline looms later this week, holding out hope for reinforcements before the season continues to slip away.
“There's a good chance we're in the play-in after the All-Star break,” head coach Steve Nash said. “We're not going to panic. There’s still plenty of games available after the All-Star break, when Kevin [Durant] gets back….hopefully LaMarcus [Aldridge] comes back…and at some point it would be great to have Joe [Harris] back.”
While the team may not be panicking, some aren’t downplaying the current concern level as the team can’t seem to stop its drastic slide down the standings.
“Very high,” Blake Griffin said bluntly when asked about the team’s level of concern after Sunday night’s loss to the Nuggets.
There is plenty reason to agree with Griffin’s assessment. The Nets are now just percentage points ahead of the surging Celtics, who are eighth in the conference thanks to a five-game winning streak, while the Hornets are just 1.5 games behind Brooklyn, even with their current four-game losing streak. No team in the NBA currently holds a longer losing streak than the Nets, who could be without Harris for the rest of the season, won’t have Durant back until the All-Star break, and may never have Kyrie Irving beyond a part-time role.
So while there may not be panic in Brooklyn, there is certainly a justified concern.
“These guys gotta show this resolve,” Nash said. “That’s the opportunity here…we have a choice every day to stay together, to try to pick your teammate up and keep that energy and try to not let it affect us negatively. That’s a huge challenge. It’s hard not to drop your head.”
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