There was plenty of hype surrounding the Nets’ 2012-2013 season. They were going to become the biggest thing in Brooklyn, outshine the Knicks, take over the city and become the talk of the NBA. At least that’s the way the Nets’ Russian billionaire owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, talked.
Entering the NBA All-Star break, all of that hasn’t exactly come true … yet.
The Nets are still second fiddle to the Knicks and figure to be for a while. And whether they’re a true contender to go deep in the playoffs will become clearer during the final two months of the season. At least they depart for the All-Star break feeling good after scoring a season-high in a 119-108 victory over the Nuggets last night at Barclays Center.
It’s their second straight win after a home debacle against the Spurs last Sunday and improves the Nets to 31-22, their most wins before the All-Star break since 2003-2004 when they won 34.
The Nets understand they have been largely inconsistent, mixing encouraging wins over teams like Oklahoma City, Chicago, Boston, the Knicks and now the Nuggets with blowout losses to teams like Memphis, Miami and San Antonio. They left last night talking about solidify an identity in the second half and being more consistent.
“I want us to be a tough team,” Joe Johnson said after leading the Nets with 26 points. “At times we’ve been a little fragile. When teams make runs at us, we have a tendency to not come back strong. We have to develop that mental toughness during the second half of the season.”
Still, all-in-all the Nets should be happy where they stand at the break, knowing they have put themselves in position to have this season remembered for more than just moving into a new building.
The Nets deserve a chance to exhale. They’ve been through a lot. There was the move to Brooklyn that put the players into a new environment. There’s a new roster of players, including the arrival of Johnson, and there was the coaching change in December when P.J. Carlesimo was elevated to interim head coach after Avery Johnson was fired. Even Carlesimo can’t be unhappy with 31 wins heading into break.
“If you’re a decent team you want to be at 30 or 40 [wins] before the All-Star break. I just think we’ve been a little uneven,” Carlesimo said, adding, “This is a new roster and anytime you have a new roster you going to have what we’re having right now. I don’t think we’ve established what we are right now. I think it remains to be seen what we’re going to do in the last 30 games.”
The Nets were a bit uneven last night. A lead that was once 89-69 was whittled to 101-96 before they seized control again.
“It’s a great way to go into the break and it’s a great way to bounce back from the San Antonio game,” Carlesimo said.
It’s up to the Nets to improve from here, finish the season strong and enter the playoffs playing their best basketball. To do that they’ll need to eliminate the periods of indifference they’ve had thus far, especially against the better teams in the league.
Helping the Nets is that they’ve finished their series with the Knicks, the Heat, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. These last 29 games are a chance for them to settle in and find an identity that is reliable and consistent.
“I don’t think we’ve settled into what we are,” Carlesimo said.
That should come with stability, including maintaining the core of the roster, naming Carlesimo the head coach and turning Barclays Center into a place opposing teams hate to visit. Maybe they can do that over the next 29 games. Maybe it takes longer. But all-in-all, so far so good.