The NBA is not an exact science, which is why we can’t be sure the Nets are a team on the rise or simply teasing us with their impressive play of late.
A 104-89 torching of the Kings Sunday at Barclays Center earned the Nets their fifth win in their last six games and improved their record to 31-30 after standing 10-21 on New Year’s Eve.
“Obviously, we’re playing pretty good basketball right now,” reserve forward Andrei Kirilenko said. “We want to keep it on that note.”
Of course, time will tell whether the Nets can make this a memorable season, but the threat of their success indirectly adds pressure on the Knicks to land Phil Jackson and steal some of the positive energy brewing in Brooklyn.
There was a time when the Knicks hardly acknowledged the Nets, especially when the franchise moved from Long Island to New Jersey and became an afterthought. But the Nets made the playoffs in their first season in Brooklyn and are making noise again this year, having hired Jason Kidd as their coach and acquiring big names like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams in recent years.
Though just one game over .500, they stand good enough for the sixth seed in the East and could climb higher if they continue to play the way they did against the Kings, as they created 25 turnovers and generated 14 steals. Pierce played just 1:13 before leaving the game with a shoulder injury, but the Nets’ bench proved more than capable, outscoring the Sacramento reserves 59-19, including 27 from former King Marcus Thornton.
“We’re very talented. We’re very deep,” Williams said recently. “We’re a team that’s built for the playoffs. Once it’s set in stone, we feel like we have a chance against anybody in a seven-game series.”
The Nets are becoming a feel-good story. They’ve got the rookie coach in Kidd who was a legend as a player, future Hall of Famers on the roster and a building in which they are 13-2 since Jan. 1.
The signing of Jason Collins, the first openly gay active player in the NBA, has generated plenty of positive publicity off the court; and there’s always a certain level of intrigue surrounding billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov. An extended playoff run would only enhance the Nets’ brand.
Meanwhile, the Knicks’ brand is tanking. Their playoffs hopes are hanging by a thread, the job security of coach Mike Woodson has been in question all season and the possibility of Carmelo Anthony becoming a free agent and signing with another team is a dark cloud hovering over the franchise. Making the playoffs — thought to be a given when the season started — is now a long shot.
A non-playoff season with no lottery pick and losing Anthony without compensation would make the Knicks appear second-rate compared to the positive energy surrounding the Nets.
Right now the Knicks look like a franchise with no plan to rebuild into a contender and no leader to execute the plan if they had one.
The Nets, meanwhile, look as if they’re just getting started. The team has begun to win with consistency, using their depth and defense to wear down opponents. Kidd looks comfortable as a head coach, and his players have found a workable chemistry.
The excitement and the energy of the city will be around the Nets should they make the playoffs and the Knicks don’t. They will become basketball kings from Brooklyn to Manhattan. They’ll be the team being talked about come May.
That’s why the Knicks are trying to sign Phil Jackson. It’s one way to keep up with the Nets.