It’s about whether we can trust the Nets. That’s what this inaugural season in Brooklyn is about. It’s not about taking over New York City or having the best arena or even winning an NBA championship. It’s about whether we can trust this franchise to hold up its end and be a team that isn’t going to let down its fan base and a community excited about its arrival.
We haven’t been able to trust the Nets for a while. Not since Jason Kidd left, taking his two Eastern Conference titles with him. Not since the Nets decided to move to Brooklyn, abandoning their fans in New Jersey and tanking the last two seasons.
In recent years, the Nets have talked about being competitive only to become irrelevant. That’s why this season is about rebuilding trust and becoming a team worthy of the attention this move to Brooklyn has created.
The Barclays Center is a state of the art facility, a gorgeous building that’s worth at least one visit. But it’s up to the Nets to prove they deserve your money a second and third time. They don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. They have to earn it.
Last night’s 114-101 victory over the Cavaliers was a step toward respectability. It was the kind of game the Nets needed to win to add legitimacy to their claim of being a franchise on the upswing. The Cavaliers (2-6) entered with a three-game losing streak and at the end of a long road trip. The Nets (4-2) didn’t give them any life, outscoring them 35-12 in the second quarter.
It was more efficient than spectacular. Joe Johnson (25 points) didn’t score his first bucket until nine minutes remained in the second quarter. Still, the Nets led 64-42 at halftime. In what’s becoming a troubling habit, the Nets gave back much of the lead and allowed the Cavaliers to close to within 10 points in the fourth quarter before reclaiming control.
“It’s better to figure out how to correct things when you’re 20 points up than 20 points down,” coach Avery Johnson said.
Beating the teams you’re supposed to beat, especially at home, is the foundation for success. But at this point even Johnson isn’t quite sure exactly what he has in this team.
The acquisition of Joe Johnson to team with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez gives the Nets their own version of the “Big Three.” They combined for 74 points last night, and if healthy they should be enough to carry them to a playoff berth, though Avery Johnson insists “we still have a long way to go.”
Consistency can’t be built overnight.
“We’ve been learning every game and it’s only going to get better for us,” Lopez said.
Joe Johnson added, “When this thing comes together it’s going to be fun to watch.”
The Nets may play in Brooklyn, but they carry the stigma of being a losing franchise in New Jersey, where they weren’t forced to commit to anything. Not to Newark, where they were only renters, and not to each other as temporary teammates. Change was inevitable. So was losing. But now they have a home, stability and the expectations that come with it.
“It’s a greater level of responsibility,” Avery Johnson said. “It’s where we all said we wanted to be. Now we have to have the appropriate response.”
The Nets’ responsibility is to prove worthy to all of the hype that has surrounded this move to Brooklyn. They must build the Barclays Center into a home court that is feared and not simply a tourist destination.
When Mikhail Prokhorov bought the team nearly two years ago he predicted a championship within five years. He has three more to go. It starts this year with building a team its fans and Brooklyn can trust.