Built for the playoffs.
Since the Nets’ offseason acquisition of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Celtics that has been the way the team has been described. We are about to find out with the veteran team opening the postseason Saturday against the Raptors.
“Probably the biggest difference is the mentality this group brings into the postseason,” YES Network analyst Mike Fratello said of the team that was upset by Chicago in the first round of the playoffs last season.
“There were a lot of fragile pieces last year and Chicago came in with a tough-minded group and ended up beating them, but I don’t think that team really thought they could beat Chicago. This team — Pierce and Garnett with their leadership — it’s a completely different team to the one that lost in the round, you can’t really compare the two.”
For a while it did not seem certain if we would find out if the Nets, who finished the season 44-38, were built for the playoffs because they started out as a lousy regular-season team. They began the season 10-21 and lost star center Brook Lopez for the balance of the season. First-year coach Jason Kidd was scrutinized for reassigning assistant coach Lawrence Frank and for intentionally and laughably spilling soda on the court late in a game to gain an extra timeout.
But when the calendar turned, so did the Nets’ fortunes. They were second in the East with a 34-17 record since Jan. 1 and quickly moved up the standings.
Part of the early-season problem, said YES play-by-play man Ian Eagle, was Pierce and Garnett adjusting to being out of Celtic green. Pierce had played his entire career in Boston, and Garnett the previous six seasons with the duo leading the Celtics to two NBA Finals, and capturing a championship in 2008.
“Pierce, in particular, had a tougher time with the idea of not putting on that Celtics uniform every day,” Eagle said. “It wasn’t until the game where they had the ceremony honoring him in Boston [Jan. 26] — I think he really needed that for closure and to turn the page. Since that point, he has been completely engaged in the Brooklyn storyline. He’s really been a different guy in many ways, much more comfortable.
“I think it hit him — this is where my career has taken me. Also, the move to power forward has given him a new lease on his NBA life. It allowed him to take advantage of some matchups on the offensive end, and defensively it has forced him to make some adjustments. He can’t take any possessions off. That also makes his minutes more efficient.”
If the Nets advance, they likely would play the Heat in the second round, assuming Miami gets past the Bobcats. The Nets won all four games against Miami this season.
“When you have Pierce and Garnett and the leadership they possess, and Joe Johnson who has made so many good shots, Deron Williams, this is a team that’s going to be a tough out for somebody,” Fratello said. “It won’t be easy to get the Nets out of the playoffs.”