Here are three thoughts on the Nets’ 116-104 victory over the Pistons in Brooklyn Friday night:
1. The biggest reason the Nets have been able to win 15 straight home games — going all the way back to Jan. 31, when they lost to the Thunder two days before Super Bowl XLVIII — over the last two-plus months has been because they’ve shot the lights out at home.
Since the start of February, the Nets are shooting a league-best 51.9 percent overall at Barclays Center, and have the second-best 3-point shooting mark at 41.2 percent. If you roll those numbers forward to March 1, they get even better — the Nets have made 52.9 percent of their shots overall and 43.8 percent of their 3-pointers (while making 10.8 and taking 24.7 per game) — over 11 games at home.
This led to a humorous quote from Paul Pierce, when asked about his teammates’ shooting prowess: “We’re just comfortable in our building. Obviously, that’s where most teams in the league play well. You have momentum, you have your home crowd, you have a better feel for spots on the court and this is where you’re comfortable. For the most part, we’ve been playing so well here over these past couple months, and it just feels good.
“It’s like when you feel comfortable when you have dinner at your house rather than when you go to someone else’s house and don’t know what they’re going to cook. Same thing.”
2. Jason Collins had his best game yet as a Net Friday, finishing with six points and five rebounds on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field, and he also did the best job of any of the Nets bigs of trying to slow down the Pistons’ runaway freight train, Andre Drummond.
The Nets have struggled against teams with big front lines like the Pistons all season, with 11 of the team’s 13 losses since switching to the small lineup coming against teams with traditional power forwards and centers. The Nets will face a team with that kind of formation in the playoffs no matter what, as the Raptors, Bulls and Wizards all employ them.
This could be where Collins has the biggest impact: His best skill is post defense, and that could become a key factor in the first round.
3. Shaun Livingston set the latest milestone of his bounce-back season Friday by setting a career high with 74 games played. Livingston had one of his best games of the season, with 23 points on 11-for-14 shooting to go along with six assists and four rebounds.
Livingston has been the most pleasant surprise for the Nets this season, and arguably could be considered the most pleasant surprise in the league, seven years after suffering a catastrophic knee injury that many thought permanently ruined what was once a very promising NBA career.
Now the big question will be what kind of payday Livingston gets this summer — and whether it’s a number too high for the Nets to be able to afford.