It may not have counted, but it sure mattered.
It was only a preseason game, and won’t mean anything in the standings. But it was Kenny Atkinson’s first game as a head coach, the Nets’ first live action in his system and Jeremy Lin’s first time with the unquestioned keys to a team in years.
If first impressions count — and in the wake of last year’s bitter aftertaste, they might — then all of them were successful in Thursday’s 101-94 preseason-opening win over the Pistons in front of 8,782, including owner Mikhail Prokhorov, at Barclays Center.
“We struggled in the first half against a good offensive team. But the positive side was they scored 35 points in the second half, so we picked up our activity,’’ Atkinson said. “We were just more active. We got in passing lanes, we caused a lot of havoc out there.”
The Nets’ entire 2015-16 season, which ended 21-61, was havoc, which is why Atkinson and new general manager Sean Marks are here. Many project Brooklyn as the NBA’s worst team, but the Nets offered a sneak preview of an uptempo motion offense and an aggressive defense that forced 24 turnovers and converted them into 29 points.
“It was really cool,’’ said Lin. “We train, we work out for months and months to be able to play in a real jersey against somebody else. We’re so sick of playing each other, so it was fun, a lot of fun.”
Lin clearly had fun, with a game-high 21 points in just 17:18 of action. With his tweaked jumper a big topic during training camp, he hit 7-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-8 from 3-point range, his scaled-back release looking quick and fluid.
“It felt great. I got in a zone and honestly if I didn’t get so caught up in trying to hit more, I think my last two would’ve dropped if I was just not thinking about it and shooting it the same way I shot the previous six, seven,” Lin said, acknowledging disappointment in his and the team’s defense in a first half, when they allowed .581 shooting to trail 59-57 at the break.
“It starts with me,’’ Lin said. “I’ve got to get on the ball more, and we’ve got to be more active. They were too comfortable, too easy coming out if the gate, just tossing up shots.”
The Nets held Detroit to 23.1 percent shooting from the floor (six-of-26) in the third to open up a double-digit lead.
“I thought we were more aggressive started touching people, being more physical. In the second half we were just the aggressor, more aggressive than they were,’’ backup guard Greivis Vasquez said.
“Obviously there were mistakes. We weren’t perfect. But it was a promising, exciting [start],’’ said Brook Lopez, who had eight points and didn’t play at all in the second half.
“We weren’t happy with our first half of defense. Not saying our second half was perfect. It starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job communicating and just recognizing certain situations. We need to get to another level and it’s going to come from playing together.”
The Nets communicated well enough to run off 14 straight points and take a 73-66 lead when Lin found Joe Harris for a reverse with 5:59 left. Lin checked out 31 seconds later.
After Detroit climbed back into it in the fourth, the Nets used a high-octane performance by undrafted rookie Yogi Ferrell (five points, a steal and assist in the quarter) and an 18-6 spurt to end it.
“He’s the energizer bunny,’’ Atkinson said. “We saw that in Summer League, he can score in bunches, he’s dynamic. He’s done a really good job in camp.”