A victory after six defeats in a row is something to be celebrated for Brooklyn. After the success against the Raptors, Kevin Ollie decided to stay in Toronto and take his Nets dinner at the restaurant before leaving this Tuesday for Washington, to play the Wizards on Wednesday evening.
The success was short, against a very weak team (four starters less), but as times are tough for the Nets, anything is fair game. “I told the players it was hard to win in the NBA. The wine will therefore be a little better”, slide the coach.
Take an example from the Knicks
It's especially hard for this Brooklyn team, which has been very disappointing since the start of the season, and even more so for more than three months. The matches without flavor or victory accumulate and even the prospect of snatching a place in “play-in” does not seem to wake up this group.
“We must have an internal fire”, explain Kevin Ollie. “I talked to them about it: do you have endurance? I'm not just talking about breath, I'm talking about competitiveness. You have to be there every minute to win and that hasn't been the case lately. When we are hit, we don't back down, we hit back. »
This mental endurance, this desire to give everything at every moment, especially when it's hard, the Nets have an example close to them: in New York, with the Knicks. They too have wounded, but they never forget to make their efforts and even when they are short, they resist, fight and fall with their weapons in their hands.
“It's just a matter of endurance to do it for 48 minutes. That’s it: mental, concentration to stay in it”confirms Mikal Bridges. “I know what’s in them and I know what’s in that locker room”adds the coach. “When they play together, with a collective spirit, they can win. I want them to be aware of it. »
No time for regrets
There are only ten matches left and they will not be enough to save the season, which will inevitably end with a negative result (already 45 defeats on the clock). And with the Hawks' unexpected victory against Boston, the chances of taking tenth place are dwindling since the Nets are 5.5 wins behind Atlanta.
How can we imagine the franchise finishing strong and coming back from such a gap when it has only won three matches out of the last eleven? “We cannot complain and say to ourselves that we could have done this or that”, warns Mikal Bridges. “It’s clear that it’s a shame to be in this position but we can only do one thing: move forward. »
And there is no point in throwing away the last meetings to hope for a better Draft choice since the Nets' first choice in the 2024 Draft will go to Houston (and it will be the same in 2026). “We have to look in the mirror and find a way to be better”concludes Nic Claxton.
