Behind the locomotives that are the Cavaliers and the Celtics, the Eastern Conference has a huge soft underbelly. So much so that, after their victory against the Grizzlies and with a balanced record of 4v-4d, the Nets find themselves in third place in this conference!
Difficult to imagine before the start of the season since Brooklyn was mainly announced in the lower reaches of the East…
“We don't care what people think or say. We believe in our group and everyone wants to make the playoffs”, ensures Dennis Schroder. “It starts with the veterans. Everyone encourages young people not to go on social networks, not to think that we are only going to win a few matches. We want to play hard every game and, yes, win matches. »
“If teams think facing us will be easy, then it’s going to be a rude awakening”
After two defeats to start the season, the Nets took on the Grizzlies, the Bucks and the Bulls twice, and only lost in overtime to the Nuggets.
“We are competitors. Dennis Schroder and Cameron Johnson played on very good teams. Johnson played the Finals (with Phoenix in 2021)Schroder was not far away”, recalls Dorian Finney-Smith. “The most important thing is our locker room. We don't care about other people's expectations. We know what we expect of ourselves. We're going to fight. If teams think facing us will be easy, then it's going to be a rude awakening. »
Basically, the Nets are not insensitive to outside noise. They say they don't listen to him but are aware that they were placed among the worst teams in the league this summer. It has become a powerful engine for players.
“External expectations were very low but everyone, even the coaches, are very motivated,” assures Nic Claxton. “We take things day by day. The season is long and we are off to a good start. We can always do better but the start is positive. We must continue to accumulate matches. »
Dennis Schroder and his gang will have a much clearer idea of their level and their ambitions in a few days because, in the next eight days, they will face the Celtics twice, as well as the Cavaliers, the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, and two of the three best records in the entire NBA, with Oklahoma City.
