Can The Brooklyn Nets Still Make The Playoffs?

Is there still hope for the Brooklyn Nets to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference?

Well, there should be.

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This is one of the teams in the NBA that has a lot of veteran talent after all, most notably guards Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, along with center Brook Lopez.

The Nets have won three straight games, and are currently sitting at the eighth spot in the East playoffs, just a half game up from the two-way tie between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers.

As I said, this should be the result that comes about because it would be a real shame to see a team with this much talent not make the postseason.

It’s not only those three cornerstones. It’s Thaddeus Young, who was recently acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the trade deadline, and Jarrett Jack, who’s done a great job as the backup and sometimes starting point guard for the team this season.

And one can’t forget about emerging center Mason Plumlee, whose combination of size and athleticism has allowed the Nets to play a more up-and-down style of basketball and take advantage of their athleticism elsewhere.

Plumlee has also been a welcome addition on defense, as his timely shot blocking has made a difference protecting the rim for Brooklyn. The Nets aren’t one of the better defensive teams in the league, but having Plumlee down low does make a bit of a difference.

Except for points allowed, the team sits in the bottom third of the league in most major categories, which could be due to head coach’s Lionel Hollins‘ play calling, at least on offense. There is too much firepower for this team to struggle on that end of the floor consistently.

Nevertheless, the Nets have found a way to grind out games lately, using their size down low along with their perimeter scoring power of Williams, Johnson and rookie Bojan Bogdanovic. Even though they haven’t played the most efficient game of basketball, they still have enough players that can hit shots from all over the floor, something that counts when games are close down the stretch.

The Nets’ last nine games of the season won’t be easy, as all but three come against teams currently sitting in the playoffs, and the Pacers are still fighting for that last spot. Only the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic could be looked at as potential “easy win” games, but both teams have been playing better basketball of late, especially Orlando, who has a couple of emerging stars in Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic.

Having two games left against the Atlanta Hawks is also dangerous because they’ve been the best team in the East this year by a very wide margin. It really hasn’t been close when comparing any other Eastern Conference squad to them besides maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brooklyn doesn’t matchup well with Atlanta because of their tendency to get lazy on defense. The Hawks move the ball around the perimeter and into the post so fast that it can be hard to keep up if you aren’t constantly keeping an eye on the basketball.

Can Brooklyn still get into the postseason? Absolutely. Will they? That remains to be seen, as the odds are certainly stacked against them. However, I’m leaning towards yes, as I don’t see a young team like the Celtics holding on this late in the season, and the Pacers have struggled of late (and all season, really, without star forward Paul George).

Keep your heads up, Nets. This is your chance to prove yourselves.

Next: Making Playoffs All Nets Have Left

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