[ad_1]
Everything remains up in the air for the Nets. The coveted seventh spot in the play-in tournament. Falling out of the top two seeds. Dropping all the way down to ninth.
It all comes down to one simple thing: Beat the dreadful Pacers on Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center. Otherwise, it can get tricky for coach Steve Nash’s team.
It could start on the road Tuesday. It may have to wait until Wednesday, when the Nets would have to win two games to advance to the main draw of the playoffs. That scenario would only be possible if the Cavaliers (at home for the Bucks) and Hornets (at home against the Wizards) win on Sunday and the Hawks lose (on the road against the Rockets). That would mean the Nets, as the ninth seed, hosting the 10th-seeded Hawks in an elimination game.
But if Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Co. find a way to prevail against the Pacers, losers of nine straight games and owners of an ugly 25-56 record, they won’t have to worry about that unwanted possibility.
“It feels good to be in this position. Hard fought and just want to take it one day at a time and get prepared for Indiana coming Sunday and have some good results there, get better that day and be ready for Tuesday,” Irving said. “So it feels good like you said with all the complications, stuff like that. It’s the past, now we just control what we can control and get ready to hoop.”
Who the Nets will play should they win on Sunday isn’t certain. It could be the Cavaliers or the Hawks on Tuesday, depending on how both teams fare on Sunday. That’s not as important as taking care of business, however. The Nets won both regular-season series’ against the Cavaliers and Hawks, taking a combined five of seven against the two playoff contenders. They won all three games at home against the two teams.
“Every game that we play, we feel like it’s a must-win. We want to give our best effort,” Irving said. “But obviously with this play-in tournament, this playoff idea or play-in idea, you know it’s been a little bit more pressure, but that’s part of being in the NBA and you know preparing daily for these types of moments.”
The Nets (43-38) feel like they are trending in the right direction at the right time, having won three straight entering the final day of the regular season. They overwhelmed the Cavaliers late on Friday night, rallied from a 20-point deficit to knock off the Knicks at the Garden two days earlier and their last three losses are all by single digits against playoff teams. They have set themselves up for the best possible spot in the play-in tournament. Only one thing is left to do to make it official.
“We win on Sunday, we [play] again on Tuesday [at home],” Bruce Brown said. “We just have to lock in and take care of the Pacers.”
[ad_2]