The Nets have exceeded expectations so far this season, and it’s been fun to watch their team build, grow and mold into the 2nd seed in the eastern conference with a record of 24-13, and they went on a 10-1 run in their last 11 games heading into All-Star weekend. We will now be recapping the first half of the Brooklyn Nets 2020-21 season and what the expectations are for this team moving forward in the second half of the year.
The first thing we have to do when recapping the Nets first half of the season is to see if their mid-season moves helped or hurt them. On January 13th, the Nets acquired former MVP James Harden while also giving up key pieces for their future in Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. The Nets were 7-6 and clinging onto the 5th spot on the east before acquiring Harden. From January 16th to the All-Star break, the Nets went 17-7 after going on an eight-game win streak, with five of those games on the road and without Kevin Durant while simultaneously having the best offensive rating of all time at 123.1.
\The next thing we have to look at for the Nets first half of the season was the best road trip in franchise history where the Nets went 5-0 on the west coast from February 13th to February 21st, averaging 122 points per game in that span. The Nets beat the Clippers, Kings, Suns, Lakers, and Warriors on that road trip. The Suns, Lakers, and Clippers are the second, third and fourth seed in the western conference in that order too. They won eight games in a row, but five of those games were on the road, but that eight-game win streak is still the best win streak in the NBA so far this season.
As of March 8th, the Nets have officially acquired six-time all-star and human highlight reel, Blake Griffin, after the Detroit Pistons bought out his contract and he cleared waivers. The 31-year-old was averaging 13 points and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes a game before the Pistons decided to shut him down completely until his contract situation was resolved behind closed doors. The Nets projected starting lineup for their next game on Thursday, March 11th against the Celtics is Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and De’Andre Jordan, if that doesn’t put the fear of God into opponents and the rest of the league then I don’t know what will.
Ok, now that you’ve seen, read, and digested the Nets lineup for the rest of the season, let’s talk about the expectations for this 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets team moving forward. With all the experience, coaches, and superstar talent the Nets have, anything less than a championship is a failed season. With two former MVPs, two finals champions, and two of the most entertaining players of the 2010s, this Nets team matches up well with any other team in the NBA. Some key pieces people may be overshadowing are Joe Harris, who is 4th in made three’s in the entire league and first in three point percentage this season shooting 49% from three so far. Another major piece of the Nets roster is Bruce Brown, the swiss-army knife of the team. Brown does everything. He can shoot, pass, get to the rim, rebound even with all the tall 7 footers under the rim. The Nets bench is going to be just as important as the 4 star starters if the Nets want to make a deep playoff run.
As of right now, the Brooklyn sits at 24-13, good for the second seed in the eastern conference, and with the acquisition of forward Blake Griffin, this team is clearly aiming for a championship, and I don’t see one team who is in position to stop them when NBA play picks back up again. The Nets play the Celtics on Thursday night, March 11th, at 7:40 EST.
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