Brooklyn Nets earn 7th seed as they remain red-hot heading into playoffs
The red-hot Brooklyn Nets clinch the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference and secure a first-round playoff matchup with Boston Celtics.
On paper, the Brooklyn Nets are one of the most talented teams in the Eastern Conference. They have two of the top 10 offensive players in the league and just enough of a supporting cast that suggests this is a team that can create some major damage in the playoffs.
They have no business being a bottom two playoff team but that’s exactly what they’re going to enter the playoffs as they took care of business in the Play-In Tournament against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For much of the season, the Nets have been up and down. However, over the past month, the team has really hit its stride. Since March 8, the Nets have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 12-5.
Additionally, over that span, the Nets have the third-best offensive rating and (perhaps most importantly) a top 10 defense. The biggest gripe against this team has been their underwhelming defense. However, over the last month, the team has even improved on that end of the floor.
With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant‘s late-game closing ability, it’s easy to see why no one wants to see the Nets in a seven-game series. Even less so when considering that there’s a really good chance that the Nets are not only playing their best basketball of the season but also just getting better.
With their win over Cleveland Tuesday night, the Nets will now shift their focus to a first-round series against the Boston Celtics, who will be without the heart and soul of their defense Robert Williams.
It should make for an interesting matchup and certainly will be the one series in the first round that all the attention will surround.
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The Nets are arguably the hottest team in the Eastern Conference right now and could return Ben Simmons at some point once the playoff start. The big question is, can they pull off a first-round upset against the Celtics? It will be fun to watch unfold.