© Cory Knowlton-USA TODAY Sports
Nets seize odd home stop in the midst of grinding road stretch
The Brooklyn Nets embraced an exhausting six-game trip on the road. But upon the completion of the first three games, they intriguingly rerouted themselves to be back at home.
Upon hitting the flight, teams commonly tend to commit themselves to traveling straight and finishing the road stretch. Yet, in the case of the Nets, they took an unusual stop back in Brooklyn for a two-day off before ultimately resuming their away skid.
A rejuvenating brief home break
Despite this uncommon move, the Nets perceive the brief home break as a way to necessarily take a step back from hoops during the team's grinding schedule.
After going 1-2 in the past three games, which saw a back-to-back outing, the ball club will face the Orlando Magic on Wednesday and will then shift their focus to the Indiana Pacers for their Saturday showcase. They’ll then immediately conclude the lengthy swing in a Sunday clash with the Spurs in San Antonio.
“Yeah, it is unusual to break up a road trip like this,” interim head coach Kevin Ollie told New York Daily News’ C.J. Holmes.
“But I think we got with our players early on in the season, and they prefer to do it like this, so we’re going to obey their wishes on this one. It was just probably good for them to get home and spend some time with their families, spend some time with their pets, whatever they do on an off [day] just to get away from basketball a little bit and enjoy that back home in Brooklyn.”
A good rest before going back into action
As it is, players are satisfied with the short rest they gained upon the road trip. For Dennis Smith Jr., the team's home landing couldn't be more refreshing to condition themselves back in play for more.
“Definitely [good],” Smith Jr. said. “Come home, practice, everybody gets the rest in their own bed, yesterday was a day off, which was necessary. We came and had a really good film session. Everybody was locked in on the court. So, we’re trending toward the right direction in terms of getting ready for the road trip.”
