© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Upon downfall against lowly Memphis, Cam Johnson calls the Nets to focus on the rest of the season
Upon picking up back-to-back wins against the Atlanta Hawks team, which is considerably their main opponent to drag for the East's final Play-In spot, the momentum has built up for the Brooklyn Nets to burst for their desired late-season push.
But on Monday night, their morale went upside down again as they sustained an embarrassing defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies, 106-102
Losing against a lottery-bound Grizzlies team that only has nine players within their roster while having no Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart in the roster, the Nets couldn't expect the most gut-wrenching punch that they could absorb out of their hopes to finish the season on a high note.
A disappointing effort in a must-win matchup
For Cam Johnson, effort stood up as the most crucial segment of their downfall against the lowly Grizzlies.
Brooklyn has it all to perform at their best once again — from the positive streak they are boasting and playing at home in the Barclays Center. Not to mention, the Grizzlies are yet to win since the All-Star Break, as they have a five-game losing skid entering the contest.
But in the end, the Nets took the opportunity for granted and opted to play their food, which made them pay the ultimate price.
“The game makes you pay when you’re not locked in,” Johnson said, who finished with 18 points and 5 boards. “I thought our focus was higher the last couple of games, and in this one, it slipped a little bit. So it’s on us, we gotta be a lot better.”
Move forward, don't step backward
While the loss has undoubtedly left a bitter taste in their mouth, Cam is campaigning for his entire Nets group to continue pounding and redirect their focus toward the situations that they control.
With 21 games left on their table and still 2.5 games away from the last Play-In spot, the Nets (24-37) have to keep their urgency high amid intensifying pressure of contention failure.
"I think we need to be positive with our group and attack these remaining 21 games rather than worry about things that have gone wrong. I think we just need to evaluate what we need to clean up and then put our hardhats back on and get back to work.”
