Inside The Nets

Nets Have Lots to Play For to End Season

The Brooklyn Nets have a lot to fight for as the season winds down.
Jeremy Brener|
Feb 12, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell (1) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell (1) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are a team with little to play for in the final two months of the season in the grand scheme of the league, but they feel like they have a lot on the line.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley describes the Nets as "problematically feisty" going into the final two months of the season.

"Remember when the Nets were so frisky out of the gate (9-10 to start the season) that they threatened to derail their own tank job? Or how the front office worked to get things back on track with December subtractions of scoring guard Dennis Schröder and Swiss Army knife stopper Dorian Finney-Smith?," Buckley writes.

"That seemingly worked, as Brooklyn went on to lose 22 of its next 27 games, but the Nets are suddenly feeling frisky again. They entered intermission with six wins in their last seven outings, including triumphs over the Rockets, Heat and 76ers.

"That surely makes things more enjoyable in the locker room, and this feels like an encouraging sign for first-year head coach Jordi Fernández. But the Nets remember how loaded this draft class is, right? Is a play-in tournament push really worth plaguing their own draft lottery odds? The players and coaches might think so, but the Brooklyn brass must be worried about potentially losing out on a blue-chipper."

The Nets have several players competing for their next contract or spot in the league, whether it be in Brooklyn or somewhere else. Therefore, the Nets won't be folding and playing dead like many around the league think they will. They could play spoiler on any given night, and that could shake things up in both the playoff standings and lottery odds by the end of the season.

The Nets are back in action on Thursday when they host Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from inside the Barclays Center.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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