If the Brooklyn Nets are going to be one of the best teams in the NBA season, they must get past the Miami Heat. The team will get their first taste of the league's two-time defending champions on Friday night with the chance to test their newly upgraded roster. The Nets' season-debut did not go as planned, but point guard Deron Williams still believes Brooklyn is the better of the two teams.
"I don't know if we felt we were a better team than the Heat last year," Williams said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "And so I think in order for us to be able to beat them this year, we have to feel like we are a better team and we can beat them. And I think we do."
The Nets have lost their last 13 matchups with the Miami Heat. The last three were lost by at least 21 points each. However, they did beat the Heat during the preseason which could help the momentum going into Friday's game. After losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brook Lopez notes that this will be a statement game for Brooklyn.
"I think it will definitely be a statement game," Lopez said. "It's going to be a great benchmark for us. We absolutely believe we're capable of competing with them and that's something we're going to want to be doing down the line, obviously, in the playoffs. So we're definitely anticipating a high-energy, important game."
If Brooklyn is going to top Miami, Williams will have to start becoming more of a factor. The point guard sat the entire fourth quarter against the Cavaliers. He is still recovering from an offseason ankle injury. Williams was not expected to even be active at the start of the year, but instead he is having his minutes extremely limited. General manager Billy King believes Williams will see more playing time against the Heat.
The matchup also marks the first time James meets Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce as members of Brooklyn and not Boston. The three have had a strong rivalry. Not to mention, Ray Allen will be seeing his former teammates in different uniforms for the first time in years. Williams thinks the personal rivalries will only make the game even more special.
"They [Pierce and Garnett] definitely have their rivalries, their dislikes," Williams said. "As a team, if one guy has a beef with somebody, we all have a beef with them. That is how we are going to attack it this year."
New head coach Jason Kidd expects the game to be very physical and very demanding on both sides. He is thrilled to see Garnett and Pierce pushing the team to establish an aggressive identity.
"They only know one way and that is to play hard no matter if it is against the Heat or against anybody else," Kidd said. "No layups. They are going to make you take the ball out or make you shoot two free throws. That is the way we are going to play, not just Paul and KG, but the rest of the guys on the team."
Williams says the mentality of the Nets has really changed in the new season. The team is taking the raised expectations and using them as motivation to be the best. Their first big test will come on Friday.
