At the start of the 2013 season, the Brooklyn Nets were considered favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The team had made marquee trades to acquire Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry as well hiring first-time head coach Jason Kidd who was looked at as a lock for success. Fast forward to May and Brooke Lopez is gone for the season. Garnett has been injured more times than not. Terry was traded and Kidd looks lost on how to solve the issues. Now on the brink of elimination, can the team force a Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors?
Last year, the Nets lost Game 7 to the Chicago Bulls on their home court. The moves made in the offseason were supposed to change that. The newly revamped roster featured 36 All-Star appearances and a pay roll of over $180 million. However, those big names are not paying off. Garnett and Pierce spent more time on the bench in Game 5 than on the court as players getting paid twice as less than them got the Nets back in the game.
Pierce played 24 minutes for just 10 points on Wednesday. The Nets were outscored by 31 points while the veteran was the court. Garnett was even worse, logging just 12 minutes. Kidd explained that he was simply sticking to the players with the hot hands as the two players downplayed the idea that they were angry not being involved in the fourth quarter rally.
The Nets are going to rally in Game 6 it is going to take the entire team to be productive. So far, Brooklyn has not found an answer to Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan. At one point those two built a 26-point lead on Brooklyn. The Nets were able to tie the game at one point in the fourth, but in the end Lowry hit the go-ahead three and it was over.
The Nets were supposed to have the experience to carry them through the series. The Raptors won their division and earned the higher seed but have no playoff experience. Yet the youth in the roster is dominating the Nets and could earn them the series win.
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