Nets: Playoff Hopes are Fading

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Only a few days ago, a couple of Nets privately thought about how tantalizing it would be if they were able to steal the sixth playoff seed and face Boston in the first round.

Such a scenario would have the Nets drooling considering their recent playoff success against the Celtics.

This, of course, all took place during the midst of a season-high five-game winning streak, before Memphis and Minnesota force-fed the Nets a hefty dose of reality.

In only three days, the Nets went from winning five straight to dropping two consecutive games and nearly falling out of the playoff race.

They now enter the Charlotte Coliseum tonight in a near must-win situation against the Bobcats. With 12 games remaining, the Nets (32-38) know their odds of catching Philadelphia and Indiana, which are tied for the eighth spot, are slim. They now trail the Sixers and Pacers by 3-1/2 games after the Sixers beat the Lakers last night.

Philadelphia visits Sacramento tonight and Phoenix on Wednesday, hosts Dallas on Thursday and travels to Boston on Sunday. So the Nets still have hope.

But Jason Kidd, who is deft at crunching numbers and knowing what it takes to get a team into the playoffs, believes the Nets likely will have to go 10-2 in order to squeeze into the postseason.</div> Source

 

[Timberwolf]

I went to the Continental Airlines Arena to see the Timberwolves play the Nets Saturday afternoon. I thought the Nets quit in the second half and I saw Vince and Jason Kidd dogging it all game long. While I was happy that the Timberwolves won since I forked up 100 dollars to see them win, it's not good when a team dogs it especially at home.

 

[Fast Luck]

Jason Kidd thinks too much and doesn't play enough with his heart. So what if the playoffs are unlikely? Tell "unlikely" to the kids at Bucknell. And we already know Vince was holding back in Toronto. I think the Nets could make the playoffs if they really tried. I can't see Indiana keeping up what they're doing without Tinsley, O'Neal and Artest.

 

[Shapecity]

I agree, the Nets have the players to get into the Finals, and if they make it they will also get Richard Jefferson back from his injury. The trio of Kidd-Carter-Jefferson, can give any team a run for their money in a 7 game series, including the Heat. Their next 5 games are against the Clippers, @Knicks, Magic, @Cavs, & Knicks, the Nets could conceivably win all 5 of those games, or at least go 4-1.

Indiana's next 5, Miami, @Washington, @New York, Cleveland & Washington. That's a tough schedule for a depleted Pacers team.

76ers next 5, @PhoEniX, Dallas, @Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland. Philly will be lucky to win 3 out of those 5.

The Nets are still very much in the race.

 

[Fast Luck]

Kidd and Carter are having trouble winning games by themselves, but with Krstic maturing they can do a little better, and then add Jefferson...

 

[Tesh15]

i think nets should just lose and go for the lottery and get a good front court player, probably aiming for tiago splitter. next season nets will be a very hard team to beat with jefferson,carter,kidd, and a mature krstic.. but i would like to see them be in the playoffs this year and if they do jefferson said he would be back in time for the playoffs.

 

[Fast Luck]

In this old story, Jason Kidd said the Nets would need to go 10-2 to make the playoffs. They've gone 9-2 so far with one game remaining. One more win (10-2) and they're in. That's a pretty accurate projection he made.

 

[Ma3oxuct]

hmmm...Indeed, very nice find