The Brooklyn Nets clinched a playoff spot by virtue of a 119-106 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
For the time being, Brooklyn sits a game up on the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. If those positions hold, Brooklyn would be on a collision course with the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
Should the Nets drop to the No. 8 spot, they would square off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round.
The Nets, along with 21 other NBA teams, traveled to Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, to finish out the 2019-20 campaign, which was suspended for four months and 19 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nets entered the mix as a 30-34 team holding the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. But the roster that got them there doesn’t look much like the one that took part in the NBA’s restart in Florida, as Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler and Nicolas Claxton all opted out of the restart for family and/or health reasons.
Kyrie Irving also remained absent after he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. Additionally, Kevin Durant never seriously entertained a return from his torn Achilles as he continues to prepare for his Nets debut when the 2020-21 season begins.
The Nets still have some notable holdovers such as Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen in the bubble, but they were left to scrape together a new team with the likes of Jamal Crawford, Justin Anderson, and others to round out their roster.
Given the ragtag nature of their current rotation, it would be stunning to see the Nets give the Bucks or defending champions a real run in Round 1. However, it certainly won’t hurt for LeVert, Allen and Co. to get valuable postseason experience for the second year in a row.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
