The Brooklyn Nets are sure to be one of the big stories in the early part of the NBA season.
The team is playing its first season since moving to Brooklyn and has a brand new, billion dollar arena that is the toast of the city. The team has a celebrity owner, fashionable new jerseys and one of the best point guards in the NBA in Deron Williams. The question is, can the team make the playoffs this year?
When they take on Boston on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. there will be no playoff implications, but the team can use the game to measure itself against one of the most successful teams in the Eastern Conference the past five years.
The two teams played on Tuesday night, with the Nets emerging victorious 97-96 in Boston. Andray Blatche has a big game for the Nets, scoring 23 points and adding nine rebounds. Reggie Evans added 10 rebounds and eight points.
Starters Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries did not play in the game. If the Nets hope to be successful this season and make the playoffs, they will need solid production from their bench, especially from Blatche and guard C.J. Watson.
The Nets should be much improved from last year's squad, who went only 22-44 and finished 17 games behind Boston in the division.
So far this preseason the Nets are 3-0, but that does not mean it will translate into success in the regular season. Last year the Nets ranked 24th in the league in points allowed and 24th in points per game. Both those numbers will need to improve for the team to get better.
Deron Williams should put up even better numbers this year since the team has added more talent in players like Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace. He had a solid year last year, averaging 21 points and nearly nine assists, but the team only ranked 22nd in the league in assists per game.
Kris Humphries averaged a double-double last season with 11 rebounds and 13 points per game and should make a formidable front court with center Brook Lopez, who is considered to be one of the most talented in the league.
The Nets are going for their second straight win at their new arena after defeating the Washington Wizards on Monday. The team will open the arena for the regular season on Nov. 1 against the Knicks.
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