The Brooklyn Nets' path to the 2014 playoffs was not easy, but they managed to get there. After pulling off a blockbuster trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, expectations were extremely high for the team even under first-time head coach Jason Kidd. An extremely rocky start put the playoffs on the backburner but turnaround at the start of the new year has the Nets surging at the right time and they know there is pressure to perform in the postseason.
The Nets claim they are not nervous, but the team has lost the past three of four games to sub .500 opponents. Kidd opted to sit most of the stars , downplaying the idea that the cut off of momentum will hurt come Game 1 on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors.
"Not at all. No. Why would I be concerned?"Kidd said, via ESPN.com. "It happens. [You play] 82 [games]. Sometimes you play well. Sometimes you don't. We'll get better tomorrow."
Kidd that the team ended the season the way they wanted to with everyone healthy and prepared to go into the postseason this weekend. Paul Pierce echoed the words of his head coach noting that ending with a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was not the ideal way to head into the postseason, but the team is determined to get better and excel in the pressure.
"It's that time of year when you get the chills," Pierce said. "It's that sort of time when the weather is getting warmer. It's an exciting time of year. Everybody loves being in the playoffs. We should have that sense of urgency now. You can't just turn it on once the playoffs start. It's not like you can just go in and be world beaters."
Kidd is stressing the entire lock room hit the reset button before heading into Saturday's game, stressing that the regular season is over and so were the untimely losses. The Nets are forced to enter as the sisth seed while Toronto finished well enough for the third seed and will get home court advantage. They split the regular season series and the Nets will be anxious to bring the series home where they have won 16 of their last 18 games.
"I like right where we are," Kidd said. "We are in a good place and playing some pretty good basketball as of late. We've rested and guys have gotten their work in at the same time of getting some of the injuries they've had -- some of the nicks and bruises -- healed. Now it's time to figure out how to get a win on the road."
