April 4, 2015, Queens, Former pro wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura famously said in the movie Predator, “I ain’t got time to bleed.” Well, something similar can be said to the Brooklyn Nets: “You ain’t got time to be tired.” The Brooklyn Nets are coming off back-to-back games obviously feeling more than a bit fatigued physically and mentally. But this is April. And when you are fighting for a playoff spot and the sharks are in the water, because they prefer making the playoffs rather than playing for ping-pong balls (see New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, et al), you better suck it up. The Nets lost to the first- place Atlanta Hawks who are on pace to have their best season ever. The win enabled Atlanta to tie their season high for wins in a regular season. Congrats to ATL. However, when you are the Nets, and Boston, Miami, Indiana, as well as Charlotte are nipping at your heels, you better get out your oxygen masks. You can sleep during the off-season.
The Nets were never really in the game as they lost to the Hawks, 131-99, losing their 41st game of the season. When you lose 41 games in a season that has 82 games, do the math. The best the Nets can be is 41-41, a .500 team. Average. With six games to go, they (Nets) are unlikely to win all of the remaining games which means they will have a losing record.
How bad was it? The Hawks led by as many as 39 and hit the century mark with 2:52 left in the 3rd quarter. In all fairness, just a couple of weeks ago, the Nets were thought to be out of the playoff chase until they ran off six consecutive wins. They went from tenth in the Eastern Conference to seventh.
Tonight, Charlotte beat Philadelphia 92-91so they (Charlotte) gained ground on the Nets. Boston beat Toronto 117-116 in OT, and the Detroit Pistons clipped the Miami Heat 99-98 in the final minutes.
The Nets have six games left; five home and one away. On Monday, April 6, they take on the Portland Trailblazers, and then they face the Hawks again on Wednesday, April 8, and the Washington Wizards on Friday, April 10. That is a tough stretch. Then, it’s off to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on April 12. They come home to face the Chicago Bulls the following day and end the season against Orlando on Wednesday, April 15. If the Nets go 4-2, they will probably make the playoffs. If they split the six games, it gets dicey. If they go 2-4, its unlikely. If they go 1-5, it’s a wrap. The Nets don’t have time to be tired.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at cliffb@puresportsny.com