With less than 30 games remaining in the regular season, the Brooklyn Nets have the chance to turn things around and solidly re-enter the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They will, however, need to act quickly, and they must exert effort if they are to accomplish so.
The one thing that stuck out in the Nets’ 136-86 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday was their lack of effort. Although the Nets cannot alter their talent level, they can alter their intensity of play on both sides of the court. Brooklyn faced what is perhaps the top team in the NBA.
The Celtics started the game on a 16-4 surge and never looked back, giving the impression that the Nets would never make it out of the locker room. When some of the players at the bottom of the roster, such Trendon Watford and Jalen Wilson, got a chance to play, the fourth quarter proved to be Brooklyn’s strongest quarter in terms of point differential.
The Nets did not lose Wednesday’s game by a wide margin or due to a poor game plan. Because of their lack of effort, Brooklyn did not show up for the game on either end of the court. After the game, Mikal Bridges, a guard for the Nets, stated as much.
