Cutting the Nets Some Slack
It's been a long, long year in New Jersey. Some nights they fell just short (11 losses by four points or less), and on other nights it looked completely hopeless (10 losses by 20+ points). In spite of it all, the Nets finally came through, winning for the third time in their last four games to bring their regular season win total to 10 and guaranteeing them to finish without tying the 1972-'73 Philadelphia 76ers for the worst single-season record ever.
It's actually rather 
surprising that New Jersey chose tonight to avoid the history books. They were facing a San Antonio Spurs team that had won 12 of their last 16 and was coming off consecutive wins against Cleveland and Boston, both decidedly better teams than themselves.
Even when looking at the box score, this looked like a game they should have lost. The Spurs shot better from the field, and even held a five point lead with six minutes to play. Unfortunately, San Antonio went 11-20 from the free throw line in the game, while the Nets were 11-13 in the fourth quarter alone, and a crisis was averted for New Jersey.
What happens next? Well, after a hard fought game like tonight I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they get dominated by Phoenix on Wednesday, though it will be interesting to see how Brooks Lopez follows up last night's double double playing against his brother Robin.
The Nets have a few more winnable games against the likes of Washington and Indiana, so they may not have been doomed with a loss tonight, but I'm sure they're happy that at the very least, the tone of their Sportscenter highlights can change now.
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