Brooklyn Nets
It was a grueling several days last week for the Brooklyn Nets. After firing head coach Lionel Hollins and reassigning general manager Billy King, the team held a press conference on Monday afternoon with owner Mikhail Prokhorov to discuss the recent changes and what lies ahead in the future for the franchise. While many people left the presser with more questions than answers, there is no denying that change is here and for the Brooklyn Nets, change is a good thing.
Following the presser on Monday, the Nets lost to the Spurs 106-79 at Barclays Center. They followed up the brutal loss on Wednesday night though with a nice win against the Knicks, who have been playing very well lately. The Nets protected their home court, beating the Knicks, 110-104, and it brought some positive energy to a team that definitely needed it.
This weekend was pretty rough on the Nets, since they lost to Portland and Atlanta on Friday and Saturday nights. Following the firing of Hollins, the Nets have lost 3 out of 4 games under interim head coach Tony Brown.
The Brooklyn Nets 2015-2016 season has already gotten out of hand. However, it is important for this team to restore some level of respect and credibility as they close out the year. Remember, this team does not have a draft pick, so losing games will in no way put them in better position at getting a better chance in the lottery. There is no reason why this team cannot hang with some of the playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference. Obviously, the Nets have no shot at getting the 8th seed in the east, but they can still compete with some of the teams that can. Beating the Knicks last week can go a long for for this team because it shows that the Nets actually are better than what their 11-30 record shows. Moving forward, it is important for Brooklyn to show up for the big games like they did last week against the Knickerbockers.
Getting rid of Joe Johnson and his pricey contract is the key right now for the organization. If Brooklyn can find somebody to take on Johnson’s deal, it will free up the Nets and help them have some extra cash once the season ends. This will also help make the Nets job a bit mor lucrative for whoever does decide to coach this team for next year.
Brooklyn has a very tough week ahead. They travel to Toronto for a matchup with the Raptors on Monday night and then on Wednesday, they host LeBron James and the Cavs. Brooklyn will close out the week at Barclays Center with games against the Jazz and the Thunder.
New York Islanders
The Islanders had a heartbreaking loss on Sunday at Barclays Center, losing to Vancouver 2-1 in an overtime shoot out. Trailing 1-0, Ryan Strome evened up the score at the beginning of the third period. The game was tied at 1 at the end of regulation and in the shoot out the Canucks were too much for the Isles to handle.
The highlight of last week for the Isles though was their epic 3-1 win over the Rangers on Thursday night at Barclays Center. Down 1-0 early in the third period, the Islanders put together three crunch time goals to finish off their crosstown rival and send the blue shirts back to Manhattan.
This has been a very successful season thus far for the New York Islanders. This team is certain to make the playoffs and they also might have what it takes to make a deep run in the Eastern conference. They are almost 10 games over 500 and they are certain to continue to make noise once the regular season commences.
Now the Islanders have the luxury off enjoying most of the week off. They need it. As we have moved into 2016 this team has fizzled a little bit and it will be good for them to get some rest, watch film and prepare for their game against the Senators in Ottawa on Thursday night. The Isles win then finish up the weekend with a game against the Flyers on Saturday at Barclays Center.
