On the Court
After earning back to back wins at the end of last week against the Cavs and the Pacers, a cold dark malaise has set in once again in Brooklyn. This past week things got ugly and the Nets are now dealing with yet another losing streak.
It started in Miami on Monday where the Nets fell to the Heat, and then they lost in Orlando the next night, getting dropped by the Magic. On Thursday they lost in Cleveland and on Friday night they lost to the Knicks at MSG.
And the losing continued. Brooklyn finished off their week yesterday here in Kings County, where they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 106-87. Luke Babbit led the way with 21 points for the Pelicans, who, like the Nets, have done nothing but underachieve throughout this season.
At 21-56 for the year, it is hard to believe that things can get worse, but they can. This team has a lot of work to do in the offseason and it really all begins with finding the right coach to lead this them out of the doldrums. The roster is not devoid of talent and Sean Marks will have a lot on his plate as he decides how to go forward. Just because they do not have a draft pick coming up in June does not mean they cannot make significant upgrades.
Looking at the roster, the Nets do have some quality players both in the starting rotation and also on their bench. Specifically, Sean Kilpatrick has been a very good pickup for this team. He is averaging a shade under ten points per game and he has provided a lot of energy for them off of the bench. GM Sean Marks made a great decision when he decided to acquire the former Cincinnati Bearcat.
Finally, the biggest news that came out of Brooklyn came before the Nets lost to New Orleans. Interim head coach Tony Brown told the press before the game that the Nets would be shutting down Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young for the remainder of the season. This is a smart move by the team as they realize that their two best players, who have been lone bright spots, in a very tough season, have earned the right to avoid playing any more meaningless basketball games
The Nets now have just five games left in this season and it will good for this team to move on and put the past behind them. Their record speaks for itself, but fans in Kings County are hopeful that better days are coming in the future for this franchise.
On the Ice
A poor performance in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon was the last thing that the New York Islanders needed as they make their move for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team fell back into a funk and they lost 5-0 at Barclays Center to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Isles fell behind and they never found a way to get back in the game. As far as bad losses this season, this one might have been the worst. The Isles were embarrassed on their home ice.
To add insult to injury, the Isles will have to finish off the regular season without their top defenseman Travis Hamonic. Hamonic suffered a knee injury in their win over Columbus last week in Brooklyn. The timetable is not exactly set, but the Isles will have to regroup and manage without Hamonic for their upcoming slate of showdowns that will test the playoff aspirations of this team.
“We obviously hope that he’ll be back soon,” Islanders center and captain John Tavares told the media late last week. “Everyone’s just got to step up and work through the void.”
Just like the Nets, the Isles have only five games left in the regular season. The difference is that while the Isles have a chance to keep on playing, we knew that the Nets would be golfing by mid-April a long time ago.
This week is crucial for this team and it all begins tonight, in Brooklyn as they host the Tampa Bay lightning, who beat the Isles down in Florida just two weeks ago. The Isles follow up that matchup with a showdown in Washington tomorrow night against the Capitals and then they come back to the big apple to square off with Rangers at the Garden on Thursday.
There is no doubt that the next three games could absolutely make or break the season for the Isles. It will be three tough tests against three playoff bound teams. The Islanders will then round up the week on Sunday at Barclays Center against the Buffalo Sabers.
It’s do or die time in Brooklyn and the Isles know that they better step it up as they make their push for the playoffs.
