The Brooklyn Nets have 23 games left in the regular season. The Nets currently sit at 30-29, and are in possession of the 6th seed in the Eastern conference. The Nets will need to come out of the all star break hot, as their schedule to end the season is absolutely brutal. The Nets last 13 games are at OKC, at Utah, at Clippers, at Kings, at Lakers, at Trail Blazers, at 76ers, home vs Celtics, home vs Bucks, home vs Raptors, at Bucks, at Pacers, home vs Heat. Brutal, absolutely brutal. The only team in that stretch that is not interested in winning is the Clippers who traded their best player, but even the Clippers will be a tough game as they are currently the 8 seed in the West. The Nets are a relentless group, so I’m sure they will get a couple wins over that stretch but not many. The Nets historically struggle out west, and struggle against the Bucks (who they play twice) and Pacers. The last game of the season against the Heat could potentially be a play in game like the Timberwolves and Nuggets last season.

It is pivotal for the Nets to take care of business in the first 10 game back from break. The Nets start off with a tough but winnable game against the Trail Blazers. If the Nets hit their shots and defend the three point line they should be able to secure the win at home. The Nets then travel to Charlotte in another winnable game. San Antonio then takes a trip to Brooklyn in what should be a close game, and then the Nets take on the Wizards at the Barclays Center in what should be a victory for the Nets. The Nets wrap up their season series with the Hornets on March 1st at home, and then take a trip to Miami before returning home to face the Mavericks. I could see the Nets winning all 3 of those games, which would be huge for their playoff push. The Hornets (8-21) and Mavericks (6-22) are not good road teams, and the Heat (11-16) are surprisingly not good at home this season. After that the Nets face 2 must win games, home vs Cleveland and at Atlanta. The Nets’ last game before their west coast trip is a home game against the Detroit Pistons. If everything goes to plan the Nets could potentially have a nice 6 game winning streak before their trip out west. The Nets need to go at least 7-3 in their first 10 games to solidify their appearance in the playoffs. If the Nets go worse than 7-3, it will be a dogfight for them to make the playoffs. Brooklyn is only 2.5 games up on the 9 seed Miami Heat, and 3 games up on the red hot Orlando Magic who have won 5 straight games. There will be 5 teams fighting for the final 3 spots in the eastern conference playoffs, and the season will come down to the final few games. The Nets currently have an 80% chance of making the playoffs (according to FiveThrirtyEight) so it’s looking positive right now, but things can change fast. The Nets can punch their ticket to the playoffs if they can finish 8-2 or 9-1 in the first 10 games after break. The teams behind Brooklyn aren’t exactly powerhouses, so there is always that angle. There will be a team (or multiple) in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a record under .500. If things go wrong the Nets can always pray that those other teams struggle, and can hope to make the playoffs at 38-44 like they did in 2015. The Nets will have a much better chance of making the playoffs if Spencer Dinwiddie can return soon, and Caris LeVert can regain his pre-injury form. The Nets will definitely be one of the teams to watch in the NBA over these next 23 games. Let’s return to the playoffs Brooklyn!

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