Even with all the disarray in Cleveland and the constant chaos the Brooklyn Nets’ neighbors at Madison Square Garden experience, the Atlanta Hawks still enter Friday’s game as the last-place team in the Eastern Conference.
Now, they did beat the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat recently, so they have some life. But this is still a game the Nets should win — especially if Trae Young is ruled out (questionable due to illness).
In fact, this is a must-win for the Nets at this point.
The Orlando Magic are nipping at Brooklyn’s heels from the eighth spot in the conference, and the Nets have the Heat in Miami and the Celtics in Boston after this trip to Atlanta. Generally, those are two tough games. With the way the Nets have struggled lately, the Heat and Celtics are going to be even more challenging.
This is why the Nets not only need to win tonight to snap their skid, they need to get back on the same page, collectively. Friday’s game can’t be a battle to the finish. Brooklyn needs a reset. The Hawks can provide just that.
And if Brooklyn doesn’t get it done on Friday, they could be looking at another long skid. The Nets’ game against Atlanta can set the tone for Brooklyn’s start of March, so it’s not a game to be taken lightly — even though the Nets have gone 3-for-3 against the Hawks this season.