Heat provide Nets opportunity unique from series with Celtics

While the Nets managed to hold off the Boston Celtics — who have one of the best records in the Eastern Conference — on Black Friday after losing to them on Wednesday, Brooklyn faces a different test on Sunday. The Miami Heat enter Barclays Center with a 13-5 record, the same record Boston now has. Both only trail the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.

This matchup is important because it may be the most accurate measuring stick for the Nets to this point.

Knocking off the Celtics is a quality win and shows Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie-led upward trend isn’t a fluke. But there were also unique emotions going into Friday’s game after the fans in Boston laid into the Nets because Kyrie Irving didn’t make the trip.

With the Heat, there isn’t the additional “game within the game,” or however you want to put it. This is simply the Nets facing a team with one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.

So there’s the straightforward nature of the game, then add in one stat which makes this more significant for the Nets than any other game to this point.

Miami is 2-5 against teams with a .500 record or better. Thanks to Brooklyn’s latest stretch, they’re now one game over .500.

This doesn’t make a win imperative for the Nets — though that would be ideal. Forcing a tight contest would show, even without Irving, the Nets truly are still a handful — and things won’t get any easier for opponents when Brooklyn’s starting point guard returns.