That's all well and good, but they could win 50 games next year and I wouldn't be surprised. Just depends on what happens with Lopez and Thadeus. With both those guys healthy, they should be a playoff team again next year.
LarBrd33 = Nets are a potential 50 win team.
LarBrd33 = Celtics are a 30 win team.
All you need to know.
Both teams could look different next year, but as-is I stand by that. Brooklyn would have beat Boston in the playoffs this year.
Brooklyn finished the season on a 56 win pace. Boston was great down the stretch too, but relied more on the element of surprise. Brooklyn underachieved last year. Boston overachieved. Brooklyn has far more talent right now.
What!? thats the best excuse you could come up with for bostons equally good stretch which was 2x as long?
Second, you meant to say, "I think Brooklyn would have beat Boston in the playoffs this year" because you have no idea. The Hawks played the Nets twice in the final month of the season and beat them by 32 points and then by 3 without Paul Milsapp. Brooklyn relied on their "element of surprise" to take 2 games against Atlanta.
Boston has 2 1st round draft picks both higher than Brooklyns one first rounder, the only really valuable piece they could lose to FA is Crowder, they have 27 mil in cap space, and their entire core is improving/ in their primes. Brooklyn on the other hand, their best player could well be lost to FA or injury, Williams and Johnson are sure to be worse, and they had a worse record than us this year!!!!
You of all people love to talk about how rondo dragged us down and he did. We were less healthy than Brooklyn this year, we dealt with more change, we have a far superrior coach, we actually have avenues to improve.
Also as a part of their 13-6 string that you mentioned is a 20 point loss to the Boston Celtics in Brooklyn.
also there are better excuses than "element of surprise" Toronto, Milwakee, Cleveland, all rested guys.
There will be change in the offseason that much is for sure. The problem is that Boston has like 10 avenues to improve and brooklyn can really only hope to tread water.
This is relevant to the discussion.
For me Boston this year was really a 32ish win team hidden in a terrible east with some good fortune down the stretch. Brooklyn for me was a 30ish win team who had the same fortune.