NYET TONIGHT
With Prokhorov on hand, B’klyn loses to fall into eighth in East
Thanks to their improved play over the past few weeks, the Nets have an opportunity for a trip to the postseason.
If the Nets make the playoffs and play the way they did against the Hawks on Wednesday night, they will have a chance to make it longer than aweekend getaway.
Although they lost 114111 to Atlanta on Wednesday night and fell into eighth place in the Eastern Conference in the process, the Nets finally played like a team capable of at least giving Atlanta something to think about if they meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Nets had lost the first three meetings with the Hawks by an average of more than 20 points per game, and none of those games were particularly close in the fourth quarter.
“We just didn’t need to get blown out, period,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. “It wasn’t about that. We had to go out and compete against this team because we needed a win … but hopefully we learned what type of collective effort we need to play against this team.”
And if the East standings finish up theway they stood late Wednesday night, the Nets ( 3642) will get another chance to face the conferenceleading Hawks. They fell into a tie with the Celtics ( who hold the tiebreaker over the Nets thanks to a 31 edge in the season series) after Boston won in Detroit, and are now one game ahead of the Pacers and Heat in ninth.
The Nets treated owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who was taking in just his third game of the season and his first since the opening week of November, to a thrilling finish. After trailing the entire game, mostly by around 10 points, the Nets stormed to their first lead of the game on a bucket by Joe Johnson with 3: 39 remaining. That basket capped a 163 run, gave the Nets a 109108 lead and unleashed a level of noise and energy in Barclays Center that hadn’t been heard all season.
“It was super loud,” said Deron Williams, who had 10 points and 13 assists. “I thought the crowd was great tonight.… Theywere into the game from the start.”
The crowd stayed into it until the end, again going crazy when Williams drove in from the right wing and banked home a runner that made it 111110 Nets with 33.5 seconds left. But the joy was shortlived, as the Hawks took the lead for good on an Al Horford dunk with 19.1 seconds remaining.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer drew up a spectacular play, with lethal 3point shooter Kyle Korver getting the ball after coming open off a screen. When both Williams and Brook Lopez reacted by trying to get to Korver, he threw a bullet pass to Horford under the basket for the easiest two points he’ll ever get to make it 112111.
“That was pretty much the design of the play,” Williams said. “It was for us to help, and he just whipped it down there to Horford.”
“I’ll definitely be thinking about it a lot tonight,” said Lopez, who finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. “I’ll be dreaming about that.”
The Nets still had their chances after that, though, with Jarrett Jack and Bojan Bogdanovic both getting wide open looks from 3point range on the next possession, but missing. Then, after Jeff Teague made two free throws with 2.7 seconds left, Johnson caught the ball in the corner, turned and fired up a shot over the outstretched arm of DeMarre Carroll that looked on line from the moment it left his hand.
But much like the team’s fourthquarter comeback, it wasn’t quite good enough, going halfway down before rattling out and sending the Nets to a loss that both proved they can compete with the Hawks, but left them with plenty of work to do to ensure they get the chance to do so.
Unless something changes drastically over the next few weeks, Mikhail Prokhorov’s fiveyear plan for a championship is going to receive a failing grade.
But despite the fact things haven’t gone quite the way the Russian billionaire envisioned when he purchased 80 percent of the team and 45 percent of the then still to be constructed Barclays Center back in May 2010, he isn’t ready to say he should have done anything differently.
“You know, it’s a very philosophic question,” Prokhorov said before taking in his team’s 114111 loss to the Hawks from his luxury suite high above center court. “I’m very committed to the team. I’ll continue to do and to find all the best I can get for the team, but the sport is unpredictable.
“Any kind of sport is unpredictable, particularly basketball. As Robbie Williams says, ‘ No regrets, they don’t work.’ ”
Regrets may not work, but it’s hard to believe Prokhorov has none after theway things have worked out, including spending over $ 190 million last season to only make it out of the first round of the playoffs, and then to have the highest payroll in the league this season and still be trying to secure a playoff berth in the final week of the regular season.
Even Prokhorov, who tries to answer every question with a smile and a joke, couldn’t hide how frustrating the first few months of this season were before the Nets finally started to turn things around over the last month.
“I like much more what I see over the last three weeks,” he said.
Prokhorov, who again reiterated he wouldn’t be selling control of the team, attended only the third game Wednesday, after saying he would be at “25 percent” of the regularseason home games, plus playoffs. He blamed the political and economic instability in Russia as the reason he hasn’t been around.
“Maybe you have heard, we have some volatile years in Russian economy, and Russian business.” Prokhorov said. “So we have, sanctions were imposed, and these sanctions, they have created some opportunities and some challenges for businessmen in Russia, and I needed to be more handling in managing my business and my assets, so itwas very busy.
“Now, everything is under control, that’s why I hope to see you more in the playoffs.”
Prokhorov picked a good time to show up, as the Nets have won 11 of their past 15 games, and Prokhorov praised coach Lionel Hollins and several players by name for their contributions to the turnaround.
“You need to be cool from time to time,” Prokhorov said of howhe dealt with the slow start. “Lionel is demanding. He has brought some kind of special attention to the job, and of course it will take some time to adjust for the players to his vision.
“But now we see that we are fighting for the playoffs andwe are on the rise andwe need to continue on that level, so itworks.”
Prokhorov also praised both Hollins and general manager Billy King, indicating both will be back next season.
“I like his style,” Prokhorov said of Hollins. “He’s tough and he’s demanding. … He’s tough, he has his own system and I respect his approach to basketball.”
Meanwhile, Prokhorov also was complimentary of King, who will be in the final year of his contract next season.
“I like his ability to be bold,” Prokhorov said. “I’m very comfortable with working with him and his contract is not expired.”