Monitoring the Nets’ standing throughout the season: What can they do to get to the round of 16?
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Like the other teams around the Association, the Brooklyn Nets will conclude their pool play in the league’s In-Season Cup this Tuesday. With a good win-loss record on their hand, the only goal is to finish strong and punch their ticket to the tournament’s quarterfinal round.
Below are the Nets’ current standing in the In-Season Tournament and the various ways they can advance to the knockout round.
Nets’ In-Season position
As of the lead-up to Tuesday’s showcase, the Nets currently hold the second position in the East’s Group C with a 2-1 record. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic are at the top (3-1) of the ladder, while the Boston Celtics are still on the run as the third-ranked team with a 2-1 card.
The Nets will play the already-eliminated Raptors this Tuesday. As such, their fate of advancing lies in the game against Toronto.
- If the Nets win and the Celtics lose (against the Chicago Bulls), the Nets can win the group via a point-differential lead over the Magic.
- If the Nets and Celtics both win, Group C will have a three-way tie for first place that would be determined by point-differential.
Orlando has a +22 point differential. For Brooklyn to overtake them with a win, they have to beat Toronto by as much as a 14 points. The completion of this will allow them to enter the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.
If they fail to secure the top spot in their group, the Nets still have the opportunity to advance as a wild card team if:
- New York, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat all lose
- Brooklyn ended up second in its group and took the tiebreaker margin over other second-place teams from other East groups with a 3-1 record.
Both the Knicks (+18) and the Heat (+11) are above the Nets’ point-differential score (+8). The Cavaliers have a +6 on the other hand.
All in for the money
On behalf of his team, Spencer Dinwiddie already proclaimed that the Nets are truly on the hunt to take a spot in the quarterfinals and eventually win the In-Season Tournament.
Considering the prize for each player of the winning team, the veteran can only salivate with the amount of money they’ll bag.