OKC Thunder: Dissecting 16 playoff seeds and 4 WC team records

Brooklyn Nets:

• 64 games played (30-34)
• Record versus seeded teams: 32 occasions (9-23)
• Record versus lottery teams: 32 occasions (21-11)
• Home record (18-14)
• Road record: (12-20)
• Back to back sets: Nine played (7-11)
  • four sets with both teams seeded (2-6)
  • two sets with one seeded team and one lottery team (1-3)
  • three sets against two lottery teams (4-2)

The elephant in the room is will Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant play when the NBA resumes play. Although the banter out of Brooklyn is KD won’t return Irving’s social media seems to indicate he would play.

The reality is until games begin that answer won’t be definitive. Still, it’s unlikely the Nets would want to concede insurance money to play KD or take a chance at him being injured. As for Irving, I’m not sure he’ll be keen to return without KD and jeopardize being bounced early and then having that albatross of his leadership questioned again. Notably, the Nets were 8-12 with Irving in the lineup and seven of those wins were against lottery teams.

This Nets team isn’t a strong road team or back-to-back squad which could prove disastrous in the campus bubble games setting.

That said, the ascendance of Caris LeVert was otherworldly as the Nets reached the suspension. With Kyrie stating the team needs to add another star, it will be intriguing to see what LeVert and players like Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris show in response to this when play resumes.

Brooklyn is seventh in the East with no shot of moving up and holding a slim half-game lead over the Magic. If the NBA elects to jump into the playoffs and seeds by league standing the Nets would play the Lakers which could also play a factor in compelling Kyrie back in order to face LeBron.