Nets Head Coach Jordi Fernandez Credits Team For Not Giving Up During Crushing 113-100 Loss to Knicks
Things were starting to finally look up for the Brooklyn Nets after pulling off an upset win over the Boston Celtics and hanging with the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors two games later, both on the road.
The Nets were giving the New York Knicks problems early, but as the game progressed, the Nets’ tired legs began to show in their 113-100 loss to the Knicks. Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton registered their worst performances in quite a while, but Noah Clowney and Drake Powell were able to ignore the stress their bodies endured while participating in their third game in four nights in three different cities.
Clowney went off for a career-high 31 points on 9-of-17 shooting, canning seven triples. Powell added 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez was not ready to buy the excuse of the predicament the Nets found themselves in, relaying that the team needs to come out early with a purpose and sustain it. However, he credited the Nets for sticking to their game plan despite going up against a tough, physical Knicks squad.
“We knew that they do a good job protecting the paint and they are physical,” Fernandez said. “I just thought our spacing wasn’t very good and a lot of those shots were like off target, like the passes were not great, and then when we ran, we were not efficient finding those shots in transition, and part of that is like, if you are a little bit cleaner with that, the way you run and the way you space the floor, and how you pass on time and on target, those 14 (3-point makes) go easily to, you know, 17 or 18 makes and right there you have a chance.
“We can clean up those things. I’m still happy with the way we played through all the way, never gave up, played all the way until the end, and we competed for the most part.
The bottom line is that this Nets team isn’t likely to compete for a playoff spot this season, even if some of their highs give some fans hope. However, the key is for Fernandez to develop a culture around hard work, playing through fatigue, and not giving up, no matter how big the deficit is. At this point, the Nets have to worry less about the record and more about the growth each player is showing nightly.
