The Brooklyn Nets had high expectations heading into this season, and it seems that their dismal start hasn’t shaken the team’s confidence.
Paul Pierce, who may or may not play in Tuesday night’s game against the Celtics, has been out since Nov. 29 with a fractured right hand, but he’s still optimistic that his 6-14 team could make a deep playoff run, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
“I think we have the potential of a championship team, the talent of a championship team,” the former Celtic said. “It’s about putting it all together, getting healthy, and then seeing what we got.
The Nets have dealt with early season injuries, going without Pierce, Deron Williams, Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko, and could certainly use those talents to right the ship. On top of battling the injury bug, the organization is dealing with a certain level of dysfunction as first-year head coach Jason Kidd looks for ways to rally his team and manage his coaching staff. The chemistry just hasn’t been there.
“We’ve seen flashes of it at times but it’s tough when you don’t know who’s going to be in the lineup one night and who’s going to be out,” Pierce said, “but injuries do happen to every team and it’s something we’ve got to deal with. But I’d like to see us when we get fully healthy and see what our potential could possibly be.”
The Nets have lost eight games by double digits this season and lost consecutive games by a combined 54 points before Saturday’s win at Milwaukee. They ride into Monday night’s matchup on a season-high one-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, the Celtics have surprised just about everyone and are first in the Atlantic Division with a 10-12 record.
