Are you one of the countless folks who are curious about the idea of the Brooklyn Nets but didn’t quite get around to following the team much this year? No problem! Here’s your guide to the 10 things newbie fans need to know to enjoy the playoffs (which the Nets are in, by the way).
1) Don’t know what to make of this team? Don’t worry, no one else does either. Along with my own objective eye, I’ve talked to coaches, analysts, and writers all over, and one common theme plays throughout: no one knows just what to make of this Brooklyn team. When they’re good, they’re really good. When they’re bad, they’re really bad. They beat up on bad teams… except when they get embarrassed. They get smoked by great teams… except when they sweep the season series from Indiana and blow out the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City. Their offense is stagnant… until it starts moving. Their defense is bad… until it makes key stops against the Los Angeles Clippers, the 4th-best offense in the league.
2) One franchise record and one related NBA record was set this season: Deron Williams finished the season with 168 three-pointers, the most in franchise history. He also set an NBA record for most three-pointers in a half, with nine:
3) Kris Humphries began the season as a starter, now barely plays. The Nets signed Humphries, more famous these days for his infamous 72-day marriage to Kim Kardashian than his basketball career, to a two-year deal worth $24 million in this past offseason, only to see him lose his starting spot after just 17 games to Reggie Evans. Humphries, who has season averages of 5.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on a paltry 44.8% shooting percentage, has fluctuated in and out of the rotation all season, most notably sitting for three weeks without an injury as P.J. Carlesimo tried anyone else as a backup power forward.
As for his love life? After skipping a divorce hearing in Los Angeles on April 12th (the Nets played the Indiana Pacers that day in Indiana), Humphries agreed to a settlement with Kardashian just before the playoffs.
