The Brooklyn Nets have been a pretty damn good team to start the season. They are first in the surprisingly competitive Eastern Conference with a 16 – 6 record. They are living up to their championship contender expectations in every way possible… except for one aspect: the way they start and close out games.
Nets guard Patty Mills certainly noticed this issue of the Nets starting off slow. After they barely squeaked by the lowly Timberwolves with a 110 – 105 win this Friday, the former Spurs guard talked about their slow start and how it affected their game. (via ClutchPoints' Dave Early)
“First quarter… I think that's the elephant in the room is how we start games and being able to hang our hat on the defensive end and that's probably where we've taken maybe a step back in tonight's game, for sure. Being able to start games well and that leading us on the defensive end so we can flow from that.”
The Nets actually have been better in the middle of the game, outscoring teams by 72 and 54 points in the second and third quarters, respectively. It's the opening salvo that has been the issue of this squad, and it reared its head against the Timberwolves. The Nets were outscored by 7 points in the first quarter, but came roaring back in the second quarter with a 32 – 21 quarter.
Their fourth quarters will also need some adjustment, especially against their next opponents. The Nets' last matchup against the Chicago Bulls ended in disaster, as they were outscored by 24 points in the final frame. Kevin Durant and the team have to start off strong and finish games decisively, or else teams will surely take advantage of this.
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