PHILADELPHIA – You need goals. Something to go after. Something to chase. The Nets have theirs: the Indiana Pacers and the best record in the East.
That top spot is what’s in the Nets’ crosshairs, Byron Scott said last night before the Nets closed out the pre-All-Star Game part of the schedule against the Sixers. At 33-15, the Nets were a half-game behind the Pacers (34-15), who were idle last night.
“We’ll try to look forward to getting that top spot,” said Scott, whose Nets will entertain the Pacers in the Meadowlands Feb. 20. “That is the goal. Without a doubt we want the best record and we’ve got 37 games to do it in.”
Scott and the Nets like their position for several reasons, not the least of which is the schedule. The Nets already have done the West Coast twice and have only the Texas trip – a potential killer with Dallas, San Antonio and Houston (then New Orleans) – awaiting. But both Indiana and Detroit still need to go to California. Detroit, in particular, has a gruesome trip: an eight-game trek that starts in Toronto and ends in Portland.
“I feel pretty good. I think we’ve had a tougher schedule [than] Indiana and Detroit. Both those teams have to make another trip back there so I feel pretty good where we are now,” said Scott, whose Nets were one game ahead of Detroit, which has won the season series, 2-1, over New Jersey.
“The schedule – where we are and after the All-Star break – mellows out for us. It’s pretty much done more for us,” Scott said of the traveling. “Those are the two teams we’re going to see more of down the line. Us, Indiana and Detroit have played pretty well all season long. They’re not going anywhere, we’re not going anywhere, so it’s who is going to have the best record, who’s going to be second and who’s going to be third.”
The Nets, defending Eastern Conference champs, won the top spot last season at 52-30 – and desperately needed home court to advance to the Finals. They defeated Indiana in a classic five-game, first round series, winning the decisive Game 5 in a double-overtime thriller in the Meadowlands. So, yes, homecourt is something to shoot for, the Nets feel.
Last season, the Nets went the entire way virtually injury-free. Already this season, they’ve lost Kerry Kittles (he played all 82 last season, remember?) for a month. Jason Kidd missed his first games as a Net and others have had the usual dings and dents. Still, at 33-15, they were one game ahead of last season’s 48-game mark.
“It’s been a great season with some of the adversity, some of the injuries that we’ve had,” Scott said. “For us to be able to step up and have a little bit better record this year at this particular time than we did last year, I think says a lot about our basketball team.
“With all the adversity, we still have a chance with a win to be tied for the best record in the East. Obviously, the second half is going to be important. We’ll get Rodney [Rogers] back and somewhere down the line we’ll get Deke [Dikembe Mutombo] back.
“We’re at the point where everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. We didn’t have this problem last year. If we start getting healthy, we’ll be in great shape.”