Halfway to hell; Nets really could be worst team ever

When the New Jersey Nets jumped out to an 0-18 mark, establishing a record for the worst beginning of a season in history, I’ll admit I was one of the people who held out judgment over whether or not this was the worst team ever. After all, the NBA season is 82 games long and the 1972-72 Philadelphia 76ers, who compiled an all-time worst 9-73 record, had long been recognized as the most inept team in history. To call judgment 18 games in seemed more than a little premature.

Now we’re 43 games into the season, and the Nets have only compiled a pitiful 3-40 record -- the worst ever through that many games. In order to avoid replacing the Sixers as the worst team ever, they’ll have to win at least 10 games this year, which at first doesn’t seem like that impossible a task, even now with more than half the season over. But a quick look at their upcoming schedule does not bode well for the New Jersey Nets, who by the end of the year could officially be known as the worst team ever.

Their three wins so far have come against the Charlotte Bobcats, the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, and all three were by nine or fewer points. Against quality teams the Nets have been nonexistent and nine of their last ten defeats have been by at least 11 points. The Nets are currently on an 11-game losing streak and have lost 21 of their last 22 games.

In New Jersey’s remaining 39 games, it’s hard to see how they’ll get the six wins needed to tie the 76ers record, let alone the seven wins needed to avoid it. 18 of those games are against hot teams who, for the sake of probability, we’ll say they have no chance of winning against (since they’ve yet to win a single game against a .500 opponent). Those teams include the Celtics, Cavaliers, Heat, Grizzlies, Blazers, Mavericks, Magic, Thunder, Rockets, Hawks, Heat, Spurs, Suns and Hornets. Their other 21 opponents range from the mediocre to the extremely bad, and include such teams as the Sixers, Clippers, Wizards, Pistons, Knicks, Bulls, Kings and Bucks. Sure those teams are bad, but are they really so bad that the Nets would be able to go 7-14 against them? This team hasn’t been capable of winning four out of 43, let alone the one out of three they would need to reach win No. 10.

Of course, this is just an imperfect prediction, as there’s no telling if or when a team will go on a roll. And because the Nets have pretty much nothing on their roster, it’s not impossible they could pull off a mid-season trade that could somehow give them a minor boost. Even ‘73 Sixers won five of seven games at one point in the year -- only to then lose their final 13 games.