The Brooklyn Nets are losing games in heartbreak fashion at an alarming rate. Eight of their 18 losses have come after a double-digit lead, and five have come by one possession, excluding a double overtime ‘L.’ That’s a lot of soul-crushing for a fanbase to endure by early December.
The Nets are the NBA’s heartbreak team
Nobody builds a lead and loses it like Brooklyn.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
And yet, the Nets took losing to a whole other level on Wednesday night when Paul George drained a game-winning three with seconds to spare on the road to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a win.
It looked like this:
To make matters worse, the bucket was George’s first-ever go-ahead make in the final 10 seconds or overtime of a game. He was 0-14 before then. Even more embarrassing for Brooklyn, those points were the 23rd, 24th and 25th allowed in just the fourth quarter to George, who set a record for most in one frame by an OKC player. That was the shot that cemented a 22-point Thunder comeback.
Sheesh it’s tough to be a Brooklyn fan.
What were the other close losses like?
Pretty dang bad. Four losses came in the final four seconds or less. Here’s what happened:
October 17: Pistons 103, Nets 100
- Caris LeVert turned the ball over with 8.5 seconds left
- Reggie Jackson sunk two free throws
- Joe Harris missed potential game-tying three with three seconds left
October 27: Pelicans 117, Nets 115
- Nets committed an unforced turnover with the shot clock turned off
- Jrue Holiday made 17-footer with two seconds left
- Nets turned over potential game-winner
November 25: Sixers 127, Nets 125
- Jimmy Butler sunk a step-back three with 0.4 seconds left
- Nets turned over the inbounds pass to win
December 3: Cavaliers 99, Nets 97
- Alec Burks dunked with 3.2 seconds left
- Spencer Dinwiddie missed game-winning three
That’s a whole lot of bad in a very limited amount of time.
Those losses would be costly for a team in the playoff hunt, but it’s important to remember that this team isn’t.
Remember this misery on draft day, Nets fans.
The Nets own their first-round draft pick next season without limitations. That’s a very good thing for a rebuilding team without playoff expectations, especially one that lost its most promising prospect — LeVert — for at least a portion of the season to a gruesome leg injury.
Though the odds for this season’s draft have changed, with each of the bottom three records in the league earning equal 14 percent chances at the No. 1 pick, rather than the 25/19.9/13.8 percent splits, losing still gives teams a more ping pong ball opportunities to land a better pick.
And next year’s draft has a few reasons to lose games. Zion Williamson is a do-it-all athletic anomaly, R.J. Barrett is an elite scorer, Cam Reddish is a precision shooter, and Bol Bol can be the draft’s unicorn big. Here’s our most recent mock draft.
Maybe the Nets can start being a bit easier on the hearts of their fans, but remember: a loss is a loss. And losses aren’t always bad. A Paul George game-winning three could be the key to Zion.
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