I'm as eager as anybody for the Nets to be horrible and hand us a top pick, and there have been plenty of legitimate reasons since before the season to believe that will happen. There have also been plenty of reasons to think they'll stick around in a lot of games and threaten to stay above the bottom 5. This game is an example of that. That is all I'm saying.
If we use a one game sample, then them losing the Lakers is also example why they're one of the league's 3 worst teams. Like I said, they've played 13 games and have lost 11.
Ultimately, it comes down to this, I don't care about whether they win 18 or 28 games. Can you name 5 teams worse than Brooklyn?
By the end of the season? Sixers, Lakers, Nuggets for sure. Blazers, Bucks, Magic all possible. Then you have teams like the Knicks and Pelicans that are one significant injury to their main guy away from finishing bottom 5. The Nets obviously fit in that category, too, with Lopez.
This isn't just a one game thing, by the way. Nets beat the Rockets in Houston and nearly beat the Warriors in Oakland. This isn't just one game where they've looked not-terrible. Their starting lineup has one of the best differentials in the NBA.
Bottom line, there's a LOT of season left.