There was optimism entering a five-game gauntlet against some of the league’s best opposition back on Jan. 14. Kyrie Irving was back, and the Brooklyn Nets had won back-to-back contests after a previous seven-game slide.
However, those semblances of hope and excitement were met with the cruel reality of disappointment. After failing to win any of the five contests, it’s now or never for the Brooklyn Nets.
Sitting at 18-25 and in sole possession of the eighth seed, things could, technically, be worse. That said, there were higher aspirations for this squad in the summer.