Nets didn't overreact to winning streak, but the NBA took notice
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn watches during the second half of the team's NBA game against the Bulls on Wednesday in Chicago. Credit: AP/Paul Beaty
NEW ORLEANS — The weird thing is they never talked about it.
While the Nets were piling up win after win, coach Jacque Vaughn never uttered the word "streak'' when he spoke to the team. Not once did it come up in a practice or team meeting.
So perhaps, then, it only makes sense that he said nothing to his team about the end of its 12-game winning streak after the Chicago Bulls defeated the Nets, 121-112, on Wednesday night.
“I did say to them you have shown how to win and how to continue to win,” Vaughn said. “I did not say anything about the month of December or stringing wins together. We’ve never mentioned anything about the streak along the way.
“I think the point is what continues to be important is that day’s game. I’m looking forward to that piece, of our guys learning a lesson from this game and then moving on and responding by Friday.”
The Nets (25-13) will have to respond against a tough opponent. Even without Zion Williamson, who is out with a hamstring injury, New Orleans has plenty of talent, and the Nets will have to play a lot better defensively than they did when they gave up 40 points in the first quarter against the Bulls. Entering Thursday night’s play, the 24-14 Pelicans had the third-best record in the Western Conference, just a half-game behind the Nuggets and the Grizzlies, who were tied for first.
As much as Vaughn didn’t want to talk about the streak, there’s no doubt how important it was in changing both the Nets' record and the way they are perceived around the league.
That clearly was on display as three Nets were among the top vote-getters in the fan All-Star voting released Thursday.
It should be no big surprise that Kevin Durant led all Eastern Conference players, given the way he has played this season. Fans also seemed to have overlooked the controversy that surrounded Kyrie Irving early in the season as he was the top vote-getter among guards. Nic Claxton joined his two superstar teammates on the list, finishing ninth among frontcourt players.
The Nets went a full month without losing a game, as their last loss before the streak was to Boston on Dec. 4. Though their streak included eight wins over teams with losing records, it also featured an 18-point victory over Milwaukee and an eight-point win over Cleveland. Over the course of the streak, the Nets went from eighth place in the Eastern Conference and just a game over .500 to a tie with Milwaukee for second place.
Durant, who had 44 points against the Bulls, stopped short Wednesday of saying that the team had sent the rest of the league a message.
“I feel like the league is always on notice with the talent we have on our team,” he said. “I don’t think anybody takes us for granted when they’re preparing for us each night. But I think for us we found some things that were good for us on both ends of the floor
“It’s good to have winning streaks, but we’re more concerned with how we’re playing and what we’re doing to produce the win, and we’re walking in the right direction when it comes to that. We’re building some solid habits. We got to consistently do that every night, every possession, that’s the game, that’s the battle, that’s what you’re really going up against is chasing perfection every time.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
