It seemed almost improbable a few months ago, but the Nets have clinched a playoff berth.
Brooklyn punched their ticket to the NBA 2023 postseason follow the Miami Heat's 114-108 loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Entering Friday, the Nets' magic number was one with Miami behind Brooklyn in the standings.
The Nets locked up the No. 6 seed, which means Brooklyn will face the 76ers, who is the No. 3 seed, in the first round.
By clinching, the Nets now compete in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, but this year feels like a special accomplishment considering the loss of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant at the trade deadline.
With coach Jacque Vaughn at the helm and budding star Mikal Bridges leading the team, the new-look Nets will now look to make some noise in the postseason.
However, Brooklyn has not had much success in the playoffs recently. Their first trip of this five-season streak saw the Nets lose in the 2018-19 first round to the Philadelphia 76ers in five games. They were then swept by the Toronto Raptors in the first round in the bubble before finally making it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2020-21 season.
After defeating the Boston Celtics in five games, they fell to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. Fans will recall Durant tying the game at the buzzer to send it to overtime, but an inch further back and Brooklyn would have advanced.
Last season, with both Irving and Durant at full strength, the Nets were swept by the Celtics in the first round.