Let's switch things up. As the playoffs roll on, we've reached the Western Conference Finals. It's a battle between the two top teams in the Conference as the Spurs and Thunder will battle for the right to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.

How'd these teams do in the regular season? Let's check the numbers:

Looking at San Antonio in the regular season, the transformation of this team came into full bloom this season. For as long as gregg Popovich has been coaching San Antonio, the Spurs have always played at a slow, deliberate pace. But, as time has gone on & the personnel changed, Pop adapted his style to a faster, almost European-style game. Even though they were the #1 seed last season, they've been a better team this season. The defense is above average, but their real strength has been their offense. They've been the best offense this season in terms of points per 100 possessions, and that's thanks in large part to their excellent three point shooting. They were 7th in attempts and tops in %, which led to them being number 1 in Effective Field Goal % & #2 in True Shooting Percentage. They didn't get to the free throw line much, which makes sense considering that they didn't grab that many offensive rebounds (who really cares when you shoot it as well as they do?), didn't have that many attempts at the rim (15th in the league), or employ a "shot-creator" that draws a ton of fouls like Miami & Oklahoma City do.

Say hello to the second best offense in the NBA. Much like San Antonio, Oklahoma City likes to get up and down the floor. The Thunder were 2nd in points per 100 possessions, third in eFG% & tops in True Shooting%. The strength of this team is their ability to draw fouls. They were tops in Free Throw rate & percentage, thanks in large part to the efforts of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, who were all in the Top 10 in free throws attempted. Their defense was better than we think, as they were Top 10 in defensive efficiency. Also, and perhaps most importantly, they were Top 5 in the league in opponent's field goal percentage at the rim, from 3-9 feet, 10-15 feet, and 16-23 feet. A lot of that is thanks to the defense of Durant, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins.

How have they done in the playoffs? Let's take a look:

That 8-0 playoff record is no mirage. The Spurs beat the hell out of the Jazz in Round 1, and took the Clippers' heart in Round 2. I remember after the first quarter of Game 3 when San Antonio fell behind by 22, I thought to myself "maybe Popovich will use this game to rest his key guys." The score the next three quarters? 85-53. They'll never be out of a game due to their great shooting, solid defense, and impeccable ball control. Everything so far matches up to their regular season, as they've been stupendous shooting the ball, haven't done much on the offensive glass, and have stifled their opponents on defense.

In general, the game tends to slow down in the playoffs, so I wouldn't read too much into the slow pace the thunder & Spurs have played at. However, there is something that I think deserves mention. They've been turning over the ball much less in the playoffs compared to the regular season, when they had the highest turnover rate in the league. They swept the Mavericks in the First Round, and took out the Lakers in 5. They've had a tougher road to the Conference Finals than the Spurs, as a lot of their games have come down to the wire.

The regular season series:

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Before we jump into the matchups and predictions, let's head back into time. The first clip takes us back to the 1999 Western Conference Finals between San Antonio and Portland. This is extra special because Sean Elliot had just returned to basketball after a kidney transplant.

The second clip brings us to Oklahoma City's only win in last year's Conference Finals vs. Dallas.

And lastly, we head back to the 1996 Western Conference Finals.

*pours out a little beverage for basketball in Seattle

Game 1 starts at 8:30 Sunday night on TNT. Jump time!

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During the playoffs, we've been reviewing the 2011-2012 seasons of certain Net players. This one's gonna be a little bit different. Who's up today?

Photo from Golden State of Mind

Take the jump & we'll look at Brook Lopez.

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As we continue our dissection of the Nets season, let's move on to another key player from the 2011-2012 season. Who's up today?

Photo from SB Nation

Take the jump and we'll discuss Gerald Wallace.

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Welcome to the playoffs! While everybody else gets to experience the drama, excitement, joy, despair and injuries of the NBA Playoffs, we here at NetsDaily get to dissect everything that happened to our team this season. Fun, fun, fun, fun. First up in our review of the 2011-2012 season?

Photo from SB Nation New York

Take the jump and we'll dig into Deron's season.

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Well guys, this is the end. This is the last home game for the New Jersey Nets, as they will be moving to Brooklyn starting next season. Everyone was hoping that the Nets would have had a better final season in New Jersey, but for various reasons, it didn't happen. The opponent here is the Philadelphia 76ers, who are fighting for a chance to catch a beating from the Bulls or the Heat playoff spot. So this game will be important in terms of tanking/playoff purposes.

Let's take a look at how these Atlantic Division foes compare:

Early in the season, the Sixers were playing so well. The long twos were falling, they were great defensively and they were the class of the Atlantic DIvision. Now? They've fallen back to Earth & are more than likely gonna get demolished in Round 1. Despite the doom and gloom, they've been decent this year. They don't get to the line due to an overreliance on long twos and not having a player that can consistently get to the line.

It's been an ugly season for New Jersey. Injuries, underachievement & just terrible play have marred the final season in New Jersey. If they were healthy, would they have been a playoff team? I don't think so, but would it be better than the mess we've seen this year. In all likelihood yes.

The last preview. The result.

Before we jump, we're gonna use our time machine twice (it's a special occasion!). First up, we're gonna head back to May 13,1976. This was the last night of the ABA, and the last game the greatest Net of all time, Julius Erving played as a member of the Nets. Truly a bittersweet affair.

Our second use of the time machine takes us to May 12, 1976. This game is important in a historical sense because it's the last home playoff win for the Nets and featured the second greatest Net of all time, Jason Kidd, at his very best. Sigh.

Tip-off is at 7:30, but expect the game to start a little late as the pregame festivities ought to take a while. Take the jump for the matchups and other essentials.

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For about 45 minutes, the Nets had the Miami Heat on the ropes and were on their way to scoring a huge upset victory. Then, LeBron James went off and put an end to those hopes and the Nets lost. The Nets three games will have a major influence on the race for the 7 and 8 seeds in the Eastern Conference. First up, the New York Knicks. It's been a tale of two cities for our frenemies from the city, as they've undergone a complete 180 from where they were a few months ago and now find themselves battling for a playoff berth.

How do these cross town rivals compare? Let's take a look:

I remember two weeks ago, Jeff Van Gundy said on the ABC broadcast of Knicks-Bulls that New York was a top five defense in the NBA. My first thought was "this guy must be drunk." But then I went to look it up, and he's 100% right. They have been a Top 5 defense this season, which when you really think about it isn't all that surprising. I'll go back to the preview I wrote for the last time these teams played each other:

A wise person once said "Perception is not always reality." And that would apply to the Knicks. The knock on Mike D'Antoni dating back to his time in Phoenix has been that "he doesn't coach defense," "he doesn't want to coach defense," and of course "his name is Antoni because he has no D." But as we can see, their D has been perfectly cromulent this season on the whole.

Unfortunately basketball reference doesn't isolate the numbers by date, so we can't get a full measure of their before-after as it relates to the coaching change. Be that as it may, the team has played under their new coach. The defense has been anchored by Tyson Chandler on the inside and rookie Iman Shumpert on the perimeter. Knowing Mike Woodson from his days in atlanta, he runs a good amount of isolation plays for his star wing players, and that's mostly been the case in New York. Two problems that could prove to be fatal for New York are three point shooting and foul trouble. I was surprised to see this considering that they employ the leading three point shooter in the league in Steve Novak, but the Knicks are 5th worst in three point %, but are tied for 2nd in attempts per game with the Nets (that part isn't surprising).They've committed the 5th most personal fouls in the NBA this year and are 8th worst in opponent free throw rate.

As for Jersey, it's been a little better as of late, but it's still been an ugly final season for the team in New Jersey. the defense has been porous (bottom 5 in defensive efficiency and 2nd worst in effective FG%), the offense has been middling (bottom 10 in offensive efficiency and eFG%), and they've dealt with a bunch of injuries to key personnel throughout the season (Williams again, Wallace, Brook Lopez & Brooks early in the year). The move to Brooklyn can't come soon enough for this franchise.

The preview. And the results

Before we move onto this game, let's head back to 1993. This one's got Drazen Petrovic, Marv Albert & the Czar, a great Knicks team, and the amazing NBA on NBC music. What more could you ask for?

Tip-off is at 7:30. Matchups and everything else after the jump.

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It doesn't get any easier. Fresh off their loss to Boston on Saturday night, the Nets get to play host to the Miami Heat. It's just another Miami Heat type season. The Heat are coming off a great win in Madison Square Garden on Sunday as they stifled the Knicks in the 4th quarter and took the best Carmelo Anthony had to offer and still came out on top. They beat the hell out of most teams, and whenever they lose to the top teams, the sky is falling. First world problems I guess.

How do these teams compare? Let's get into the numbers:

Same stuff, different day for Miami. They're a lethal offense led by the incomparable LeBron James and friends. They get to the line a ton (to be expected of course) and they are terrific from the outside (6th in three point %). Is there a weakness in their defense? At the rim? No, they're tied with Chicago for lowest opponent FG%. 10-15 feet? Nah, they're third in opponent FG%. Deep jumpers? They rank 11th in that category. Behind the three point line? Well, the numbers say they're weak in that area (3rd highest opponent FG%), but that I think that can be explained. They usually jump out to big leads, so teams will throw up a bunch of threes to try to make it back in.

Hey the Nets have gotten better on D! They've gone from worst defense, to second worst, and now they're the 3rd worst defense in the NBA. It's the little things you hold on to.Our guys played a good first half, but they couldn't get anything going past halftime. They were outscored 46-34 as they went on to lose. This is a redundant statement, but the Nets really don't match up well vs. this team. The Heat are great shooting threes, while the Nets are terrible at defending it. The Nets turn it over a bunch (8th highest committed) and the Heat love to force turnovers (3rd highest opponent turnover rate) and get their deadly fastbreak game going.

David met Galactus. And Galactus won.

Let's head back to the 2006 Playoffs. Ever since Wade's been in the league, he's been a Nets killer. This game was no exception.

Tip-off is at 7:30. You gotta jump for the fun stuff.

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A funny thing happened on the way to the Celtics blowing up the Big Three + Rondo. They started playing really, really well and the thoughts & rumors of February became a distant memory. At this point in time, the Celtics are atop a pretty crappy Atlantic Division and look destined for the #4 seed (I'll get to that later). As for our Nets, they helped the Celtics out (honestly, the Sixers are doing more than enough in that regard) by beating the free falling 76ers.

How do these teams look? Let's take a look:

Ever since Kevin Garnett joined Boston in 2007, the Celtics have been monsters on the defensive end. Here's where they've ranked in defensive efficiency since he joined the C's:

2007-2008: 1

2008-2009: tied for 2

2009-2010: 6

2010-2011: 2

2011-2012: 1

The offense, due to age, injuries, and the jam packed schedule has been down this season. On occasion, they can have an excellent game on offense (see their midrange excellence vs. Miami). The one real problem with their team is their rebounding. They're terrible. Like second fewest rebounds in the NBA terrible. If they can't improve on that, it's gonna be one-and-done in the playoffs.

Five games to go, and the Nets will be playing spoiler from here on out. Considering how bad their defense has been this season, it's an accomplishment that Charlotte has managed to outsuck them. Hooray for ineptitude!

The preview. The result.

Before we jump, let's head to 1984. I remember a few years ago, Spike Lee said Larry Bird was the most overrated player in NBA history. of course, Spike is a salty Knick fan that's still bitter over the Celtics constantly got the best of his team. Games like these are why.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Come for the video, stay for the other stuff after the jump.

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What's the elixir for Philadelphia's late season woes? A back to back set vs. our Nets and the equally as low Toronto Raptors. As for the Nets, just 6 games left and then the "fun" begins.

How have these teams done this season? Let's take a look:

*Normally, I'd use Offensive Efficiency & Defensive Efficiency, but HoopData hasn't updated the team numbers, so whatever.

The preview. The result.

Taking a quick look at the last game, the game started off really slowly, and then the Sixers took over. They got to the line way more then they normally do (they're last in the league in free throw attempts), and that served to complement their good night from the field (49.4 eFG%). The second key was the bench play, as Philly's bench dominated Jersey's by a 62-41 margin. The return of Jodie Meeks in the lineup in favor of Evan Turner (Doug Collins hinted at reinserting Meeks in the starting lineup last week) and the surprising (to me at least) benching of Spencer Hawes in favor of rookie Nikola Vuvevic served to reignite their bench.

And before we jump, let's head back to the 1987 playoffs. These were the final moments of ex-Net and then Sixer Julius Erving's career in Game 5 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tip-off is at 7. Take the jump for matchups and things.

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This home-and-home set is pretty important. Not for the Nets of course, but for the free-falling Philadelphia 76ers. About a month ago, the Sixers were playing good basketball and had a nice sized lead in the mediocre Atlantic Division. Since then, it's been all downhill. They've lost games to playoff teams like Boston and Miami, and they've lost to the likes of Washington and Toronto.

Let's look at how these teams have done this season:

The first thing that jumped out to me was Philadelphia's absurdly low free throw rate, which can be explained in two ways. One, they don't really have a player that can consistently create contact and get to the free throw line. And two, they love deep two pointers. They are 2nd in the NBA (behind Chicago) in shots per game from 16-23 feet. And while I understand and appreciate the value of a good mid-range game, if you're 22 feet away from the basket, you might as well step back and take the higher value shot. Moving on from that, their defense has been great on the whole this year, but it's been God awful during the losing streak. In general, I don't like cherry picking a set of games and would rather look at the larger sample, but Philly's defense has been abysmal during this recent stretch of games. Here's the defensive efficiencies for the 76ers during their last 6 games (the offensive efficiency rankings for this season of the 76ers' opponents are in the brackets):

Boston - 112 (25)

Orlando - 103.5 (16)

Toronto - 120.7 (24)

Miami - 103.1 (3)

Atlanta - 103.4 (17)

Washington - 107.8 (28)

It's one thing to have an off night vs. one of the best teams in the NBA, but Washington and Toronto during a playoff chase? It doesn't bode well for their playoff chances if they even get in (the question of if they should be trying to make a run at the playoff is another question entirely).

I'm not impressed by the Nets beating Cleveland since Irving was out & they needed overtime to beat a team featuring old man Antwan Jamison and Lester Hudson.

Last time I saw you

And before we jump ahead, let's head back to the 1996-1997 season. Even though time hasn't been kind to his place in history and he hasn't been seen in an NBA arena since 2009, when I was younger I though Allen Iverson was the man. What, I liked guys who could break your ankles and were very confident in their abilities (I refuse to say the word swag). And in my defense, I was 10 and didn't know anything about shooting efficiency.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Jump!

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After beating up on the Wizards, the Nets continue to wind down their season. Next up is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have fallen off the face of the Earth since they last played the Nets.

How do these teams look? Let's see:

The Cavaliers have been much improved from where they were last season. They're still a few years away from being a contender, but they're seemingly on the right track. Much like last time, their strength lies in their strong offensive rebounding attack & their weakness is in the turnovers. One thing they need to work on for next season is their three point defense, as they're 7th worst in three point percentage.

The Nets have played better ball as of late. It's irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but it's nice to see somewhat watchable basketball. The defense still leaves a lot to be desired, and hopefully with better personnel next year, it should be improved.

The preview. And the result.

Before we jump, let's head back to the 1993 playoffs. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the last home game for Drazen Petrovic before he passed away a month later.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Take the jump!

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Fresh off their West Coast trip, the Nets are back home. And much like the Trail Blazers, the Nets will be facing a team that's focusing on draft position (aka the Anthony Davis sweepstakes). The Wizards haven't been any good this year, but they have some nice pieces to build on, with John Wall, Nene and their 1st round draft pick (provided they don't screw it up). This is the last leg of the dreaded back-to-back-to-back for Washington, so they might be experiencing some fatigue.

how do these squads compare? Let's take a look:

Since Nene's been around, the Wizards record haven't been any good. But to be fair, the Wizards haven't been any good since 2008. And why are they so bad? They commit a ton of fouls and are allow a ton of second chance opportunities.

The defense has been better of late for Jersey. And where has that improvement gotten the Nets in terms of defensive efficiency? They are now the second worst defense in the NBA, trailing only the Bobcats now. It's the small things you cling to in a season like this.

Last time I saw you. And the result

And before we jump into present affairs, let's jump all the way back to 1978. Here we see some clips of the then Bullets on their win to their first, and only NBA Championship.

Tip-off is at 7:30. We're jumping!

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As this West Coast trip rolls on, the Nets look to keep their winning streak. They'll be stepping up in weight class here, as they'll be taking on the Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Lakers. As basketball fans know, the Lakers are led by Kobe Bryant with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum playing supporting roles.

What do these teams look like? Let's check it out:

Despite the recent winning streak, it's still been an ugly season for New Jersey. They're pretty bad at rebounding, and they'll be facing one of the better rebounding teams in the league so they're gonna need their three pointers to fall if they wanna pull off the upset. And as usual, they get to the line at a good clip and control the glass well enough.

As for Los Angeles, I was expecting more out of them. They're an older tam so the slower pace (and Mike Brown being Mike Brown) was to be expected. The larger sample says that the Lakers are a slightly above average offense, but now that they've removed one of their two black holes (Derek FIsher being the first one, Ron World Peace the other), the offensive numbers should improve some.

Before we jump to the present matchups, let's jump back to February 2001. It's got Marbury (who just won the CBA Championship too) playing at his best, and Shaq & Kobe too. What's not to love? And there was no way in hell I was gonna bring up the 02 Finals.

Tip-off is at 10:30. Matchups and other stuff after we jump.

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Well, they couldn't beat a team coming off of a 4 OT loss the night before (Utah), but they turn around and beat up a team coming off a great win vs. Miami (Indiana). Funny how the NBA works. With that being said, the Nets begin a West Coast swing starting tonight vs. the Warriors. The Warriors have been better than the Nets this year (though that's not really saying much), but they're nowhere near the playoffs so they're just like us.

How do these teams stack up? Let's find out:

The story hasn't really changed much for the Nets. They're still the worst defense in the league and the offense is below average. You combine those two things with a team that's bottom 5 in defensive rebounding and you've got yourself a catastrophe.

G-State's story is similar to Jersey's, the only difference being that their offense is more productive. Their defense is still putrid (which I'll mention later) and they're the worst rebounding team in the NBA. And much like New Jersey, the Warriors have a catastrophe on their hands.

Last time I saw you

And before we jump into stuff, let's head back to 1991 and some Run TMC goodness.

Tip-off is at 10:30. Jump for the matchups.

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Let's set up the scene. On Monday night, the Nets played Utah, a team who was coming off a 4 overtime loss, playing the second night of a back to back and their third game in 4 days. The Nets were coming off a blowout win vs. Charlotte on Saturday. So what happened? Utah kicked the crap out of the Nets is what happened.

Indiana on the other hand is coming off a great win vs. the Miami Heat on Monday and a blowout win vs. Milwaukee on Saturday. As of right now, the Pacers are the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and would play the Sixers in Round 1 if the playoffs were to start today.

How do these teams matchup? Let's take a look:

The Pacers are solid all around. They're good on offense (led by Roy Hibbert and Paul George) and good on defense as well. They don't shoot well overall, but they make up for it by getting to the line a ton, making the most out of their possessions (low TO rate) and attacking the offensive glass. Frank Vogel has done a good job with this team since he took over head coaching responsibilities, and will probably continue to do so in the future. One troubling aspect of Indiana's game: they're hideous shooting at the rim. They're the second worst in the league at the rim, which might come back to hurt them in the playoff.

You're not gonna win anything when your as God-awful as New Jersey is. They can't control the glass, they're stagnant on offense and the best offensive player in terms of efficiency is on the bench. Just terrible stuff all around

Last time I saw you

And before we move on to present affairs, let's take a trip back to the 2002 Playoffs. This was one of the most awesome and horrifying (for us at least) moments in Playoff history.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Jump for the good stuff.

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Life would be so much better for the Nets if they could just play the Bobcats all the time. Unfortunately for them, there are other teams in the NBA. The other team for their next game is the upstart Utah Jazz. The Jazz are coming off a win on national TV when they beat the hell out of the Denver Nuggets. Currently, the Jazz find themselves in the playoff hunt, as they are in the 7th seed.

How do these teams compare? Let's take a look:

I would've thought Utah would be better on the defensive side of the ball. As it turns out, they're in the bottom top in terms of defensive efficiency and opponent's eFG%. They tend to commit a lot of fouls, as evidenced by their second highest opponent's free throw rate. Their offensive attack is spearheaded by the excellent duo of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. The Jazz are the best shooting team near the rim in the NBA so expect them to pound the ball inside a ton against the weak interior defense of New Jersey. However, the Jazz are the second worst defensive team at the rim, but the Nets are hideous near the rim (tied for worst in the league), so the Jazz catch a bit of a break.

Another day, another bad 4th quarter for New Jersey. This time, they were able to withstand it as they had were up a bunch vs. Charlotte. If they wanna get the win, they need to control the defensive glass, as the Jazz are on the best rebounding teams in the NBA, while the Nets are one of the worst. Luckily for Jersey, the Jazz are the worst three point shooting team in the NBA so their league worst 3 point defense may not come back to haunt them in this game.

Last time I saw you

And before we move on, let's take a trip back to 1988. It's tough to be underrated when you're one of the 50 Greatest Players, but it feels like we sometimes forget about Stock when discussing the great players in basketball history.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Matchups and other stuff after the jump.

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The losing streak continued as the Nets suffered an ugly loss against Washington on Wednesday. They're headed on the road to face the 6th seed Atlanta Hawks, who are coming off a one point win against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

How do these teams compare:

It's really aggravating to watch this Nets team. By now, we know their deal: decent enough on offense, but so horrendous on defense that they have no shot at competing for a playoff spot. When you allow a bottom five offense in Washington to score 108 in regulation, any talk of playoffs is laughable.

As for the Hawks, they're pretty much in the same spot they've been at for the past couple of seasons. A solid playoff contender, but not near the top of the conference. They've been one of the best defenses in the NBA, but their offense has performed at the level of the Nets. That can be explained away because they've been hit with a lot of injuries this season, most notably losing the excellent Al Horford for the season due to a pectoral injury.

Last time I saw you

Tip-off is at 7:30. Matchups after the jump.

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In the midst of a three game losing streak, the Nets look to keep whatever playoff hopes they have left alive vs. the Wizards. This game will also mark the debut of Nene, who was traded to Washington in a three team deal on deadline day.

Let's see how these teams stack up:

Looking at the Wizards, they're about as awful as the Nets are. They've had a terrible season, with a coaching change, lousy play, and other assorted foolishness. Much like the Nets, they're terrible on the defensive rebounding (worst in the league), so there'll be a ton of second chance opportunities for both teams.

As for New Jersey, it's really just more of the same. The offense is decent enough, but the D is so bad that you wonder why anyone actually thinks they have a shot at a playoff spot.

Last time I saw you

And before we jump, let's head back to 2003. I've successfully retconned MJ's time as a Wizard from memory, but this was still awesome.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Matchups and stuff after the jump.

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When you're trying to make a run at the #8 seed, you can't blow huge 4th quarter leads. Unfortunately for the Nets, that's exactly what happened last game vs. the Hornets. They look to snap their two game losing streak against the #10 seed Cavaliers. The Cavs are coming off of a loss to the Hawks on Sunday and are looking to bounce back as well. Cleveland is three games ahead of the Nets in the standings, and 3.5 games behind #8 seed New York.

Let's see how these teams compare:

Taking a look at the Cavaliers, they're still not any good but they've made huge strides compared to last seasons. Their strength lies in their offensive rebounding prowess (even though Anderson Varejao has been out due to injury), which helps power their below league average offensive attack. They have a bit of a turnover problem, so the Nets need to take advantage of that.

As for the Nets, their league worst defense reared its ugly head in the 4th quarter against NOLA as they allowed 32 points and turned what was a 12 point lead into a deflating 8 point loss.

Last time I saw you

And before we jump, let's take a trip back into time. Either way, someone's gonna be sad after watching this.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Jump it up!

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If you're reading this (& if you are, thank you) you're probably feeling one of three ways: excitement because the team made the moves you wanted, disappointment because the team didn't make the moves you wanted, or indifference because you've been worn out by this entire trading season and wanna get back to talking basketball. Whatever your feelings, life moves on.

And for the New Jersey Nets, that means trying to make a run at the 8 seed in a top heavy Eastern Conference. As it stands now, they're 4.5 games behind Milwaukee and have New York, Cleveland and Detroit in front of them. And the first team they face after the trading deadline? The Orlando Magic. Of course, we all figured Howard would be in Elsewhere, USA but he's still in Orlando and the drama is over (or is it? *cue ominous music* Yeah it's over).

The Nets are coming off a win vs. Toronto while the Magic are coming off a tough loss in San Antonio. Let's take a look at how these teams match up:

Looking at the Nets, we kinda know their story by now. A decent offense but a horrendous defense. Digging a little further, we see their struggles are due to their woeful three point defense (highest opponent's 3 point %, which manifests itself in their league highest opponent eFG) and defensive rebounding (3rd worst defensive rebounding rate in the NBA this season). The Nets are hoping the Gerald Wallace acquisition will lead to a major increase in their defense. Second chance opportunities will be hard to come by seeing as how Orlando is third in defensive rebounding.

As for the Magic, they represent a major matchup for the Nets. The Nets are worst in three point defense, while the Magic are third in three point percentage and first in attempts per game. Naturally you're gonna get to the free throw line a ton with Dwight Howard around, so that's always a positive. Of course, having Dwight Howard take a ton of FTs has a downside to it, as the Magic are bottom in FT percentage. I think the tradeoff is worth it though.

And before we move onto other stuff, let's take a trip back into time and relive an awesome moment.

Tip is at 7:00. Let's jump!

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As this shortened season rolls on, the Nets play host to Atlantic Division foe Toronto at home. The Nets (as presently constituted) look to bounce back after a home loss to Milwaukee on Monday. As of this writing, the Raptors lead the Cavaliers in Cleveland. The funny thing about this game is the Nets are considered by some to be playoff contenders, and the Raptors have a better record and I haven't seen anyone call them playoff contenders.

Let's take a look at how these teams compare:

I'm so used to the Raptors being awful at defense (they were the worst defense in the league the past 2 seasons) so them becoming league average is a great accomplishment. The offense is below average this year, but they've experienced injuries to Jose Calderon and Bargnani so that explains some of the problems on that end.

As for the Nets, as of this moment, they're still a crappy team. Will that change in the next couple of days. Maybe, but it hasn't happened yet so speculating about a possible playoff run with a new player that's not even here yet is extremely premature. Looking at the team, we see that they're pretty lousy at the defensive end. When you're bad at defense in general, don't force enough turnovers (20th in defensive turnover rate), and are awful on the defensive glass (3rd worst defensive rebounding rate), that's gonna lead to some terrible results.

Last time I saw you was: January 29

And before we jump into it, let's take a look back at a famous moment of another player who forced his way out of town.

Tip-off is at 7:30. Jump time.

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After splitting their back-to-back set vs. Charlotte and Houston, the Nets continue their march to the end of the season vs. Milwaukee Monday night. As for Milwaukee, they play the Raptors Sunday evening before they make the trip to Jersey. The Bucks are very close to catching the free-falling Knicks for the 8th seed, and with the Nets only a few games behind, it looks like these teams will be battling for the right to get their asses kicked by Miami or Chicago in Round 1 8 seed.

Let's see how these two teams compare:

Looking at the Bucks, we can see that they're not a particularly good team. Their offense is in the bottom half of the league, as is their defense. They're playing at a faster pace (top 10 in fact), which is a break from the typically slow pace of past seasons under Scott Skiles. They're one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the league (thanks in large part to Drew Gooden and Ersan Ilyasova) and they don't turn it over much. Andrew Bogut has been out with a broken left ankle, but even if he were at full strength, this is a team that probably wouldn't make much noise in the playoff.

As for New Jersey, we know the story by now. Their offense is fine enough, but the defense is abhorrent. If we're being completely honest, they're not gonna make the playoffs nor should they if we're thinking long-term.

Last time we saw each other: Bucks 92, Nets 85

And before we jump into the good stuff, let's take a quick look back at the last game between these teams:

Tip-off is at 7:30. More stuff after the jump.

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At least they're not facing the Heat. After getting smacked down by Miami, the Nets head home and face the Clippers. We know what the big matchup is, and I'll get to that later. As for the Clippers, they're coming off of a one point loss at Minnesota, and are percentage points ahead of the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead.

Let's take a look at how these two teams match up:

Taking a look at the Clippers, "Lob City" has lived up to their name on the offensive end. I thought they would be playing at a faster pace, but it's a bit of a moot point if you're 7th in offensive efficiency. It also helps that they're a good offensive rebounding team as well. This is a repeat line: "The three point line will be a critical aspect of this game." The Clippers and Nets love taking threes (5 and 2 respectively in attempts per game), and are not very good at defending them either (second and third worst opponent three point percentage).

As for New Jersey, as evidenced (again) by their loss to the Heat, they're pretty bad at defense. Against an offense of this caliber, they're gonna need to be at least somewhat decent on the defensive end because they should be able to do some good work on offense. And much like the Clippers, they're a good offensive rebounding team so they'll have some extra chances to work with.

And before we jump, let's take a trip down memory lane with old friend Kenyon Martin:

Tip-off is at 7:30. Jump!

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Welcome to the main event New Jersey. After barely escaping Charlotte with a win, the Nets now face arguably the best team in the NBA. The best way I could describe this matchup is David vs. Galactus. And now that Brook Lopez is out of action for 3 weeks, the already arduous challenge of beating the Heat in Miami becomes even more difficult. After embarrassing the Blazers in Portland, the Heat lost their next two games at Utah and at the LA Lakers, all without Chris Bosh, due to the passing of his grandmother. The Nets are gonna have to keep this game close early if they want a shot at pulling the upset.

Let's take a look at these two teams:

Taking a look at the Nets, despite the fact that the Bobcats are a terrible team, they were able to hold Charlotte to 2-14 from the three point line. Granted, Charlotte is the worst three point shooting team in the league and Miami is the best, but hey at least it's something. As has been their wont this year (2nd in attempts per game), the Nets will throw up a bunch of threes in this game. The Heat have allowed the 2nd most three pointers attempted per game, but here's where context matters. Teams will naturally "go to their slingshot" when they're down by a bunch so it's to be expected.

As for Miami, they do everything you want the great teams to do and have all the great qualities of the truly elite teams. Efficient on offense? Check. Great on defense? Got that part down pat. Roster depth? Much improved from last season? Win every game convincingly? Being number 1 in efficiency differential says yes. Have one of the best players in the league? They've got the best player in the world and the other guy (Wade) is pretty damn great too.

And before we jump into the individual matchups, let's take a look back at a famous Nets-Heat moment.

Tip-off is 7:30, and now we jump!

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