Brooklyn Nets: Schedule for 2019-20 NBA Restart

The 2019-20 NBA Season was suspended due to COVID-19, but will now restart in Orlando as each team plays eight more regular-season games before the playoffs. What does this mean for the Brooklyn Nets?

The Brooklyn Nets are currently the seventh-ranked team in the Eastern Conference with a 30-34 record, 8.5 games behind the sixth-ranked Philadelphia 76ers. The problem is, if the Nets don’t play well in the eight games and fall to the eighth seed and are four games or less in front of the ninth seed, they will be forced to play in a play-in tournament for the playoffs.

The way the play-in tournament works is as so:

• If the eight seed is four games or fewer ahead of the nine seed there would be a play-in tournament
• If the eight seed is more than four games ahead of the nine seed, a play-in tournament would not be necessary
• In a play-in tournament, the eighth seed would have to win only one game, the ninth seed would have to win two and the winner would advance to the playoffs

The good news for the Nets is that they are currently a half-game ahead of the eighth seed, and six games ahead of the ninth seed. That being said, unless they really screw up in the eight games prior to the playoffs, they should be alright.

The good news for the Nets is that out of the 22-teams heading to Orlando, the Nets have the sixth-easiest schedule meaning they SHOULD be able to avoid the play-in tournament.

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With two games against the Magic and one against the Wizards (the eighth and ninth seeds,) the Nets pretty much control their own destiny. This being said, the Nets are in a very good position to avoid the play-in tournament and could very well get into the playoffs.

The bad news is the other five games are against much more difficult opponents. With games against three of the top-five teams in the NBA; the Bucks, Celtics, and Clippers, the Nets certainly do not have a cake-walk into the playoffs.

Not only that, but they’ll be doing it without both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, which makes it that much more difficult.

In my opinion, I believe the Nets will finish the eight games with a 3-5 record, good enough to get them into the playoffs, but not good enough to give them confidence going in.

Will the Nets be able to avoid the play-in tournament and safely get into the NBA Playoffs? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @EmpireWritesBck!