The Brooklyn Nets claimed a huge win over Milwaukee. But it came with mixed fan reactions.
The Brooklyn Nets' 96-90 road upset of the Milwaukee Bucks came with mixed feelings among the fan base.
As much as fans love seeing their team win, this is the time of year when NBA Draft positioning gets altered.
Brooklyn's victory sends a direct impact on its chances to potentially land the top overall pick.
Already there's the projection Brooklyn will fall to No. 3 and grab Arkansas star Darius Acuff. But still, this victory sparked mixed feelings beginning with past NBA reporter Billy Reinhardt.
"Well, it’s officially Defcon 1 for Brooklyn, if it wasn’t already. The Nets were up three games on Sacramento/Utah for top-3 odds in the NBA Draft Lottery with just five games to play. Consecutive wins have shrunk the Nets’ lead to just one game with three games to play. Brooklyn no longer controls its destiny if they win even just one more game. They desperately need to lose out," Reinhardt posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
Another fan became more relentless toward the Nets.
"The Brooklyn Nets pretend tank. All these teams are starting G-leaguers, yet somehow we keep winning. Clearly other teams players are getting a message that ours aren’t. You can’t tell me we somehow roll out the G-League Monstars," one fan also posted.
One more fan went after Brooklyn after the win, believing the team should just end the season.
"Seems like every game we get a new Nets player that's too good for the tank. [Nolan] Traore don't start, no Josh Minott, but here comes EJ Liddell. Just end this season already," one more fan posted.
Meanwhile, head coach Jordi Fernandez cared more about the effort of the players. This despite the litany of injuries that have occurred on Brooklyn's side.
"I'm very happy with how the team played. We played the right way and with the right intentions. That's how you give yourself a chance to compete and get a win," Fernandez told reporters afterward.
He watched EJ Liddell blossom into the leading scorer with 21 points. Ben Saraf added 19 points for the franchise. Malachi Smith and Drake Powell chipped in 11 points apiece. Tyson Etienne added nine points for Brooklyn.
Now the Nets have 20 victories this season with three games left. But already, some fans have grown restless about the late year victories amid draft chatter.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!