3 Takeaways from Brooklyn Nets explosive win over Chicago Bulls…..

We’ve all been where theput Chicago Bulls fans last night. Football, basketball, cricket, whatever — everyone knows that one team that always kills theirs — no matter the talent discrepancy.

For Brooklyn, it’s the Memphis Grizzlies, who even before Ja Morant fully developed and with the Nets boasting their 7/11 duo, rattled off seven straight wins vs them from 2019-2022. For theit’s the . For the it’s anyone they face in the playoffs.

Just as a carriage turns into a pumpkin at midnight, these opposing units turn into the ‘17  Murderers’ Row  or the ‘85every time they draw a team with your rooting interest as an opponent. Bippity. Boppity. Boo.

It’s an abundantly clear coping mechanism, one that allows us all to hide from the sobering truth that our teams were simply outplayed that night. Nonetheless, it’s something every all-too-invested sport-watching individual partakes in.

While the Bulls are only one, or at best, two weight classes above Brooklyn in terms of talent this year, the Nets had no business doing what they did to them last night and this season at large.

Here’s what we learned in the Brooklyn beatdown, or jinx, depending on your point of view.

Recency Bias Could Affect Offseason Decisions

It seems as if the Brooklyn Nets only have room for one off-the-bench, big-energy, wing player at a time. With the sun setting on Lonnie Walker in the final quarter of the season, it’s risen for Trendon Watford.

While last night came as Walker IV’s eighth game this month logging less than 15 minutes, it was Watford’s third straight logging 19 or more. Wat dropped 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. It was another “do it all” effort for him, where he illustrated his ability to break down a defense from the top of the key or stretch the floor as an ancillary player, while still playing stingy, versatile defense.

Amid this three-game run, he’s averaging 14.0 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal per game while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. He’s also shooting 50.0% from deep on 3.3 triples per game. Both represent significant improvements from his .532/.396 season slashes.

Anytime you have a team certain to miss the playoffs, but with a player surging late in the season, it doesn’t take long for the “should we bring him back” questions to start rolling in.

Given the minimal team success they experienced with them aboard this year, there’s very little reason to believe the Nets will make a strong effort to bring back most of their expiring players this summer. That’s just how the league goes. However, both Watford (23-years-old) and and Walker IV (25-years-old) fit Brooklyn’s timeline, giving themselves each something of a case to return.

Still, odds are they likely both won’t be back again considering disappointing the nature of this season.

Earlier this year, Walker IV abundantly held a lead in the race for a roster spot next year. He put up Sixth Man of the Year numbers in October and November, but injuries and inconsistent minutes have transformed him into Brooklyn’s 12th man of late. On the other hand, Watford is playing his best ball of the season right now.

The question of whether or not either of these guys wants to be back in Brooklyn is just as important here. Despite what Sean Marks and Joe Tsai think, I can understand free agents looking at Brooklyn and turning the other way, at least right now.

Regardless, this late surge from Watford is setting the table for an interesting offseason. If it comes down to one spot, will the Nets weigh the 25% of the year where Watford’s been better more than the 75% from Walker IV because it’s fresher in their minds? Is that the right thing to do? As Wat keeps hitting shots and making plays, the questions just keep building.

Mikal Bridges is Saving His 3-Point Shooting Numbers

En route to what went down as a tie for most made triples by the Nets in a game all season, Mikal Bridges pulled an excess of the weight. On a night where Cam Thomas hit almost all the flashy shots and Dennis Schröder went ballistic as well, he quietly shot 7-of-11 from deep.

Again, Thomas had almost all the flashy shots.