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| Nets Make Owner Happy by Clinching Playoff Spot | Nets Make Owner Happy by Clinching Playoff Spot |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Upon seeing his team clinch its first playoff berth in six years, Mikhail D. Prokhorov celebrated with the verbal equivalent of a Champagne shower. | Upon seeing his team clinch its first playoff berth in six years, Mikhail D. Prokhorov celebrated with the verbal equivalent of a Champagne shower. |
| “Of course I’m pleased the Nets have made the playoffs, but I can’t say I’m surprised,” Prokhorov, the Nets’ colorful owner, said in a statement on Friday. | “Of course I’m pleased the Nets have made the playoffs, but I can’t say I’m surprised,” Prokhorov, the Nets’ colorful owner, said in a statement on Friday. |
| That Prokhorov was happy is understandable. He committed $330 million to a roster overhaul last summer, two years after spending $200 million to buy a controlling stake in the franchise. This will be the Nets’ first postseason appearance on his watch — the first tangible payoff from his rather large investment. | That Prokhorov was happy is understandable. He committed $330 million to a roster overhaul last summer, two years after spending $200 million to buy a controlling stake in the franchise. This will be the Nets’ first postseason appearance on his watch — the first tangible payoff from his rather large investment. |
| But the news release was unusual, to say the least. No N.B.A. owner has issued a statement to commemorate a playoff berth, as far as anyone in league circles can recall. | But the news release was unusual, to say the least. No N.B.A. owner has issued a statement to commemorate a playoff berth, as far as anyone in league circles can recall. |
| The Nets (40-28) clinched a trip to the playoffs when the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. That result ensured that the 76ers could not catch the Nets under any circumstances. | |
| In an odd twist, the Nets secured their spot before the rival Knicks, who as of Friday morning had a better record, at 40-26. | |
| The reason is that the Nets held tiebreakers over the two ninth-place teams — the 76ers (based on division record) and the Toronto Raptors (based on head-to-head play). The Knicks hold the tiebreaker against the 76ers (with a 3-1 advantage in the season series), but as of Friday did not hold the tiebreaker against the Raptors (1-1). | |
| The Knicks could clinch a playoff berth by beating the Raptors on Friday night. That game also could have huge implications for the Atlantic Division race. | The Knicks could clinch a playoff berth by beating the Raptors on Friday night. That game also could have huge implications for the Atlantic Division race. |
| Because the Knicks and the Nets split their season series (2-2), their division records would become the first tiebreaker if they finished the season with identical records. As of Friday morning, the Nets had the edge, with a 9-4 mark against Atlantic opponents, compared with a 6-6 mark for the Knicks. | |
| The Knicks had four divisional games left, two each against Toronto and Boston. The Nets had three divisional games remaining, against Philadelphia, Boston and Toronto. | The Knicks had four divisional games left, two each against Toronto and Boston. The Nets had three divisional games remaining, against Philadelphia, Boston and Toronto. |
| A simultaneous swoon by the New York teams could open a door for the Celtics (36-31 through Thursday) to move back into the division race, although that seems unlikely. Boston has won the last five Atlantic titles. | |
| The Knicks have not won their division since the 1993-94 season. The Nets last won it in 2005-6. | The Knicks have not won their division since the 1993-94 season. The Nets last won it in 2005-6. |
| The Nets have ensured themselves of their best record in six years (since going 41-41 in 2006-7), with a chance to reach 50 wins for just the second time since joining the N.B.A. | |
| But then, the swaggering Prokhorov has set the bar much higher. Upon buying the team in 2010, he vowed to win a championship within five years. He reiterated that goal last fall and set a specific objective for this season: to make the Eastern Conference finals. | |
| If a playoff berth is worth a news release, one can only imagine what Prokhorov might do if the Nets made it that far. | If a playoff berth is worth a news release, one can only imagine what Prokhorov might do if the Nets made it that far. |
| “We have a lot of talent, which is really coming together now and starting to jell,” Prokhorov said Friday. “I am confident that the team’s best days on the court are still ahead.” | “We have a lot of talent, which is really coming together now and starting to jell,” Prokhorov said Friday. “I am confident that the team’s best days on the court are still ahead.” |