NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (0-2) are not getting off to the fast start that they were hoping for prior to their season-opener against the injury-riddled Charlotte Hornets
on Wednesday. Brooklyn could chalk up the loss to the Hornets as inconsistent offense and the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers as not playing well for four quarters, but they're looking to correct the mistakes they've been making thus far."I think the next step is to see how we learn from the couple of games we've played. From the playing hard and with intentions from Game 1 to 2, it was less anxiety, more focus on playing," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said prior to Sunday's game against the Indiana Pacers. Sunday's matchup against the Pacers is the second game of a back-to-back,
but Fernandez believes that the issues are correctable.
"Game 2 was a lot of honest mistakes on trying, but we didn't do certain things well, especially we're not focused to finish quarters. A lot of the mistakes of fouling and protecting our rim in different ways, but I think that it's all correctable when I watch it," Fernandez continued. " I'm not extremely worried on how this is happening. We were two possessions away in a game that felt like we were almost there, but was a little bit of a lead for them and we kept fighting and fighting and the team never quit."
In the Nets' 110-103 loss to Charlotte, Brooklyn didn't lose any of the quarters by more than four points so it seemed like one of those games where the Hornets were able to make one or two players down the stretch. In Saturday's 125-121 loss at the Cavaliers, the Nets fell behind by as many as 22 points and despite a furious comeback, Brooklyn just came up a play or two short.
"They're [Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle] two great scorers and great players, really. There's no other way to say it. Both of those guys have had 40-point nights in the NBA, and the fourth quarter last night is a great example of how dangerous these guys are. [Egor] Demin's shooting the heck out of it now," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the Nets prior to Sunday's matchup. Carlisle believes that the Nets can be dangerous and it seems like it's up to Fernandez and the players to bring that to fruition.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets looking to improve defense ahead of back-to-back vs. Pacers
