The Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors probably didn’t recognize each other while squaring up for the tip tonight. Their last meeting came in late Autumn, 101 days ago to be exact, and as the seasons have changed since then, so has look of each team — one for the better from a competitive basketball lens ... and one for the worse.
With the Nets missing veterans from days of yore while the Warriors stepped on the court with Jimmy Buckets, it shouldn’t have been hard to figure out who was who: our boys riding a five-game losing streak into this evening’s entertainment while Golden State had won nine of their last 10 since the deadline delivered them Jimmy Butler.