The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in triple overtime on Wednesday night to go into the All-Star break above .500 for the first time since 2012-13.
Their growth has stunned many experts and critics alike, but those who watched the team last season will know that this sudden change in fortunes hasn’t come out of the blue. While the Nets were a miserable 28-54 last season, they were more competitive than their record suggested.
In fact, the Nets were involved in 50 “clutch” games — as defined by the NBA (within five points with under five minutes to go) — the second-most in the league.