By defeating the Atlanta Hawks (108-107) on Wednesday, the Nets chained a tenth victory in a row which propelled them to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference (23 v-12 d).

You have to go back to 2006 to find traces of such a series of successes in the turbulent history of the franchise, which was then established on the other side of the Hudson River, in New Jersey.

Better still, since November 1 and the appointment of Jacque Vaughn as coach, the Nets have posted the best record in the entire NBA with 21 wins and seven losses.

"After ups and downs, it feels good to find some stability, win games and have fun doing it," said Kevin Durant after the win over the Hawks.

The New York franchise has regained its confidence and seems to have succeeded in overcoming the demons that have overwhelmed it since the recruitment of its two superstars in the summer of 2019.

"To be honest, we've always been basketball focused," said Durant, who is averaging 33 points per game.

Antisemitic documentary

"From the outside, it may look like we don't care about the game, but a lot of people talk about our group without having the slightest idea what's going on there," said the season's MVP. 2014 and double NBA champion with Golden State.

Kyrie Irving (#11) shooting during an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, December 26, 2022 in Cleveland © Kirk Irwin / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives

Because, before the victories, it was above all the controversies that rained down in Brooklyn.

The most recent, in November, came when Irving was heavily punished for promoting an anti-Semitic documentary on social media.

Last season, the former Cleveland point guard had already made a name for himself by refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19, which had led him to miss several matches, the New York health protocol prohibiting him access. on the parquet floors.

This complicated season ended in a 4-0 defeat in the first round of the play-offs against the Celtics.

In June, tired of waiting for the Nets to express their full potential, Durant, 34, said he was ready to leave the team if coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks were not thanked.

He retracted two months later, after a meeting with his leaders, who will pay him $43 million in salaries in 2022-23.

"High five" between Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant (#7) and his coach Jacque Vaughn during an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors on December 2, 2022 in New York © Adam Hunger / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP /Archives

"Every day counts"

Since then, Nash has been fired after a disastrous start to the season (two wins in seven games).

And Durant does not fail to praise the merits of his replacement.

"It's been huge. You have to keep it simple. We have high expectations for our team, but the process is more important than the end result. Every day counts and Jacque has insisted on that since he's been in charge." he said a month ago.

"I'm a simple person and I really tried to keep things simple," decrypts Vaughn, past, as a player and as an assistant coach, by San Antonio.

"I really tried to focus on what would make things simple for our team."

In late November, Vaughn showed all players their "box-out" rate, which is the position a player takes to protect the basket in order to block an opposing player's rebound.

Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash and star Kevin Durant during an NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 19, 2022 in New York © Sarah Stier / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives

"A lot of players didn't like where they were," Durant admitted.

"I think that since then we have made an effort".

But the play-offs are still a long way off and the question of whether the Nets will finally win the title that is denied to their franchise, beaten twice in the final in 2002 and 2003, remains unresolved.

"I just try to be present and take advantage of what we have in front of us," responds Irving (26 points per game).

“Any time I tried to benchmark, predict the future or plan for the future, it was never in my favor.”

© 2022 AFP