I was startled to discover a hard fact for New York Knicks' fans to swallow and that is that they and the New Jersey Nets are both sporting the same record, 7-13.
When the season began, there was no doubt in anybody's mind which team was better between the two. While it seemed one team had all its ducks in a row, the other was (and still is) desperate to make a huge trade for the best center in the NBA.
About one-third of the way into the season, the Knicks have been an utter disaster. They've sported a losing record since acquiring Carmelo Anthony last year and have been pitiful offensively so far this season. By far, they are the biggest disappointment in the NBA this year.
Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire can't seem to co-exist and head coach Mike D'Antoni is feeling his seat getting hotter by the day. The Knicks find themselves being booed off the Madison Square Garden floor on a nightly basis.
On the other hand, the New Jersey Nets have been a pretty pleasant surprise so far. Sure their record doesn't look so great, but it's still the same as New York's. And they might not have the level of talent the Knicks do, but the effort on both sides of the ball is showing that Avery Johnson can get the most out of a bad team.
Johnson has also done a good job getting his team's mind off the distractions and keeping it on basketball. All the Deron Williams trade rumors are enough to throw a team off, but add Kris Humphries' daily media circus and you have a reason for concern.
Yet, not only have both Williams and Humphries played well through the mess created by either themselves or the media, the team as a whole has played through the distractions quite well. Even rookie MarShon Brooks has shown flashes of brilliance on the floor and is proving to be the steal of the 2012 draft class.
New Jersey's playoff hopes stand a fighting chance if they can continue to play at this pace through the All-Star break. They have a real shot to land Dwight Howard and will do so at all costs.
A major difference between these two teams exists that can't be overlooked.
While the Nets' lackluster play at 7-13 isn't great, it's still a good start for a team that has zero expectations this year. And because of the lack of expectations put on this New Jersey roster, positives can still be found with a poor record.
Meanwhile, the Knicks' 7-13 record has a much different outlook. It's a huge disappointment for a team that was instantly slated to be a top-five team in the Eastern Conference. Now, New York will be lucky to make the playoffs.
It just goes to show you that expectations mean nothing and record means everything. If we had just skipped the regular season and based the playoffs on what team's looked like on paper, the Knicks would be in and the Nets would be out.
But at this point say what you want about each team's starting five and what they look like on paper, on January 29th, one is no better than the other. After two straight wins for the Nets, it's New Jersey moving in a positive direction while the Knicks are moving in a negative one.
One thing's for certain: the Knicks' horrid start to this season is helping the Nets look better than your average 7-13 team and I'm sure New Jersey doesn't mind that one bit.
Nick Spaling Pikka Rinne Mathieu Carle Lars Eller Hal Gill John Madden
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