3 Takeaways from Brooklyn Nets Season Finale vs New York Knicks

At last, we’ve reached what’s surely the longest awaited finish line for this team in some time

Hello, friends.

While today is marked by most as Masters Sunday, Rory and Bryson aren’t the only ones on the back nine this afternoon. Playing their regular season finale, the Brooklyn Nets, to their fans and the “visiting” New York Knicks, opened the Barclays Center doors for a final time.

Brooklyn’s season has been a stark opposite to the sunny, harmonious vibe the tradition like no other brings. Fans were constantly scratching their heads, wondering whether to cheer or sulk after wins. That, combined with a volatile rotation, pesky injuries, and enough Tankathon spins to make you dizzy snipped the strings to the piano playing Augusta. What we got instead felt like a Motörhead record on blast.

It was only right that it ended with the Knicks — the team that put them on this path last summer. While the Mikal Bridges deal remains an absolute fleece in this beat writer’s eyes, the days when the Nets reap the benefits of it are yet to come. What’s important now is Brooklyn getting to the finish line and they accomplished that this afternoon. Here’s how we got there.

It’s Messy as You’d Expect

Whether due to the players experiencing some form of senioritis on this “last day of school,” or being undermanned at the point guard spot (likely the latter), the Nets were about as sloppy as you’d expect them to be here in game No. 82.

Brooklyn’s 19 giveaways for the game boiled into 31 New York points. They especially struggled in the half court, unable to get Knick defenders moving once penetrating the first line of defense. Instead of driving and kicking for threes, they often drove right into Precious Achiuwa and PJ Tucker.

“It’s hard to win basketball games when that happens,” Jordi Fernández said postgame.

Even on the plays ending in Brooklyn points, the team looked out of sync. Again, this is a more than understandable fault for a group of guys who’ve logged only a handful of minutes together at this level. However, it was also too noticeable to not call out.

Miraculously, it didn’t hinder Brooklyn’s offense for the majority of the game. After two weeks of subzero shooting, the team doused the floor in gasoline before casting a few sparks, posting 66/50 splits at halftime. Those eventually simmered to 51/34 for the game, but still look fair in comparison to what we’ve seen of late.

Had Brooklyn put a better grip on the ball though, they likely get out of here with one more win on the year, as they their final shooting figures were similar to New York’s and they even won on the glass by a deuce. However, they ended up with 12 extra field goal attempts…those came from somewhere.

Wat, Wilson, and Martin Had Gas Left in the Tank

Combining for over 5,000 minutes of played basketball this year, Trendon Watford, Tyrese Martin, and Jalen Wilson have been workhorses for Brooklyn in this rather unceremonious ride of a season.

“My body definitely feels it,” Martin remarked postgame. “First time, you know, I played this many games in my professional career, especially at this level. So definitely grateful and appreciative of it, but yeah, definitely feeling it.”

But even amid the wear, tear, and lack of playoff-related motivation, he and his fellow veterans saved some juice for this final run.

Martin put in what was one of his more efficient games of the 2024-25 campaign and by extension his career. The combo guard contributed with 20 points while shooting 8-of14 from the field and 2-of-6 from deep. He also flashed some bag work, making a compelling come-from-behind case for most improved Net this season.

Wilson checked the efficiency box as well, going for 18-points while shooting 5-of-8 from deep. Not only did he give the Nets fans sprinkled around the crowd something to savor, but he also glossed up his metrics before turning them in for the year. After shooting 31.9% from deep through March, he shot 52% in April, bringing his percentage for the year to a slightly more respectable 33.7% on 4.6 attempts per game. Considering he fell to No. 51 in the 2023 Draft because scouts doubted his range, that’s a positive.

Watford almost singlehandedly brought Brooklyn one final win, leveraging his size and touch to finish a number of back-to-the-basket takes that helped make it a two point game without about three to go. He tallied 20 points while going 8-of-12 from the field and splashing one of his two attempts from range.

Whether or not these veterans just ended their season or Brooklyn careers is a question for another today. All three are either free agents or have team options on their contracts after this season. But this afternoon, they were Nets, and damn good ones at that. They didn’t hear no bell, even if you as fans have been listening for it for months now.

These Guys Deserved a Final Win Even if They Didn’t Get it

Wins do not come easy in this league. The Brooklyn Nets know that better than anyone. Not only did they go just 26-for-82, but almost every one they did secure required extra effort, poise from inexperienced players, and yes, a bit of luck.

Brooklyn wasn’t able to get one more tonight — and if you consider their play on the floor — that’s just. I mean, they gave up a 17-0 run in the third quarter and got turned over more times than a rotisserie chicken. That’s losing basketball and they know it.

Alas, there’s always more to a season than wins and losses. Words like “fight” and “grit” have echoed the Barclays Center ceaselessly since September, and while stale and even a bit cliché by now, that doesn’t mean they’re not real or important factors.

The Nets may not have put up their best fight today, but that shouldn’t take away from the bare knuckle slug-fest they put themselves and their opponents through over and over again this year. They made their opponents sweat, bleed, and even unexpectedly introduced a few to the mat.

And frankly, everyone owes these guys a pat on the back anyway.

Individuals or teams who overachieve are rewarded with praise and jubilation 95% of the time. That’s how it’s supposed to work in sports — and honestly life. But the Nets fell into that unfortunate 5% bucket this year. That’s just how it is in the first year of a rebuild.

So, after a season of grind and grit only to pull in wins that made the fanbase feel indifferent at best, this unit deserved a win at home to close the season — perhaps more than any other squad in recent history. If they couldn’t get that, let’s at least show them the appreciation wins usually evoke. Consider this my virtual tip of the cap.