On Friday in Washington, the Nets will face Paul Pierce for the first time since they let him go in the offseason. They’ll also face the stark reality of just how much they miss “The Truth,” how they’ve spiraled into a seven-game skid while his leadership has helped the Wizards soar to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Then they’ll get another reminder Saturday at Barclays Center in the second half of the home-and-home series.
“Washington’s been a great team this year. They’re very good and it’s going to be a good [test],’’ said Brooklyn center Brook Lopez, who acknowledged how much he missed Pierce as a teammate. “Oh, man. The Truth, I miss that guy, definitely. Great teammate, fun to be around in the locker room, fun to play with, loves playing the game and just made the game so much easier for me to be with him.’’
The game has looked easy for Washington, which has taken a quantum leap forward from last season’s 44-38 (.537) finish to this year’s 27-12 (.692) mark, second-best in the Eastern Conference. And Lopez admitted Pierce’s play and his steadying presence in that young locker room is a big part of that.
“Oh, absolutely. And definitely on the floor too; he’s so versatile in what he does. Like you said his importance comes from more than just being on the court. There’s a lot of different ways he affects their team,’’ said Lopez, upon whom Pierce made an impression in their only season together.
“Absolutely. That’s just the kind of guy he is, the kind of player he is. He’s an amazing teammate, one of the best teammates I ever played with, no question. Always has your back, always looking for ways to help me improve, to make me better. He got everyone going; he was a real motor for us.’’
The Nets had the opportunity to match the Wizards’ two-year, $11 million offer to Pierce, but they opted to let him walk. While the Nets talked at the time about getting shots for Bojan Bogdanovic, they felt the luxury-tax burden — which would’ve exceeded $20 million — was too high a price for the aging Pierce.
Now it’s obvious the Wizards’ grand old man is still far more grand than old, averaging 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists with numbers that look almost identical to last season.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn has lost seven straight games to fall to 16-23.
“[We have to] work, get after it,’’ said coach Lionel Hollins. “You can’t come out of adversity by feeling sorry for yourself. You can only come out of it by going to work and working harder and find and correct the mistakes that you’ve been making that’s cost you some of the games we’ve lost.’’
While Joe Johnson admitted he had no clue how to break this malaise, Lopez had some thoughts.
“This is definitely changeable,’’ said Lopez.
“We need to each take accountability for what we’re supposed to do, take our responsibility and keep sticking together. There’s no anger between anyone at this point. We’re all disappointed in ourselves right now and we know we need to be doing better. … We’re all a little frustrated. We can’t let that affect how we go out and play. We have to be focused when we’re on the floor and know our jobs.’’
PG Deron Williams is progressing, but still has pain and still hasn’t returned to physical activity. He’ll be evaluated again Wednesday.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver discussed Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s potential sale of the team Thursday in London.
“In terms of Prokhorov, he’s told us same as what his spokesperson has said publicly, that there’s nothing imminent,’’ said Silver. “He hasn’t determined that he’s absolutely going to sell, but he’s listening to offers, and that’s an ongoing process right now.’’