The last time the Brooklyn Nets played a game it was March 10 in Los Angeles, a surprising win by the shorthanded team that provided a boost in spirits _ a short-lived lift as the season was suspended a day later.
The Nets took the court against the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night for a scrimmage, their first game since that day and what seemed shorthanded in March is very different than what the Nets face as they resume the season.
Three of the starters from that game _ Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler _ are not with the team in Orlando now. Another starter, Joe Harris, was sitting this one out after practicing with the team all week. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant bowed out of the resumption of the season in the bubble-like campus at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando. And as they begin their scrimmage schedule even the roster fill-ins will be mostly sidelined. Jamal Crawford, Tyler Johnson and Justin Anderson were held out as they acclimate to the new system and work their way back into NBA game shape. But no matter who they put on the court, nothing was going to be quite normal. In the background, COVID-19 loomed and the question remains: Will they get to the finish line?
