Today is the last Friday of the NBA regular season, and as such, there’s a full slate of games, with many playoff berths and seeds on the line. Two teams fighting for the final, sad playoff berth in the Eastern Conference are the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks. The Hawks lead the Knicks by two games, and a win tonight, coupled with a Knicks’ loss, would secure Atlanta a spot in the postseason.
Tonight, the Knicks play the Toronto Raptors on the road — a game the Raptors will definitely be trying win, as they are neck-and-neck with the Chicago Bulls for the third seed in the East. Meanwhile, the Hawks are in Brooklyn, taking on a Nets squad that is essentially locked into the fifth seed. And you know what that means: it’s time to sit some starters! In what has to be considered a bit of a troll job directed toward their Manhattan rival, Jason Kidd decided to rest Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston for tonight’s game — making life a little bit easier for the Hawks.
Now, we’re not saying a Knicks loss and a Hawks win is an inevitability, but the Nets’ decision is still funny — even if it makes sense for their own interests of health and rest before the playoffs.
[ESPN]
