CLEVELAND — So much for the fifth seed.
With a chance to clinch the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with a win in the season finale against the Cavaliers, Nets coach Jason Kidd opted for rest instead, sitting all five of their starters and playing just seven players as the Nets predictably were blown out by the Cavaliers, 114-85 inside Quicken Loans Arena.
With the loss and Washington's win in Boston, the Nets fell into sixth place in the East, putting themselves in line for a matchup with the Atlantic Division champion Raptors beginning Saturday in Toronto.
"There's a lot of things going on outside of our control," Kidd said before the game. "Once the game's over, we'll find out who we're playing and start preparing."
The one thing in the Nets' control was the result of the game against the Cavaliers, which was almost immediately left without much doubt when Kidd named a starting lineup of Jorge Gutierrez, Marquis Teague, Marcus Thornton, Andray Blatche and Jason Collins, with only Mason Plumlee and Andrei Kirilenko used off the bench.
Alan Anderson was dressed in order to fulfill the minimum requirement of eight players being active for a game, but coming off a sore abdominal muscle he didn't play.
"This is, for the group that's playing tonight, to get better," Kidd said before the game. "Again, we're going to focus on defense. They've got some talented players on the other end, and we're going to try to stay out of foul trouble. But we have a job to do, and that's win a ball game."
Winning, of course, was the last thing that went into the decision to give everyone the night off, as the Nets prioritized health over the chance to lock up the fifth seed.
It's also hard not to think that some of the motivation was to avoid the playoff-tested Bulls — the same team that eliminated the Nets last season in the first round — and instead get the untested Atlantic Division champion Raptors instead, though Kidd denied that playing a role.
"You know, it's funny," Kidd said with a smile. "I don't catch what they say or write, so I missed it."
The loss, the fourth in the final five games for the Nets, gave them little momentum heading into their series with the Raptors — with whom they split four meetings this season — after playing so well for the previous three months.
But even after their struggles over the past few games, Kidd remained confident the Nets still have a chance to make a deep run when the postseason begins.
"It's always wide open," Kidd said. "You guys sometimes limit it to two teams, but for guys who are playing on a daily basis … everyone thinks they have a chance."
Regardless, the Nets finally knew their first round opponent, and will get the chance to prove whether their decision to rest their players periodically over the last week — including practically everyone important against the Cavaliers — will pay off.
"Well, I think for the way we started and the way we finished, we showed that we trusted one another throughout this journey and this process to get ready for the playoffs," Kidd said. "We're excited."
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