Cam Thomas, Ben Simmons set record straight on Nets' low expectations after Celtics loss

The last time the Brooklyn Nets played at TD Garden, they suffered a 50-point loss, the second-worst in franchise history. They returned Friday and nearly took down the reigning champion Boston Celtics during a 108-104 overtime loss.

The impressive showing continues the Nets' surprise start after many projected them to be among the NBA's worst teams this season. While Brooklyn continued to exceed expectations in Boston, the team feels like it let a winnable game slip away.

“I’m not really a fan of moral victories because I feel like the game was winnable,” Cam Thomas said. “We led most of the game. They just had a few good possessions at the end and hit big-time shots… It wasn’t like we were very outmatched from start to finish. Normally, when we play here where, it’s always a beatdown. But today it was really good just starting out fast and then sticking with the game plan.”

Thomas led Brooklyn with 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting despite facing Boston's all-world defensive backcourt of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Dennis Schroder added 23 points, while Cam Johnson chipped in 18.

Nets hustle keeping them in games early this season

However, as has been the case this season, the Nets' hustle kept them in the game. They won the offensive rebounding battle 12-4, attempting 10 more field goals than the Celtics. Defensively, they held Joe Mazzulla's team to 39-of-90 shooting from the field (43 percent) and 14-of-53 from three (26 percent) while forcing 13 turnovers.

The Nets have routinely outworked opponents this season to make up for a high-end talent deficit. Defensively, they're forcing 15.4 turnovers per game, the eighth-most in the league. Despite giving up size in most matchups, they've improved significantly on the defensive glass, allowing the NBA's fouth-fewest offensive rebounds.

Offensively, they are constantly moving and rarely settle for shots early in the shotclock, forcing opposing defenses to defend for extended periods. Brooklyn averages 15.53 seconds per possession, the second-longest in the league, per pbpstats.com.

Thomas credited head coach Jordi Fernandez for the team's hustle factor.

“We're just buying into what Jordi is trying to instill in us, the culture of just outworking opponents, being connected. Really just playing together as a team,” the Nets guard said. “So really embodying what Jordi is preaching. We all have to buy into what he's saying and play for one another. So I think it's a little bit of both players and coaches [who deserve credit].”

With wins over the Memphis Grizzies and Milwaukee Bucks and overtime losses to the Denver Nuggets and Celtics, the Nets are beginning to look like more than a fun, frisky team. Fernandez knows his team believes it can take another step against the league's best.

“We're just not happy because we lost the game,” the coach said. “There are things that we could have done better. But we trust each other, we believe in what we're doing, and that's our mentality. They're a very good team, but we cannot feel satisfied because that's not what this league is about. If you feel satisfied for one moment, that's gonna kick you at some point, and you will get punished.”

Entering year one of a rebuild, the expectation around the NBA was that the Nets would tank for a top draft pick this season. While that may still be the organization's intention, Fernandez and Brooklyn's players have not gotten the memo.

“It doesn't matter. It doesn’t affect us. It’s just somebody saying something,” Ben Simmons said of the team's low expectations. “Unless they're in the gym with us dictating what's happening it's just somebody saying something… We put in a lot of work, and we’re playing hard. This is what happens when you play hard and work hard and get better every day.”

General manager Sean Marks will have decisions to make regarding Brooklyn's veterans if the team continues to overachieve. While the Nets are only nine games into the season, each win moves the team further away from the top odds in next year's lottery. At a certain point, Marks will have to decide whether to lean into his team's success or trade veterans to maximize draft position.

In the meantime, the Nets will face another difficult test against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.