Today at 3:00 p.m. ET the Brooklyn Nets (15-22) and Atlanta Hawks (20-18) will ball across the pond in London, as the NBA tries to expand its brand overseas. This year's annual London game will be aired on NBA TV and can be live streamed by clicking this link. Nets fans can listen to the game on 101.9 WFAN FM, while Hawks fans can do the same on 92.9 The Game.
The Hawks are one of just four Eastern Conference squads with a winning record, and they're trying to keep that distinction despite losing star center Al Horford for the season due to injury. They've been inconsistent, recently topping the Pacers and Rockets but losing to the offensively-challenged Grizzlies.
"We're trying to build something here and we all know it's going to take some time," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Part of it is the system and part of it is just everything. It takes time to build something that's really successful and something that's sustainable and I think we've made some good initial steps."
These two teams linked up on January 6th in Brooklyn, with the Nets coming out on top despite missing their own center Brook Lopez, who still leads the team in points per game, and Deron Williams.
Brooklyn began the season in turmoil, with rookie head coach Jason Kidd appearing to be hanging on to his job by a thread amid a number of silly controversies. Once the calendar turned to 2014 though, the Nets picked up the pace and have won five of six games in the new year, including a double-overtime win over Miami.
They were on a five game winning streak before falling to the Toronto Raptors over the weekend. Kidd is trying to ensure the team doesn't lose focus in the unfamiliar surroundings of England. "This is a business trip," Kidd said.
Budenholzer is having more fun with the excursion abroad. "I think the fact it's a regular-season game changes the dynamics a little bit, but there's still a lot of positives for our whole group, spending time together and experiencing another country and another culture," Budenholzer said.
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