A good year for the Brooklyn Nets? Attendance up, given (now departed) superstars, but first playoff series is 0-2. Home game tonight for "Brooklyn's team."

ESPN

The Brooklyn Nets compiled some seemingly impressive attendance statistics for 2022-23, with an average reported attendance of 17,669, or 99.6% full, compared to 2021-22, with an average reported attendance of 17,354, or 97.9% full, according to ESPN.

While the Nets in 2021-22 ranked 13th in total attendance and 9th in percentage, this year they rank 11th in both measures, which suggests a lot of teams are selling out their arenas. 

(Note the New York Knicks or Chicago Bulls, both of which drew more fans than the Nets but were slightly less full.)

Of course a sellout just means distributing tickets. Remember, based on anonymous sources, the New York Post last May said 2021-22 Nets, "after giveaways, sold about 15,000 tickets a game."

Moreover, tickets distributed doesn't mean gate count.

Either way, interest in the Nets was surely sparked by the presence of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, which made them a potential contender--at least until both engineered trades earlier this year.

A shaky playoff season

Remember how pre-season pundits generated a huge range of scenarios, positive and negative, for the Nets, given the two superstars, the potential rehab of the injured Ben Simmons, and the team's volatility?

Well, the skeptics were right. Now the Nets, losing 0-2 to the Philadelphia 76es, a team with two superstars (center Joel Embiid and guard James Harden, the former Net), face their first home playoff game tonight--and perhaps the first of only two, with the second game Saturday at 1 pm.

The Nets aren't terrible, but they don't have a superstar, even though Mikal Bridges, acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Durant trade, has shown far more of an offensive arsenal than he could display in Phoenix.

Nor are they particularly recognizable. "This is Brooklyn's team," came the promo (right) from the Nets, but that's just because you're rooting for the clothes.

Let's put it this way: Bridges (at left, at top of image) and especially Dorian Finney-Smith (at right), are not as recognizable as the spindly, goateed Durant, the deep-bearded Harden, or even Irving.

No wonder the images below--from another email to fans--diminish player identities a bit with a more abstract style. In other words, the "Nets" identifier is more important than the players, some--many?--of whom will be gone next eyar.