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After years of discussion, goal-line technology will be implemented into the soccer world next season.
It has been a long time coming. After years of discussion among managers and players, England's Premier League and FIFA have yielded. But, amid goal-line technology's acceptance, there are still people who believe the best technology system is no system at all.
Three years ago, the FIFA president Sepp Blatter — who has said goal-line technology would be used in this year's Confederations Cup and then in the 2014 World Cup — laid out eight reasons he thought goal-line technology should not be introduced. Today, the FIFA president would find it hard to keep his case for seven of eight points. Blatter asserted that the financial implications of installing the technology were too high; additional testing was required; that technology would interrupt the flow of the game; and even, that people like to debate controversial decisions. Now, the technology has been tested; it will not interrupt the flow of the game.
But as is often typical, FIFA has settled on one company to supply its system (the German-based manufacturer GoalControl) while the Premier League has chosen another (the British-inventedHawkeye).
But Blatter's first point stands. "The game must be played in the same way no matter where you are in the world," he said. "If you are coaching a group of teenagers in any small town around the world, they will be playing with the same rules as the professional players they see on TV." Goal-line technology removes this aspect; it creates a different set of the rules, providing something to clubs and players at the top of the pyramid that probably will not be available to those below.
Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, is a long-time opponent of goal-line technology, has already talked about the difficulties wide-scale implementation could cause. Last month, Platini said that in 280 stadiums used for Europe's top club competitions the technology would cost about $71 million "over five years" — money the Frenchman believes could be better spent elsewhere, on youth development and infrastructure, for example.
Platini is quick to defend the five-man officiating teams that oversee Champions League and Europa League matches, which have been criticized in recent seasons. No one is exactly sure what they do. Call penalties? Rule on goal-line issues? Indicate corner kicks or goal kicks? What they have in their favor is that they are humans, not machines, and assigning additional officials at every level is less of a challenge than a requirement for expensive hardware.
Ultimately, who gets to use the new toys? Surely teams in the second, third, fourth, and fifth divisions and beyond will be unable to bear the cost. So forget it Barnet, Bari and Bochum. The imposition of technology also raises questions about competitions like the F.A. Cup where teams like Arsenal and Newcastle travel to places like Crewe Alexandra and Torquay. Smacks of the who American League-National League interleague designated hitter fiasco.
The choices of FIFA and the Premier League appear to be a Betamax vs. VHS moment. Which system will win out in the long run? No one knows, particularly since neither has been used in competition. In the United States, opening the door to video replay in the N.F.L. has now led to every scoring play (nearly every play) subject to video review. They may get it right, but who has the time?
How necessary is goal-line technology?
The last controversy in a World Cup final was in 1966 when, coincidentally, England was the beneficiary, depending, of course, whose side you are on. Then again, when there is a question about the ball crossing the line, the imbroglio lives on and on and on (see Frank Lampard's shot against Germany in the 2010 World Cup. As Platini, a former star player said, these issues occur "once in a blue moon."
A strong case can be made to keep the game human, keep the game universal, and, in what is perhaps soccer's greatest appeal over sports that have adopted technology, keep the beautiful game simple.
What is your view of goal-line technology? Does it open a Pandora's box to more widespread use of technology in soccer? What were some of the more egregious goal-line calls you have seen or that you remember?
Jack Williams, a native of Wales, is pursuing a master's degree in journalism at Columbia University. Follow him on Twitter.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
The Orioles' Matt Wieters after his game-ending grand slam.
Matt Wieters hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning, and host Baltimore beat Tampa Bay, 10-6, on Thursday. It was Baltimore's 17th straight extra-inning victory, including 16 last season.
Nolan Reimold and Steve Pearce also homered for the Orioles, who took two of three games from the Rays.
Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria, Jose Molina and James Loney each hit a solo home run for Tampa Bay.
RED SOX 6, INDIANS 3 Jon Lester pitched seven strong innings as visiting Boston beat Cleveland for its sixth straight win.
Indians Manager Terry Francona, who managed Boston for eight seasons and led the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, was swept in the first series against his former team. MARINERS 2, TIGERS 0 Kyle Seager hit a two-out, run-scoring double off Justin Verlander in the seventh inning to help give host Seattle a victory over Detroit. Verlander (2-2) struck out 12.
BREWERS 7, GIANTS 2 Yovani Gallardo homered and struck out six in his first start since being arrested on a drunken-driving charge, and host Milwaukee beat San Francisco for a three-game sweep.
Gallardo (1-1), who had been arrested early Tuesday, allowed five hits, one walk and one earned run in six innings. BRAVES 6, PIRATES 4 Pinch-hitter Evan Gattis connected for a two-run homer in the eighth inning to help visiting Atlanta beat Pittsburgh. The Braves improved to a major league-best 13-2.
CARDINALS 4, PHILLIES 3 Adam Wainwright pitched seven solid innings, Carlos Beltran hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth and St. Louis escaped a ninth-inning jam for a victory at Philadelphia.
CUBS 6, RANGERS 2 Alfonso Soriano hit his first home run of the season, Anthony Rizzo also homered and Chicago beat visiting Texas at soggy Wrigley Field.
REDS 11, MARLINS 1 Shin-Soo Choo singled, doubled and scored twice, helping the left-hander Tony Cingrani get a victory in his first major league start as host Cincinnati beat Miami.
Coach Mike Woodson and Raymond Felton expect Pablo Prigioni to miss Game 1 of the Knicks' first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Prigioni, a 35-year-old rookie, sprained his right ankle in Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Atlanta Hawks. He was on crutches as he watched Thursday's practice. It was unclear whether Prigioni would be available for Game 2 on Tuesday.
Woodson will have a traditional starting lineup for Saturday's game instead of the smaller, two-point-guard lineup that he used for most of the season. Woodson said he could start Chris Copeland, who averaged 7.7 points in three games against the Celtics, at small forward.
Iman Shumpert will be the shooting guard, Carmelo Anthony will be at power forward and Tyson Chandler, who missed the last six games, will play center.
"Chris has shown that he can start and come off the bench," Woodson said. "That's been a plus for us."
Woodson made it clear Jason Kidd would stay on the bench, because he still needs a backup for Felton.
"We're definitely going to miss Pablo," Felton said. "Hopefully we get him back for the second game."
Woodson has paired Felton with either Prigioni or Kidd throughout this season. The strategy improved ball movement and spacing on the court, and has given Woodson more shooters on the perimeter to surround Anthony.
According to John Schuhmann, who does statistical analysis for NBA.com., the Prigioni-Felton combination was by far the Knicks' best backcourt this season. When they were on the court together (266 minutes), the Knicks had their highest offensive rating (points per 100 possessions), 118.2. The Knicks' defensive rating with Felton and Prigioni was 105. The net rating of those two statistics was the team's biggest in Schuhmann's point guard analysis.
Woodson paired Prigioni with Felton on March 18 against the Utah Jazz. The Knicks went on to win 13 consecutive games.
The Knicks are a better team when Woodson pairs Felton with a second playmaker next to him. When Felton is the only point guard on the court (871 minutes), the Knicks have the same offensive and defensive rating (107.9).
"If Raymond is the solo point guard starting out, he has to defend that spot," Woodson said. "He has to apply pressure just like Pablo does. We have to extend our defense. Nothing changes. We just have to duplicate what Pablo does until he gets back."
Woodson emphasized that Felton was not the only player responsible for ensuring the Knicks have good ball movement. Anthony, Chandler, Shumpert and every other Knick will have to do his part.
"Everybody touches the ball one time or another in our system," Woodson said. "You got a shot, then take the shot. If you don't have the shot, you have to sacrifice the ball for ball movement and body movement."
The playoff game Saturday will be Felton's first at Madison Square Garden. He expects that the Celtics will be physical and that Woodson will allow him to be aggressive on offense.
REBOUNDS
Mike Woodson was named Eastern Conference coach of the month. The Knicks were 8-2, tying Miami for most wins in the league. Five were against playoff teams: Atlanta (twice), Indiana, Miami and Milwaukee. Woodson is just the fourth Knicks coach to win the award and the first since Pat Riley in March 1994. ... Marcus Camby (plantar fasciitis) participated in practice, but Woodson said he was unsure whether he would play against the Celtics.
Elsa/Getty Images
The Yankees' Joba Chamberlain reacting after the Diamondbacks' Cody Ross was called safe in the eighth inning.
For the first time since 1995, the Yankees will probably play more games without Derek Jeter than with him.
Jeter, the Yankees' captain and most popular player, will most likely be out until after the All-Star Game because of a small fracture in his surgically repaired left ankle. He originally fractured the ankle in October, in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, but he had vowed to try to return to the lineup by opening day.
His ambitious rehabilitation schedule encountered setbacks in spring training, and now he will most likely rest for four to eight weeks before restarting any baseball activities.
Without their franchise shortstop, the Yankees are 8-6 after Thursday night's 6-2, 12-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees tied the score in the ninth against Arizona's closer, J .J. Putz, on Francisco Cervelli's home run, but lost when the Diamondbacks scored four runs against reliever David Phelps in the 12th. The biggest blow was a three-run double by Eric Chavez, a Yankee the previous two seasons.
In the one bright spot for the Yankees on Thursday, the struggling Phil Hughes had his best outing of the season, allowing two runs and no walks in seven innings to lower his earned run average to a still-high 6.43.
"I felt more like myself," Hughes said. "I was being aggressive, attacking hitters. I certainly felt I was back to doing what I do."
Still, the game was overshadowed by Jeter's injury. Brian Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, said the latest fracture was revealed by a CT scan during an appointment with Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C. Cashman said the fracture was a new injury and not a recurrence of the fracture Jeter sustained last year. Cashman added that he believed that the crack occurred with an accumulation of physical activity rather than as a result of a single event.
At this point, Cashman said, the team will not look outside for shortstop help, in part because of the lack of options on the trade market this early in the season and because the Yankees are satisfied so far with the play of Jeter's replacements, Jayson Nix and Eduardo Nunez.
"I'm happy with Nixy and happy with Nuney," Cashman said. "But I'd be happier with Derek."
Entering Thursday, Yankees shortstops this season had combined to hit for a .606 on-base plus slugging percentage, which ranked 10th in the American League. Jeter's lowest O.P.S. in a full season was .710, in 2010.
Nunez made his first error of the season in the eighth inning Thursday night, committing a throwing error on a ground ball by Martin Prado.
"I hope he comes back this year healthy," Nunez said of Jeter, 38, before the game. "But I've prepared myself to play every day all year long."
Jeter's readiness to play has hung over the Yankees since the start of spring training. After a promising start in camp, Jeter received a cortisone shot in the ankle on March 20 after being scratched from an exhibition game the previous day. On March 21, the Yankees announced that Jeter would not play in any more spring training games. On March 24, Cashman told reporters that Jeter would most likely begin the season on the disabled list.
"He's had some issues, but obviously it's gone on longer than you'd expect," Cashman said.
Joe Girardi, the Yankees' manager, said: "I know it's extremely disappointing for him because he's so used to being with us. Some guys will have to step up in his absence."
Cashman said he was told the injury was most likely not career threatening. Jeter is scheduled to visit Anderson again next week while the Yankees, who will also be without the starters Mark Teixeira (wrist) and Alex Rodriguez (hip) for a lengthy period, are at the Tampa Bay Rays. Jeter will rejoin the team when it returns to New York next week.
Throughout the recovery process, Jeter, a 13-time All-Star, defiantly said he would be back sooner than the prognostications indicated, and the Yankees were hesitant to label any potential problem as a setback. But now the Yankees will have to play a significant amount of time without the man who has been their most dependable player for more than 15 years.
Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
The former Baylor basketball star Brittney Griner on Wednesday. Her casual revelation of being gay drew little media attention.
One of the most dominant basketball players in recent memory came out as gay Wednesday, casually mentioning the fact in an interview as if it were an afterthought. The news media and the sports world seemed to treat it as such, too, with little mention of the star's sexuality showing up on social media or on message boards, and virtually no analysis of what the revelation meant for tolerance in society as a whole.
At first glance, it seemed implausible. After all, players, fans, coaches and league executives had been waiting with bated breath for weeks, if not months and years, to see if an active team-sport athlete would come out. So how could this sort of revelation be treated with such nonchalance?
"Because it was a woman," said Jim Buzinski, a founder of Outsports.com, a Web site about homosexuality and sports. "Can you imagine if it was a man who did the exact same thing? Everyone's head would have exploded."
The aftermath of the former Baylor star Brittney Griner's revelation in several interviews this week was muted, to say the least. Griner, who was chosen with the No. 1 pick in the W.N.B.A. draft Monday, did not treat the issue with any outward hesitation — in fact, she appeared to refer to her coming out in the past tense, as though it had happened before — giving a casual feeling to the entire episode.
It was an odd juxtaposition: as there is increased speculation about whether a male athlete — any male athlete — will come out while still playing a major professional team sport, one of the best female athletes in the history of team sports comes out, and the reaction is roughly equivalent to what one might see when a baseball manager reveals his starting rotation for a three-game series in July.
"A few weeks ago, we had a story on Outsports about the rumors that an N.F.L. player was going to come out — no one knew who, or anything more than that," Buzinski said. "All it had was, 'I think some player might possibly come out but I don't know who,' essentially."
Buzinski gave a wry laugh. "That story got 10 times the traffic of Brittney Griner, on video, saying that she is a lesbian," he said.
There is, obviously, a more substantial history to female athletes' coming out and continuing to play. Individual-sport stars like the tennis legend Martina Navratilova and team-sport players like basketball's Sheryl Swoopes and soccer's Megan Rapinoe are among the women to continue playing after publicly discussing their sexuality.
But those players generally received a similarly subdued response, with nothing close to the expected surge in attention that figures to follow a male athlete's coming out. The reaction to Griner's disclosure, then, was simply the latest example of a disturbing trend, according to some leaders of L.G.B.T. causes.
"We talk a lot in the L.G.B.T. community about how sexism is a big part of what contributes to homophobia," said Anna Aagenes, the executive director of GO! Athletes, a national network of L.G.B.T. athletes. "It's disheartening when there are so many great role model female athletes out that we're so focused on waiting for a male pro athlete to come out in one of the four major sports."
Context may not be the only factor in the ho-hum public response to Griner's disclosure. Stereotypes that top female athletes are gay continue to persist, and that probably played a role in how the sports world responded to Griner, said Sherri Murrell, the women's basketball coach at Portland State and the only openly gay basketball coach in Division I.
Murrell praised Griner for her low-key approach — "she was being who she is," Murrell said — but added that stereotypes about women involved in sports clearly still existed.
"There's certainly going to be people who say, 'Oh, it's just another lesbian,' " Murrell said. "I still get people that say to me, 'You're beautiful — I can't believe you're gay.' "
She continued: "I think we're always going to be living in that bias. I think it's getting better, but there is still that tag."
That persistent stereotype about female athletes does damage on multiple levels, said Patrick Burke, a founder of You Can Play, a prominent advocacy group for L.G.B.T. athletes. While a number of heterosexual male athletes, including the N.F.L. players Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo, have publicly supported the efforts of L.G.B.T. athlete groups, it has been much harder to find straight female athletes to speak out in support, Burke said.
"In sports right now, there are two different stereotypes — that there are no gay male athletes, and every female athlete is a lesbian," Burke said. "We've had tremendous success in getting straight male players to speak to the issue; we're having a tougher time finding straight female athletes speaking on this issue because they've spent their entire careers fighting the perception that they're a lesbian."
Kluwe, a punter for the Minnesota Vikings, said, "I think it's clear that there's reverse stereotyping, if you want to call it that, going on, as well as the general sexism."
Not surprisingly, Kluwe added that he did not think it was likely that the reaction to Griner's decision to come out would have much of an impact on any male athlete considering a similar revelation, if only because the experience figures to be so different. And that, of course, is the problem, Burke said.
"We're all waiting for the first gay, male, active athlete in a major professional team sport in North America to come out," Burke said. "That's something like eight adjectives or descriptors. We're all ignoring people who don't fit into those exact adjectives, and it's frustrating that we don't recognize the enormously important contributions that are already being made."
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Athletics center fielder Chris Young taking a hit away from Marwin Gonzalez during a win over the Astros.
Dan Uggla flipped his bat to the ground. Then his helmet. Then both batting gloves. The game was over, and so was Atlanta's 10-game winning streak.
Led by Wade Davis's pitching and Jeff Francoeur's run-scoring single, the visiting Kansas City Royals defeated the Braves, 1-0, on Wednesday.
"We feel like we can win every one of them," said Uggla, who was called out on strikes for the final out. "We'll just have to come back tomorrow and start another streak."
The Braves were seeking their first 13-1 start since 1994, but their powerful offense was finally stifled, a day after homering five times against the Royals.
Davis (2-0) allowed five hits and no walks in seven innings, striking out seven hitters. The Braves did not advance a runner past first base until Jason Heyward's two-out double in the sixth. Their only serious scoring chance came in the seventh, when Juan Francisco was thrown out easily as he tried to score from first base on a hit.
The left-hander Mike Minor (2-1) had another strong outing for the Braves, allowing five hits and one run in six innings. Minor's earned run average over three starts is 0.95.
In the fourth inning, the Royals caught a break before Francoeur's two-out hit. Alcides Escobar led off with a single to right, breaking an 0-for-15 slump, but then strayed too far off first after a pitch. The rookie catcher Evan Gattis ran toward Escobar but held the ball too long, allowing him to slide back into first just ahead of the throw.
Gattis pumped his fists and screamed at himself for letting Escobar off the hook. "He's got to give it up a little sooner," Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "That's something you've got to learn up here in the big leagues, the speed of the game. It was a learning moment for him."
It turned out to be a crucial play. With two outs, Lorenzo Cain hit a dribbler down the third-base line for an infield hit, and Francoeur came through on an 0-2 pitch, singling to left field to drive in Escobar when Minor left a changeup in the strike zone.
Francoeur, who grew up in the Atlanta area and started his career with the Braves, relished the chance to beat his former team.
"It means a little bit more personally," he said.
RED SOX 6, INDIANS 3 The former closer Alfredo Aceves coasted through five innings, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava each drove in two runs, and visiting Boston won its fifth straight.
The Red Sox hung a gray "'617" jersey in their dugout, just as they did for Tuesday's emotional series opener — one day after the deadly marathon bombings back home. The jersey, featuring Boston's area code, has become a symbol of unity for the club, which will be back at Fenway Park on Friday to open a 10-game homestand.
RAYS 6, ORIOLES 2 Home runs by Kelly Johnson and Shelley Duncan powered Tampa Bay at Baltimore. James Loney had three runs batted in for the Rays, who stopped a four-game skid.
WHITE SOX 7, BLUE JAYS 0 Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer, and Jose Quintana pitched six and two-thirds innings, leading Chicago to a road win.
ATHLETICS 7, ASTROS 5 Bartolo Colon pitched six crisp innings, Josh Reddick doubled in two runs during a six-run first, and host Oakland swept Houston for the second time this season.
PIRATES 5, CARDINALS 0 A. J. Burnett took a bid for a no-hitter into the seventh inning, leading Pittsburgh to a victory at home.
With two outs in the seventh, Carlos Beltran gave St. Louis its only hit, a double to right-center. Burnett departed after that inning, finishing with eight strikeouts to raise his season total to 35 in 24 innings. In the second, he recorded the 2,000th strikeout of his 15-year career.
The Cardinals' only other base runner was Daniel Descalso, who was hit by a pitch in the sixth.
REDS SWEEP PHILLIES Jay Bruce hit two bases-loaded singles, leading host Cincinnati to a doubleheader sweep. The Reds swept a series from Philadelphia for the first time since 1996.
The Reds won the first game, 1-0, on Bruce's hit in the bottom of the ninth. The game had been suspended overnight because of rain. It ended only 9 minutes and 19 pitches after play resumed. Cincinnati took the second game, 11-2.
BREWERS 4, GIANTS 3 Pinch-hitter Blake Lalli lifted a long single in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving host Milwaukee its third straight victory.
NATIONALS 6, MARLINS 1 Bryce Harper went 4 for 5, improving to 8 for 12 against Ricky Nolasco this season, as Washington won at Miami.
Ross Detwiler allowed one run in seven innings to earn his first victory of the year. Detwiler received a no-decision in each of his first two starts after departing with a lead. This time, the Nationals' bullpen held on.
RODRIGUEZ REJOINS BREWERS Milwaukee brought back reliever Francisco Rodriguez, signing him to a minor league deal. Rodriguez, a four-time All-Star and a former Met, pitched in 78 games for the Brewers last season, going 2-7 with 3 saves and a 4.38 E.R.A.
Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
Dwight Howard, left, talks to Pau Gasol during their game against the Rockets on Wednesday. Utah's loss assured the Lakers of a playoff spot.
LOS ANGELES — When Mike D'Antoni took over as the Lakers' coach in November, he felt that he had a big problem. Two of them, actually. He did not think there was any way he could keep Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol on the court at the same time.
"I was skeptical at first, mainly because Dwight wasn't 100 percent and neither was Pau," D'Antoni said. "But now, with both of them being close to 100 percent, yeah, they can play together. I probably had a preconceived notion, and it probably wasn't right."
That admission came on the eve of Wednesday night's regular-season finale against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center, where the Lakers arrived not knowing if they would need to win to secure a playoff berth. As it turned out, minutes before the Lakers took the floor, the Memphis Grizzlies did them a favor by closing out a 86-70 victory over the Utah Jazz, who had been vying with the Lakers for the final berth.
The result took the pressure off the Lakers, who are playoff-bound after a tumultuous season. The latest obstacle presented itself last week, when Kobe Bryant was lost for the season with a torn Achilles' tendon. In addition, Steve Nash, still hampered by hip and hamstring soreness, did not play against the Rockets, and his status for the playoffs remained unknown.
The Lakers, though, appear to be a confident bunch. They had won seven of their last eight games heading into the finale. Such was the state of play that Howard showed up for the game wearing a white tuxedo jacket. "Guys are very focused," he said.
In the playoffs, D'Antoni will certainly rely on Howard and Gasol, a potent frontcourt in recent weeks. The two have accounted for 38.2 percent of the Lakers' scoring over the last eight games. It merely required the length of the season for them to find the right chemistry.
"It all takes time to settle in and adjust and understand certain things, understand certain people and how to maximize their qualities," Gasol said, adding, "When we share the love and share the ball a little bit, we can be really effective."
Gasol has done most of his damage from the high post, having averaged 16.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists over his last 10 games while shooting 54.1 percent from the field. His success has cleared space for Howard to operate in the paint. In Sunday's 91-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Howard finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds — a huge effort as the Lakers coped with life without Bryant for the first time.
"We can coexist," Howard said of his relationship with Gasol. "We know how to play basketball."
Each has had his share of struggles. After spending the off-season recovering from back surgery, Howard was hindered by a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury that forced him to miss six games. His production also waned in the presence of Bryant, who dominated the ball for long stretches. D'Antoni said Howard seemed to play with a different mind-set in recent weeks.
"I think that goes with feeling good," D'Antoni said. "When you feel bad in the morning, sometimes you get cranky. And we had a lot of things to be cranky about."
D'Antoni was critical of Gasol's conditioning earlier this season, going so far as to bench him for the fourth quarter of a win over the New Orleans Hornets in January. Gasol later missed 20 games after tearing the plantar fascia in his right foot. He returned to play his best basketball of the season.
"When he came in, he had his way of doing things," Gasol said of D'Antoni. "That's why they brought him here, with his philosophy and the way he's coached. He did his best. There's nothing really to say about it. It's taken a little while. Unfortunately, my injuries also probably slowed that process down."
Howard was adamant that nothing had changed in the on-court dynamic between him and Gasol. In his mind, he said, it has always been solid. But he also credited D'Antoni with helping them "grow as players" by freeing them up to move away from the basket.
"He believes that we can do that," Howard said.
Both players' time with the Lakers could run its course in the postseason. Howard will be an unrestricted free agent, and Gasol, who is due to make $19.3 million next season, could be traded or waived, the latter option under an amnesty provision.
After such a long season, one packed with injuries and challenges, the two seem eager for the playoffs to begin.
"It's just a matter of proving that we can both deliver and be dominant," Gasol said.
Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
Nets point guard Deron Williams had 8 points, as well as 6 assists, in a victory over the Pistons on Wednesday night.
The Nets have been in playoff mode for almost a week now, making the last two games of the regular season largely irrelevant and, to put it bluntly, a bit of a drag. They spent Monday tending to the tired needs of their starters; they spent Wednesday praying those same starters would stay upright.
They did not do much scoreboard watching either, letting fate — or a second-half surge by the Chicago Bulls — dictate their first-round matchup. It was only in the closing minutes of the Nets' 103-99 win over Detroit on Wednesday that the outcome was decided. With the Bulls' win over Washington, and the Atlanta Hawks' loss to the Knicks, Chicago earned the fifth seed and a series with the fourth-seeded Nets; Game 1 will be in Brooklyn on Saturday evening.
The Nets are doing all they can to build up the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2007 — and the first playoff appearance by a Brooklyn team since 1956 — as a must-see event. The playoff décor: black on black.
The blackout is the brainchild of the Nets' chief executive officer, Brett Yormark. The hope is to create a unified (and intimidating) atmosphere: fans wearing black while sitting in black seats and watching the action on a court with black trim. And yes, even the players might be wearing black, even though the Nets traditionally wear white at home.
"The goal is to wear black at home," said Fred Mangione, the team's chief marketing officer.
The Nets would need permission from the Bulls to alter their designated uniforms, permission that is normally given without much issue. Mangione said black towels would be distributed to fans for Game 2.
On Wednesday, the anticipation was evident in Barclays Center and on the court; the Nets have clearly been eager to get the playoffs under way already. It hardly mattered that, heading into the game, the Nets still did not know who they would play in the first round or when.
All week, the players never stated a preference. They claimed to be preoccupied with getting themselves in shape and healthy, which they said they accomplished.
"It's the first time in a long time we've had everybody at full strength," point guard Deron Williams said. "We're definitely excited about that and feel confident that when we're playing at a high level, we're tough to beat."
Some teams give their stars the night off on the cusp of the postseason — as the Hawks and the Knicks did Wednesday — but Nets Coach P. J. Carlesimo opted to risk playing his.
All five starters had been given Monday's game against Washington off, but on Wednesday, Carlesimo rolled the dice, held his breath and gave his key players 20-something minutes to build a healthy sweat and a little momentum. By the start of the fourth quarter, they had towels slung over their shoulders.
There were a few signs of life, like a steal by Williams that led to an alley-oop in transition by Gerald Wallace. On the next play, Wallace stole another pass and finished with a one-handed dunk.
Brook Lopez had 20 points and 9 rebounds, and Andray Blatche scored 15 points. With that, the Nets won their 49th game, matching the second-highest total in the franchise's N.B.A. history, and sounded ready to face the Bulls.
"The ball's been moving offensively; people are on the same page," Joe Johnson said. "We're clicking. The cohesiveness is there. It's pretty good timing for us."
There were video tributes from the players sprinkled throughout the evening, thanking the fans for their support and encouraging them to wear black this weekend. A soft "Brooklyn" chant picked up at the end of the game. But the fans may have been saving their voices.
As the game wore on, Lopez took a moment to reflect, he said. He thought back to when General Manager Billy King and his staff would bring artist renderings of Barclays Center, with "little factoids" about the size of Brooklyn and its capacity for enthusiasm.
That enthusiasm is expected to be in full force Saturday — a black curtain of love.
"It's really been an amazing journey," Lopez said. "To finally be here now — on the verge of the playoffs. It's pretty incredible."
