Nets' Steve Nash: Adversity of 4-Game Losing Streak 'Good for Us' Ahead of Playoffs

After losing their fourth consecutive game on Thursday night, Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash tried to keep perspective on the bigger picture: At least this wasn't happening in the postseason. 

Four straight losses in the playoffs would eliminate the Eastern Conference contender. With the postseason only days away, Nash said the current draught could actually benefit Brooklyn this year. 

"This is good for us, frankly," Nash told reporters after falling to the Dallas Maverick, 113-109. "Some adversity, some higher level competition is I think what this team needs going into the playoffs. We have no common experiences together in that setting. These are a little bit of a dress rehearsal."

That adversity may cost the Nets the No. 1 seed in the East. A Brooklyn club that was holding off the Philadelphia 76ers only a week ago is now 2.5 games back of the Sixers for first place and just a half-game up on the Milwaukee Bucks for second place. 

It's not exactly the first adversity the team has faced this season, either. 

Kevin Durant just returned from a thigh injury that cost him nearly two months, James Harden remains sidelined with a hamstring injury and LaMarcus Aldridge announced his retirement due to an irregular heartbeat only days after joining Brooklyn as a free agent in April. 

Still, this marks the longest losing streak of the season for the Nets and the most consecutive defeats since a three-game stretch in early February. 

If this is a dress rehearsal for how to play through trouble in the postseason, Brooklyn's chances may be less than stellar, to say the least. 

"It's certainly better to go through this now versus in a playoff stretch," Brooklyn guard Joe Harris said. 

The Nets have five games left to break out of their funk before the playoffs begin. Just how well Brooklyn will be playing and what seed they'll end up with remains unclear.