Top 10 Plays and Moments from Brooklyn Nets' 2014-15 Season

It's been a stressful season for the Brooklyn Nets, but it hasn't been without its joyous moments.

After a 96-73 Sunday loss to the Milwaukee Bucks followed up by a 116-104 Indiana Pacers victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn currently sits tied for the eighth seed with Indy, though Lionel Hollins' crew does own the tiebreaker. With two games left on the schedule, the Nets are looking for a few more exciting moments to extend their season past game No. 82.

We're not quite finished with the year, but that doesn't mean we can't look back on some of the best moments from the Nets' season. Don't think it can happen before the 82 games end? Just try to stop me.

10. Markel Brown's 360 Dunk

Markel Brown said before Friday's game that he wants to participate in the 2016 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. Who knows if he'll get an offer? But he's upping his chances every time he throws down slams like this one.

Brown wasn't a big-enough name to participate in All-Star Weekend this year, when the Nets hosted the Saturday night festivities, which included dunking. So, Mason Plumlee ended up representing the hometown team in an obvious crowd-pumping move. 

Maybe if Brown were the Nets' starting shooting guard by the break, it would've been different. Maybe he could've been the guy.

He's an athletic freak who can jump out of this building, that building, your building, my building, his building. Any building.

He probably has better dunks than this one coming in the future. Heck, it could happen any minute now. But so far, this slam is the best one of his pro career.

9. Brooklyn Nets Beat the New York Knicks

This one's not as sweet as the other game-winners, because, well, it was supposed to happen. 

The Nets had a double-digit, second-half lead in this appropriatedly timed April Fools' Day game, but they squandered it, only to see the clock tick down past the five-second marker. Brook Lopez, as he's been wont to do lately, saved the day.

In the end, the Nets swept the Knicks in the season series against their crosstown rivals for the first time since 2006-07.

8. Garnett's Lob Finish

The NBA's white dwarfs, former stars in their waning years, will still remind us what made them great every once in a while. This was one of those times.

It was a random, midseason game against the Sacramento Kings, but it did supply us with a vintage Kevin Garnett moment.

K.G. got the deflection, turned it into a steal, set off on the run, dished to Sergey Karasev and finished as the beneficiary of a lob. Who knew Garnett could still throw down like that? Apparently, his daughter didn't...

"This is a low moment for me," he said after the game. "Everyone is all like, 'Oh, you can dunk.' My daughter said, 'Daddy, you can dunk?'"

K.G. was getting fiery, and he wasn't done.

"Any starter in this league should be able to dunk," he added. "Get out of here with that. I ain't dead."

7. Dikembe Mutombo Sits with the Royal Couple

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Dikembe Mutombo is a crazy likable goofball who is now apparently the NBA's newest political ambassador. 

We've seen the former shot-blocking, finger-wagging Hall of Fame center sit next to Bill Clinton at a game earlier this year, which at least made sense since both are Georgetown alums. But we also saw Mutombo welcome in the royal couple to Barclays Center.

This picture is just perfect, Mutombo laughing hysterically, while Kate Middleton sheepishly smiles and Prince William has a look on his face that says, "Wait a second, who's this guy Bojan Bogdanovic, and why does he look exactly like me?"

6. Plumlee's Buzzer-Beating Dunk

This one's just pretty. How often do we get to see a dunk timed so perfectly that it actually beats the buzzer as the horn sounds?

It's unclear what the most impressive part of this play is: Bogdanovic's behind-the-back move, the recovery he makes after blatantly losing control of the ball on said move (but pretending like he meant for it to bounce twice), his perfect lob to Plumlee or the Duke alum's strong slam home.

It's a play that doesn't exactly exude what this year's Nets are all about, but it's certainly a fun one.

5. Brook Lopez Campaigns for Star Wars

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Brook Lopez is one of the NBA's biggest comic-book and sci fi fans. Knowing that, it should be no surprise that he told reporters back in December that he wanted a part in J.J. Abrams' new Star Wars films. 

Specifically, he wanted to be a wookiee. 

“I really would like to get a part, like a walk-on part, in the next Star Wars movie, so, I’d like to lobby for that,” Lopez said on Dec. 22. “Let’s work on that. I’d like to be a wookiee. I would really like to be a wookiee. They don’t need my ugly face in there. They don’t need me acting. I’m not going to blow anything, guys. C’mon, Mr. Lucas. I just want to be in the movie.

“I feel like I could do it. I’m a huge Star Wars fan. I just want to be a part of it. I grew up watching it. I mean, I’d really like to be in the movie…When I heard about the new one, I went to my agent, so you guys have got to help out, too. You guys think I’m kidding, but I’m not. I’m not kidding at all.”

This should happen. Get on this, Brook.

4. The Thaddeus Young Trade

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Trading Garnett for Young a couple months ago was the heist of Brooklyn's season, and it's no coincidence the Nets have gone on a run since acquiring their new, starting power forward.

Young has averaged 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game since joining Brooklyn, but he's contributed more than just numbers to the Nets. He's added defense, athleticism, steals and the ability to get out running to a team that struggled in all those categories for the first half of the season.

The Nets are 16-12 since acquiring him, and though the swing in winning percentage isn't completely on Young (Lopez has caught fire over the past month), he surely deserves his fair share of credit.

In the end, the Young deal could've saved general manager Billy King's job for an extra season, especially if it winds up being one of the main reasons for Brooklyn getting into the postseason—if they do, in fact, participate in playoff basketball.

3. Thad Young Embarrasses Meyers Leonard

So what if this dunk happened a week ago? It was still one of the best ones of the Nets' season.

Young gave the team a jolt of energy when he came to Brooklyn back in February. This time, he shot that energy in the direction of the Portland Trail Blazers' baby-faced Meyers Leonard.

This is what you get for having a reversed name, Meyers. If you were Leonard Meyers, this never would have happened to you.

2. Nets Beat the Clippers

The Nets had lost four in a row going into a Feb. 2 game against the Los Angeles Clippers. They needed a win. Jarrett Jack gave them one.

In the final possession, with the clock running out, Lionel Hollins called a high pick-and-roll—his go-to, crunch-time play call–and it was all Jack from there.

The Nets' at-the-time starting point guard got a switch onto DeAndre Jordan, took advantage of the mismatch dribbling to the right elbow, where he's mighty comfortable, and drained the game-winning shot with 1.3 seconds remaining against the team that is now tied for the Western Conference's third-best record.

1. Nets Beat the Warriors

Fast-forward exactly one month to March 2 and you have basically the exact same shot as the game-winner against the Clippers, except slightly better in each way.

The Nets went to Jack for another high pick-and-roll, but it was defended better. Still, he hit it, and he did it with 1.1 ticks remaining as opposed to 1.3.

It came against the team with the best record in the league as opposed to third-best in the West.

The only problem was, Jack didn't bust out the "1-Thou-Wow Shuffle" after it. Even he said he regretted that one.

Follow Fred Katz on Twitter at @FredKatz.

All quotes obtained firsthand. Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are current as of April 12 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.