Nets won’t fully reveal plan for dealing with Mexico City’s altitude

MEXICO CITY — From hydrating to oxygen, from altitude to security, the Nets know this week’s visit for two games here is going to be an adventure. But one well worth it.

“Our performance team is giving them a bunch of [instructions]. Zach Weatherford has experience with the Olympic team and Dan Meehan has experience at altitude,” said coach Kenny Atkinson, whose Nets play the Thunder on Thursday and Heat on Saturday. “I can’t tell you our secrets because I don’t want the enemy to know, but I do think we have things in place that will help our guys.”

It’s not exactly state secrets, though the Nets do tend to guard information more closely than the CIA. But the instructions from Weatherford (director of player performance) and Meehan (head of strength and conditioning) were fairly predictable.

“They told us to hydrate a lot, and just to get our red blood count up I guess, with the steam room. Just pretty much because of different altitude, and oxygen is different and all that; and we’re not, most people are not used to,” Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said. “Just getting us prepared for that physically and mentally, that’s something we’re a step ahead of.”

Playing at Denver’s mile-high, 5,280 foot altitude is the thinnest air that most NBA players will face, but Mexico City’s 7,382 is more than 2,100 feet higher.

Considering the Nets play at a breakneck pace — third-fastest in the NBA — they may well feel that altitude more than most.

“Yeah, it is extremely different,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “But I feel like it’s also a mental toughness: When you feel tired or when it’s crunch time how can you kick it into the next gear, and do you have a backup battery pack waiting in case that one runs out? For the most part, I feel like we do.”

Still, the Nets say whatever adjustments they have to make — be it for altitude or added security measures — will be well worth it to enjoy the experience and explore another culture.

“NBA security is the best. I’ve been on a lot of trips with the NBA internationally. There’s a protocol. Usually, they speak to you before. They gather everybody in a room and give you the do’s and don’ts,” Atkinson said. “We follow what they do by the book. They have a lot more experience.

“As a club and an organization, we’ll lean on the NBA for that. Listen, it’s a great cultural experience. We’re looking at this similar to our trip to Navy [for training camp]. It’s definitely basketball, but let’s grasp the culture. Let’s invest ourselves.”

Even if that means giving up two Barclays Center games, with both games in Mexico City technically home games. But Hollis-Jefferson was philosophical about likely having fewer fans than the star-studded Thunder, with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony.

“You’ve got to think about it like we’re coming from Brooklyn and we’re playing OKC. They have a bunch of superstars so individually they might have more fans than us there. We understand that,” said Hollis-Jefferson. “But we also understand it’s a mindset. you’ve got to have going into it, about how you prepare, how you play, how you feel. … And I feel like we feel good and we’re going to play good.”

The thought of giving up a pair of home games also didn’t daunt Atkinson.

“No, it doesn’t. I said that from the beginning. I’d love to be home, and I get that; but the opportunity to go to another country and for our guys to get that experience outweighs the two games at home,” said Atkinson, who has a visit to the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon on the docket.

“We’re going to grow as a team and grow as an organization from a trip like this. You need special preparation. You’re together a lot more because there’s a lot of stuff to do together, whether it’s [visiting] pyramids or team dinners that are at an authentic Mexican restaurant. To me, that’s what it’s all about.”