Nets Are Scorching

NetsAreScorching will be giving away free tickets to the Nets-Celtics preseason game Tuesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark. Throughout the day tomorrow, we will be posting two trivia questions. The first lucky fan to e-mail us with the correct answer, will get themselves some free tickets. Stay tuned tomorrow for the questions, since we’re not telling when the questions will be posted (aren’t we sneaky like that?).

The Boston Celtics (2-1) defeated the Nets 100-93 this afternoon at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. Here are some notes from the game:

• Courtney Lee saw his first preseason action for the Nets, playing 29 minutes off the bench and scoring 11 points on 3-9 shooting, including 1-4 from three.
• Rafer Alston got the start in place of Devin Harris today, who sat with an ankle injury. Alston had 4 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes.
• Yi Jianlian had his finest preseason game to date, with 20 points on 8-15 shooting and 8 boards before fouling out after playing 33 minutes.
• Josh Boone also had a coming out party, scoring 14 points and grabbing 7 boards in 24 minutes off the bench.
• Terrence Williams got the start at the SF today while Jarvis Hayes got a curious DNP – Coache’s Decision. Coming into the preseason, Hayes was unofficially declared the starting three but was off the bench Friday against the Sixers and didn’t log a single minute today.  TWill was unimpressive today, scoring 3 points on 1-5 shooting.
• Brook Lopez continues to put up monster numbers in the preseason. Today, he had 21 points in 23 minutes, getting to the free throw line 14 times and sinking 11. He also chipped in with 8 board and 3 blocks,
• The Nets allowed the Celtics to shoot 7-18 (39 percent) from beyond the arc.
• The Nets as a team had 18 assists to go along with 18 turnovers.
• I know these games don’t count, but it would be nice to see the Nets win a game soon.

The Nets play their next game at “home” on Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark against these Celtics.

Preseason Game 3 @ Boston (1-1)

Projected Starting Lineup

1.   Rajon Rondo | 6’1″ | 171 lbs. | 19.0 MPG | 6.5 PPG | 3.0 APG | 36.4% FG | 0.0% 3 | 62.5% FT

Not the best outside shooter, wants to use his speed to get in the lane.  He can hit the floater and can finish in traffic.  He also does a very good job of setting up his teammates once he gets into the lane.  He is  Solid defender who uses his length and speed well.

2.  Ray Allen | 6’5″ | 205 lbs. | 20.0 MPG | 10.5 PPG | 2.0 APG | 50.0% FG | 25.0% 3| 66.7% FT

One of the league’s best shooters, and if starts hitting his range is 30 feet plus.  Age has slowed him down a bit, so you want to close out hard on him, forcing him to put the ball on the floor.  Average defender.  Run him through a lot of screens in an attempt to tire him so he won’t be effective on the offensive end.

3.  Paul Pierce | 6’7″ | 235 lbs. | 20.0 MPG | 8.5 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 33.3% FG | 25.0% 3 | 100% FT

Boston’s captain and best player.  Can hit the three, but would much rather pump fake, take one dribble, and hit the pull up jumper.  Not the fastest SF, so you want use your speed against him when on offense.  Clutch.  If the game is close, he is taking the shot.

4.  Kevin Garnett | 6’11″ | 273 lbs. | 17.5 MPG | 8.0 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 42.9% FG | 0.0% 3 | 100% FT

Celtics emotional leader.  DO NOT give him a reason to get fired up…because if he is, all bets are off.  Great from 15 feet in with a terrific back to the basket game.  Must attempt to be physical with him.  On offense we need to try and stretch him out and lure him out of the lane so he can’t help on the drive.

5.  Kendrick Perkins | 6’10″ | 280 lbs. | 17 MPG | 8.5 PPG | 5 RPG | 66.7% FG | 0% 3 | 55.6% FT

Must keep a body on him and keep him off of the offensive glass.  His offensive game is limited to inside of 10 feet.  On defense, he is a shot blocker.  Pump fake him and get him into foul trouble…he tends to pick up a lot of fouls.

Bench

F.  Rasheed Wallace | 6’11″ | 230 lbs. | 19.5 MPG | 9.5 PPG | 7.0 RPG | 41.2 FG | 33.3 3 | 50 FT

Rasheed is probably one of the most talented players in the league, but he is way too passive at times.  He can hit the 3 ball, can hit the midrange jumper, and can play with his back to the basket.  Maybe the only flaw in his game is his handle.  You must make him put the ball on the floor!

F.  Glen Davis | 6’9″ | 289 lbs. | 20.0 MPG | 8.0 PPG | 6.0 RPG | 50.0% FG | 0% 3 | 80.0% FT

Likes to spot up on the wing and hit that little jumper when Rondo attacks and kicks to him.  That and after a couple of shots, he likes to pump fake then drive off of it.  On defense he is very physical, so don’t try to finesse him.

G.  Eddie House | 6’1″ | 175 lbs. | 22 MPG | 7.0 PPG | 2.5 APG | 50% FG | 50% 3 | 100% FT

Shooter.  That is it, close out hard on him, and he won’t even drive, he will just pass.

G./F.  Tony Allen | 6’4″ | 213 lbs. | 8 MPG | 0.0 PPG | 1.0 APG | 0% FG | 0% 3 | 0% FT

A defensive specialist who can do some things offensively.

G.  Marquis Daniels | 6’6″ | 200 lbs. | 18.5 MPG | 5 PPG | 2.5 APG | 33.3% | 0% 3 | 33.3% FT

Battling Eddie House for backup point minutes.  Capable scorer, your generic backup PG.

G.  J.R. Giddens | 6’5″ | 215 lbs. | 9.0 MPG | 1.5 PPG | 0.5 APG | 0% FG | 0% FT | 75% FT

Athletic wing.

G.  Lester Hudson | 6’3″ | 190 lbs. | 15.5 MPG | 5.5 PPG | 1.0 APG | 33.3% FG | 50% 3 | 66.7% FT

Unsigned Draft Pick

G.  Shelden Williams | 6’9″ | 250 lbs. | 12.5 MPG | 2 PPG | 3 RPG | 33.3% FG | 0% 3 | 33.3% FT

Undersized center in college trying to play forward.

F.  Brian Scalabrine | 6’9″ | 235 lbs. | 18.0 MPG | 6.5 PPG | 1.5 RPG | 57.1% FG | 75% 3 | 50% FT

Generic white guy on the bench

G/F.  Bill Walker | No preseason stats

Out.

Offensive Tendencies:

A lot of good options on offense, they have guys who can score from outside, score from inside.

Defensive Tendencies:

Besides Rondo, speed is an issue.  Must use your quickness to get around the defenders.

Keys To Victory:

Hope that Boston’s best 6 players are having off nights offensively.

Courtney Lee talks some more about his new opportunities in New Jersey. Of course, he has to get healthy first before he can show anyone anything.

Team president Rod Thorn is impressed by Chris Douglas-Roberts.

Audio of Brett Yormark talking about globalization and Mikhail Prokhorov.

On Twitter, Terrence Williams gets ribbed by Knick Nate Robinson about his rookie responsibilities: @nate_robinson yea that’s what everyone say damnnnn rook, but between them lines all that go out the window.

Well that was a fun one wasn’t it?  In a game that was close all the way through, the Sixers beat the Nets 93-92.  It kinda made me wish it was on TV, not only to see the finish, but to see how bad Devin’s injury was.

• Yeah, Devin got hurt in the beginning of the third quarter and he was held out for the rest of the game.   The reports say it was a sprained ankle, the same one he hurt in practice.  I have no way of knowing how bad it was (the audio link wasn’t working for me), but my gut tells me that if it was a regular season he could have played through it.  For now, I would like to see him get a lot of rest (sort of how like the Nets are handling Lee).
• As for his play, Devin struggled a bit shooting the ball (0-5 from the field), but he was setting up his teammates very nicely (8 assists).
• CDR is really taking advantage of his opportunity.  In 34 minutes tonight, CDR was able to put up another 20 points, on 9-15 shooting.  I still say CDR should be the 6th man, but he could be earning a starting role.
• Brook Lopez did his usual thing, putting up 18 points.  It was nice to see tonight, since he was up against a solid defender in Dalembert.
• Yi was ok shooting the ball tonight (3-7), but he fouled out in only 21 minutes of action.  I guess I can see how this happened.  He was going up against bigger and more physical big men tonight.
• Terrence Williams is showing that his work in the gym might be paying off.  Terrence shot the ball very well today (5-10/2-3 from 3).  He also grabbed 5 rebounds and 4 assists.  We shouldn’t get too giddy, it is just the preseason after all, but T-Will is showing that he can do a lot of things on the court.
• Najera played very nicely in his return.  9 points in 19 minutes.
• With Najera and Battie back in action tonight, it was interesting to see the DNP list.  Josh Boone and Sean Williams.  Interesting…
• After the Knicks three point barrage on the Nets last game, it was good to see that the Nets held the Sixers to 2-8 from the three point line.  It could have just been the competition though, the Sixers were one of the worst three point shooting teams last year.

Fred Kerber of the Post talks about Bobby Simmons and his versatility at the forward spot.

Is his mailbag today, ESPN’s Bill Simmons talks Mikhail Prokhorov. Here’s one comment that makes me giddy (take THAT Daily News): “This completely changes the landscape of the LeBron Sweepstakes. Before, the Clippers and Zombie Sonics were the best basketball situations for him (no way for both); the Lakers were out; the Bulls seemed far-fetched; and the Knicks are such a mess that adding LeBron would have been like reliving Gretzky and the Kings all over again. But Russian Mark Cuban’s deep pockets coupled with Brooklyn and a decent young Nets roster? Intriguing!”

Curbed imagines the Atlantic Yards as a big green pile off the BQE.

NewsOK catches up with old friend Nenad Krstic as he tries to recapture his production from his New Jersey years with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NBA Fanhouse picks Yi Jianlian as their player to watch for the upcoming season. Fanhouse also has their team preview up.

Tonight is one of the unaired preseason games…you can listen to it though over at Sixers.com

For those who lost track, today’s Brook Lopez report marks the end of our preseason scouting report endeavor. We had some fun with it and we hope you all did as well. Stay tuned next week as NAS compares the Nets to the rest of the eastern conference.

In case you missed anyone’s scouting report. Here’s a refresher:

Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, Jarvis Hayes, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Keyon Dooling, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Tony Battie, Josh Boone, Bobby Simmons, Sean Williams, Trenton Hassell, Eduardo Najera.

Preseason Game 2 @ Philadelphia (2-0)

Projected Starting Lineup

1. Louis Williams | 6’1″ | 175 lbs. | 23.5 MPG | 12.5 PPG | 2.0 APG | 67% FT | 40% 3 | 100% FT

Not a pure PG, but somewhat effective when he is running the point.  Learning the position this year.  Looks to outquick defenders to get into the lane.  Solid albeit streaky shooter.  Must be physical with him.

2.  Andre Iguodala | 6’6″ | 207 lbs. | 25 MPG | 12.0 PPG | 6.0 APG | 58.3 FG | 42.9 3 | 87.5 FT

Eddie Jordan’s two guard set will allow him to bring the ball up every once in a while, along with Lou Williams.  The 6.0 assists per game average this preseason shows he may be embracing that.  Super athletic, great finisher when he gets inside the paint.  Streaky shooter, if he starts hitting, we need to watch out.  Solid defender, gambles a bit…might be susceptible to back-door cuts.

3.  Thaddeus Young | 6’8″ | 220 lbs. | 27.5 MPG | 8.5 PPG | 0.00 RPG | 43.8 FG | 33.3% 3 | 100 FT

His size at the 3 spot allows him to be a tough physical banger inside.   Good shooter when given time, but if you contest, he is wildly inconsistent.  Not the best ballhandler on the team, so you want to close hard on him to make him put it on the floor!  Defensively, need to use speed to get by him, probably won’t be able to out-muscle him.

4.  Elton Brand | 6’9″ | 254 lbs. | 22 MPG | 8.5 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 46.2 FG | 0.00 3 | 83.3 FT

A PF that likes to bang inside.  Must be physical with him and can’t let him catch it deep in the post.  Face up game is solid too, and he can hit from 10-15 feet.  Good passer, so you must be careful where you bring the double from.  Tough rebounder, must box him out!

5.  Samuel Dalembert | 6’11″ | 250 lbs. | 21.5 MPG | 10.0 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 53.3 FG | 0.0 3 | 66.7 FT

Not really an offensive threat from outside of 10 feet.  Struggles to hit from inside 10 feet as well.  Slow feet.  Can be taken advantage of in the pick and roll set.  Great timing and shot blocking ability though, must pump fake him!  Terrific defensive rebounder.

Bench

G.  Willie Green | 6’3″ | 200 lbs. | 12 MPG | 5.5 PPG | 2.5 APG | 44.4% FG | 50.o% FG | 50.0% FT

Not a true point either, but the truest point on the Sixers.  If they struggle getting into the offense, Green will come in off the bench to try and settle things.  Hard worker on defense, but he lacks the quicks to stay in front of his man from time to time.

G/F.  Jason Kapono | 6’7″ | 215 lbs. | 12.0 MPG | 7.0 PPG | 3.0 APG | 50% FG | 40% 3 | 100% FT

One of the league’s best 3 point shooters.  Has 30-foot range.  Need to stick with him and can’t help off of him.  Doesn’t do much besides shoot, so close hard and make him put it on the floor.

G.  Jrue Holiday | 6’3″ | 180 lbs. | Rookie: No professional stats

Wildcard.  Athletic and quick, but is an inconsistent shooter and he sometimes is a little loose with the basketball.

F/C.  Marreese Speights | 6’10″ | 245 lbs. | 22.5 MPG | 9 PPG | 9 RPG | 31.6 FG | 0.00 3 | 85.7 FT

We should all be familiar with this guy from summer league.  Possesses a great athletic ability for his size, and when he is hitting his shot he is tough to stop.  Needs to take a lot of shots to put up his numbers.  Good shot blocker, you can pump fake him though.  He has shown to be foul-prone.

F.  Jason Smith | 7’0″ | 240 lbs. | 20 MPG | 3.5 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 25% FG | 20% 3 | 0% FT

Missed all of last year with a knee injury.  Can play either the PF or C spot.  Has a nice back to the basket game and a nice touch on his mid-range shot.

G.  Royal Ivey | 6’4″ | 215 lbs. | 16.0 MPG | 4.5 PPG | 2.0 APG | 28.6 FG% | 0.0 3% | 83.3 FT

Defensive specialist with no real offensive game to speak of.  Quick and athletic.  Very aggressive and can be caught on back-door cuts.  Tendency to foul a ton.

G.  Sean Singletary | 6’0″ | 185 lbs. | 10.0 MPG | 0.0 PPG | 0.0 APG | 0.0 FG% | 0.0 3% | 0.0 FT%

Solid from 3 point range.  Does nothing else too special.

G.  Dionte Christmas | 6’5″ | 205 lbs. | 9.0 MPG | 3.0 PPG | 1.0 APG | 0.0 FG% | 0.0 3% | 75 FT%

Terrific 3 point shooter who when gets hot can’t miss.

C.  Primoz Brezec | 7’1″ | 255 lbs. | 8.0 MPG | 2.0 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 33.3 FG | 0.0 3 | 0.0 FT

Played in the Italian league last year.  Nice touch for a big man.  Slow and weak on the defensive end.

F.  Brandon Bowman | 6’9″ | 225 | 17.0 MPG | 9.0 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 66.7 FG | 0.0 3 | 50.0 FT

D-League call up who is playing well.  Maybe well enough to make the roster…

G/F.  Rodney Carney | 6’7″ | 205 lbs. | No Preseason Stats

Out.

G.  Stromile Swift | 6’10″ | 220 lbs. | No Preseason Stats

Out.

Offensive Tendencies:

One of the worst three point shooting teams last year.  Kapono helps, but he is the only 3 point shooting threat.  Must keep their 3 front-court off the glass on both sides of the court.  Must keep AI from getting hot.  Eddie Jordan will be implementing a Princeton-style offense this year.  Expect a whole lot of movement.

Defensive Tendencies:

A lot of aggressive athletic players who like to take chances.  Need to pump fake on both passes and shots.  Backdoor cuts can work against these guys too.

Keys To Victory:

Get Brook touches inside.  He can out muscle Dalembert and negate his athleticism.  Keep AI from getting hot.  Rebound!  Don’t let Elton Brand get position inside.  Close out on Kapono, make him put the ball on the floor.