Nets Are Scorching

So we are going into this game running nearly on empty, I mean yesterday we had Trenton Hassell play 46 minutes.  Rafer Alston played 40.  Brook Lopez played 44.  According to the Nets game notes, CDR is still out.  His Twitter page confirms:

To weak to stand up in the shower. Guess I’ll be taking a bath. Turning on the jacuzzi jets.

Also, those game notes still have Courtney Lee starting.  He is listed day-to-day.  If he doesn’t play I would imagine that Terrence Williams would be starting at the 2, because the only other actives are Josh Boone and Sean Williams.  Look for multiple 48 minutes played on the boxscore.  As if we are piling on, this is the second night of a away/home back-to-back, which takes its toll on players.  The Celtics are coming off their first loss of the season, and they could be angry.  Oh and all of their starters are healthy (Big Baby is out, but the C’s haven’t really missed him).  The Celtics are a very good defensive team, 2nd in Defensive Efficiency with 91.2 points allowed per 100 possessions.

The one good thing the Nets got going for themselves?  The Celtics are an old team and they themselves are coming off a home/away back-to-back stretch.  That should keep the Cs from beating the Nets by 30.

This is your open thread tonight guys.  I will be around to chat with you guys.

Nets Starting Lineup

1. PG – Rafer Alston
2. SG – Courtney Lee
3. SF – Trenton Hassell
4. PF – Eduardo Najera
5. C – Brook Lopez

Celtics Starting Lineup

1. PG –  Rajon Rondo
2. SG – Ray Allen
3. SF – Paul Pierce
4. PF – Kevin Garnett
5. C – Kendrick Perkins

Their Mismatches

Paul Pierce vs. Terrence Williams/Trenton Hassell – I realistically could have put a number of different match-ups here.  But I am going with the one glaring hole.  If Courtney Lee does in fact play, Williams will be logging a ton of minutes.  He is big enough to defend threes, but Paul Pierce is a man.  Trenton Hassell used to be a great defender, but age is starting to take his toll.  I see Pierce getting 25 easily.

Nets bench vs. Celtics bench - If Courtney Lee doesn’t play (I got my money on that since the Nets have 3 days off after this game, so why risk Lee getting hurt), the Nets are only going to have two guys coming off the bench.  Josh Boone and Sean Williams.  Remember that wildcat lineup we were talking about?  Well, we could try the reverse tonight.  Imagine Sean Williams playing the three.  The Celtics have guys like Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, and Sheldon Williams coming off the bench.

Our Mismatches

Brook Lopez vs. Kendrick Perkins – Perkins is a physical big, but Brook Lopez has the post moves to get him in foul trouble.  If that happens, they don’t really have a back-up center who can defend Brook.

Matchup Of The Night

Rafer Alston vs. Eddie House – I know…I know…I am reaching here.  But check out this video:

If these two go at it again, it can bring some excitement to a crowd that will probably watching a Celtics blowout win.

Keys To Victory

Make Shots - You saw it a bit yesterday.  The Nets were hitting shots when Brook passed out of the doubles, and that gave him some room to operate.  He responded with a good night offensively.

Keep It Close – The Celtics can’t let the Nets blow them out early.  If they can hang around, you don’t know what can happen.

Stay Healthy - This one should be obvious, but the Nets don’t seem to know.  You can play a game without getting hurt.  Let’s try it tonight.

Prediction

Current Prediction Record: 3-3

7 guys or 8 guys, it doesn’t really matter.  The Celtics will run the Nets out of the building.  It could be a 30/40 point loss if the Celtics want it to be.

Game 7 vs. Boston (6-1)

Projected Starting Lineup

1.   Rajon Rondo | 6’1″ | 171 lbs. | 33 MPG | 9.9 PPG | 9.9 APG | 56.9% FG | 0% 3 | 50% 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. | 34.3 MPG | 15.1 PPG | 2.9 APG | 46.1% FG | 37.5% 3| 85.7% 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. | 35 MPG | 19.1 PPG | 5.7 RPG | 50% FG | 51.6% 3 | 85.7% 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. | 30 MPG | 13.4 PPG | 7.6 RPG | 50.6% FG | 0% 3 | 54.5% 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. | 26 MPG | 9.6 PPG | 5.7 RPG | 62.2% FG | 0% 3 | 55% 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

G.  Marquis Daniels | 6’6″ | 200 lbs. | 21.7 MPG | 5.7 PPG | 2.9 APG | 47.1% | 25% 3 | 53.8% FT

Capable scorer, your generic backup PG.  Compliments Rajon Rondo very nicely.  A better shooter than Rondo, but not as quick.  He has eased into this team’s backup PG role.

F.  Rasheed Wallace | 6’11″ | 230 lbs. | 21.6 MPG | 10.7 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 41.5 FG | 37% 3 | 66.7 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!

G.  Shelden Williams | 6’9″ | 250 lbs. | 16.3 MPG | 6.7 PPG |5.4 RPG | 59.1% FG | 0% 3 | 84% FT

Undersized center in college trying to play forward.  Has been hitting the defensive boards pretty well, proving himself to be a pretty nice acquisition.

G.  Eddie House | 6’1″ | 175 lbs. | 17.7 MPG | 7.7 PPG | 1.3 APG | 47.6% FG | 46.2% 3 | 100% FT

Shooter.  That is it, close out hard on him, and he won’t even drive, he will just pass.  When he catches the ball, it is either straight shoot of the catch, one dribble and shoot, or one dribble and pass.  Knows his limitations and doesn’t try to play beyond itself.

G.  Lester Hudson | 6’3″ | 190 lbs. | 9 MPG | 3 PPG | 1.3 APG | 60% FG | 100% 3 | 50% FT

Unsigned draft pick who made the Celtics roster after a very strong preseason.  He is showing himself to be a capable shooter, but all of his minutes have come in blowouts, hasn’t been in a close game, so if he gets in pressure him.  He may not be able to handle it.

G.  J.R. Giddens | 6’5″ | 215 lbs. | 4.5 MPG | .5 PPG | .3 APG | 33.3% FG | 0% FT | 0% FT

Athletic wing.

F.  Brian Scalabrine | 6’9″ | 235 lbs. | 4.5 MPG | 2.5 PPG | 0 RPG | 100% FG | 100% 3 | 0% FT

Generic white guy on the bench

F.  Glen Davis | 6’9″ | 289 lbs. | No Regular Season Stats

Out.  Fisticuffs.

G./F.  Tony Allen | 6’4″ | 213 lbs. | No Regular Season Stats

Out.

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.  A set they like to run is ISO Pierce at the high post and give it to him and watch him work.  If you see Pierce starting to set up there, deny him hard.  Force him away from his sweet spot.

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.  Playing in the second night of a back to back, and with some injuries they look to be thin.  Try to get them into foul trouble.

With the defending Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics coming to town tonight, Nets Are Scorching gets the skinny from Zach Lowe, of the dynamic Celtics TrueHoop site, Celtics Hub.

NAS: With his contract extension, it looks like Rajon Rondo is in the Celtics’ long-term plans. Over the summer, there was a rumor of a Rondo-for-Devin Harris swap. Do you see the logic of this trade from the C’s side and if  you were GM, would you have done it?

Lowe: No. I don’t like the idea of shaking up a championship contender to that degree. Rondo fits the rest of this roster better than Harris does, in that he doesn’t need to control the ball or take a ton of shots. Adding Harris at the expense of Rondo only makes sense–at least to me–if you’re overhauling the roster in a larger way.  If you’re committed to Allen-Pierce-KG and defensive dominance, Rondo fits. Three years from now, would Harris fit better? That’s impossible to know and not really relevant.

NAS: Another Celtic linked to the Nets this summer was “Big Baby” Glen Davis. Have the Celtics missed Davis at all since he went down with an injury to start the season?

Lowe: I mean, not in any serious way. The team is undefeated (note: this interview was conducted before Boston’s loss last night to the Phoenix Suns), KG’s playing fewer than 30 minutes per game and Shelden Williams is mostly doing what the team is asking him to do. But would the team be better and deeper with Big Baby taking minutes from Williams, Sheed and KG? Absolutely.

NAS: How has Rasheed Wallace fit in with the Celtics so far?

Lowe: Exactly as expected. His presence and 45 percent shooting from deep have loosened up the team’s second unit offense. The team can run three-man pick/pop plays with Ray Allen, Eddie House and Sheed. That is damn near impossible to defend. His defensive activity comes and goes, but it has mostly been there. He hasn’t gone down on the block as much, but he has shown the ability to hit 12-footers down there when the situation demands it. Really, I couldn’t be happier with his play.

NAS: Besides age and health, is there anything/anyone who can stop the Celtics this year?

Lowe: Sure: The Lakers, Cavs, Magic and Spurs. None of those teams has gelled as quickly as Boston so far, but it’s June that matters most.

The Nets are kind of a mess right now, as duly noted by NBA Fanhouse.

In his Nets notes, Al Iannazzone talks to Rod Thorn who says there is no immediate help on the way via a trade.

The Atlantic Yards Report, quoting ESPN’s Marc Stein, said Mikhail Prokhorov could buy the Nets even if they don’t end up in Brooklyn.

Prior to joining the injured ranks last night, Dave D’Alessandro scribed a piece about Courtney Lee needing to step up with the absence of other players.

Brett Yormark strikes again: Nets players who are too injured to play will mingle with fans at the Izod Center.

Ian Thomsen at Sports Illustrated looks at why LeBron James will probably not leave Cleveland.

Inside Shaun Powell’s column at NBA.com, Rod Thorn says the team is not going to be too rash to fire Lawrence Frank.

It looks like the goin injury isn’t as bad as we initially thought, though he’s still questionable to play in tonight’s game against the Celtics.

As quoted by Dave D’Alessandro:

“It’s not bad at all. Rest as much as possible. Go from day-to-day,” the winger said. “It wasn’t a tear. They said it was a micro-tear below my groin. So it’s day-to-day. It’s minor through.”

Either way, it looks like the Nets will likely suit-up eight players tonight, nine tops. The timing of this is impeccable as the Nets are coming off the second half of a back-to-back against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference (who were handed their first loss last night).

To quote Dave D. – “Either way, it’s a kerfuffle.”

For most of the game, especially in the third quarter, I was waiting for a collapse that never came.  The Nets kept the Sixers close throughout, leading most of the second half.  A half where the Nets shortened their bench to 5 players.  After Courtney Lee got hurt, the already thin Nets were left with a 7 man rotation for the rest of the half.  The Nets were gassed late in the 4th quarter, right around when the Sixers made their run.  After Courtney Lee left with a strained left (I didn’t know there was a left and a right) groin, I was expecting this team to fold, but they didn’t.  They actually played pretty well for the most part.  They were just literally out-manned last night.

When the players play well and this team still loses, Lawrence Frank usually ends up being my whipping boy.  I can’t even do that!  For the first time this year (and in recent memory, in my opinion) Lawrence Frank seemed to push all of the right buttons.  When I heard Trenton Hassell was starting, I was none too pleased, but you know what, it worked.  He put up 17 points on 8-13 shooting.  The reason Terrence Williams didn’t start was because Frank wanted him backing up Rafer Alston at the point, and you know what that worked too.  Terrence finished with only 6 points, but he did gather 9 assists.  Hell, even Bobby Simmons played well, hitting two threes and getting a few boards.  Even Lawrence Frank’s feel for the game was spot on, for example, with 5 minutes left in the first half, the Nets brought out a zone, and the first possession lead to a 24-second shot clock violation, and in the final 5 minutes, all the Sixers got was a lay-up on a broken play, and a three on a fast break.  Two quick nitpicky type things though.  With the Nets playing the Celtics tonight, I would have liked to see Sean Williams get some minutes last night, just to keep Brook fresh for tonight.  Also, the final play wasn’t the prettiest thing, but when your best option from three is Bobby Simmons, you don’t have much to work with.

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Well, that was actually a really hard fought game by the Nets, and I am glad that they continued to play hard, even after the Courtney Lee injury.  It looks like Courtney strained his groin, going in for a lay-up after a great steal on the defensive end.  Yeah, there were a ton of empty chairs on the Nets bench with only three players sitting there.

• So yeah, credit where credit is due.  Nice move Lawrence Frank going with Trenton Hassell.  Hassell getting his first start, played 46 (!) minutes going 8-13 for 17 points.
• Bobby Simmons actually played pretty well, connecting on 2 threes and scoring 10 points.
• The Nets basically had a 5 man rotation going for most of the second half.
• Terrence Williams playing both the backup PG and the backup SF, had a nice game with 6 points and 9 assists.  For the first time this year, he looked real comfortable playing the point.
• How on earth do we let Kapono hit 4 (he went 4-6) threes when he is the only consistent three point threat?
• That last play is an example of why we miss Brian Hill.  The Nets just handed the ball off to each other and didn’t even get an open look.
• So remember when we had the youngest starting line-up?  The 5 that finished the 4th quarter had guys ages 33, 33, 30, and 29.  Yeah, the Nets got old quick.
• Looking forward to tomorrow and seeing the Nets 8 healthy players (7 really because apparently Sean Williams doesn’t count), go against the Celtics.
• Even in defeat, Brook Lopez is a hilarious person.  When asked about Trenton Hassell and how well he played despite not playing a ton of minutes, Lopez responded, “Well, he showed us huh?”

Yup, just heard it on the pregame show.  Hassell has played a total of 8 minutes this year going 0-3 with 1 assists.  I don’t know anymore…I just don’t know…