Quick Recap: Golden State Warriors 105, New Jersey Nets 89
Dec 9, 2009 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Warriors, Quick Recap
The Nets trimmed a 20 point second half deficit down to 5, making things interesting in the fourth quarter, but they ultimately fell to the Golden State Warriors 105-89 in New Jersey tonight.
- A sloppy game for the Nets, as they turned the ball over 22 times to go along with only 12 assists. The Warriors had 17 steals, inculding 5 for CJ Watson (18 points off the bench) and 4 for Monta Ellis (18 points on 7-20 shooting).
- The magic quarter for the Nets tonight was the second, as they were outscored 38-21.
- The Nets were also outscored 28-10 on the fast break.
- Up and down night for Brook Lopez who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but turned the ball over 6 times, and had problems recognizing the double team throughout.
- Devin scored 11 of his 19 points from the free throw line, but is still struggling to get his points elsewhere, finishing 4-11 from the field. He also turned the ball over 4 times.
- Rafer Alston followed up his efficient performance last night with 12 points on 6-14 shooting to go along with 3 turnovers.
- Rought night for Chris Douglas-Roberts, collecting 10 points on 5-13 shooting and 5 turnovers.
- The Nets actually had an 11 point lead early on in this game. Yeah, I don’t remember it either.
Game 22 Preview Vs. Golden State Warriors
Dec 9, 2009 2009-2010 Open Thread, Game Preview, Nets vs. Warriors
Well, that was a fun game last night huh? The Nets were faced in a situation just like the Bobcats game, coming off of giving up two threes to tie the game. Again, the Nets rebounded, and they pulled away for the win. This time, instead of Courtney Lee, it was Devin Harris who took over.
I mentioned it last in the Daily Dime chat, but it hurt to have Devin out for many reasons, but one was, there was nobody who could get their own shot late. CDR has been great, but you can’t really ISO him yet, and you need someone to pass it Brook. Last night, down one, we gave the ball to Devin and watched as he attacked the basket. A subtle thing that nobody really talked about is that Kiki (Del reall) went small for that play, making sure that the Bulls had to worry about shooters. If he kept Boone (or Battie) out there, they would just leave him and double Harris. Taking him out prevented that from happening. Oh and for what it’s worth, that foul late up 3 was a great call. I honestly don’t think Lawrence Frank does that.
One final thing about the Del/Kiki coaching situation. YES went to the bench late in the game after the Bulls made a foul-shot. There, you saw Kiki asking whether or not he should call a time out. Del said push it, and then you see Kiki tell Devin to push it. It is good to see that Kiki knows his limitations when it comes to coaching and he is willing to ask Del questions late.
As for tonight’s game, the Bulls defense was bad, but according to Hoopdata.com, the Warriors are worse. They are second worse in the league when it comes to Defensive Efficiency, allowing 109.8 points per possession on the defensive end. In fact, when Brandon Jennings put up 55 on the Warriors, they played awful on the ball defense. This could be enough to get Devin going from the field. The Warriors line-up also matches up nicely for the Nets since they run a three guard line-up out there as well. CDR could have a big game too. Match-up time:
Devin Harris vs. C.J. Watson
The Warriors line-up is kind of funky, and I haven’t seen enough of them to tell you who is bringing the ball up, but my guess is that it will be C.J. Watson. Like I said earlier, the Warriors are weak defensively, especially when it comes to the pick and roll, so expect to see it a fair amount tonight.
Advantage: Devin Harris
Courtney Lee vs. Monta Ellis
This is the first time since Courtney Lee has been healthy that we get to see him trying to lock up a big time offensive talent. Monta Ellis sure can score, but he tends to turn the ball over a bit. We might be able to see Courtney Lee try to get some steals when he is defending him on the ball.
Advantage: Monta Ellis
CDR vs. Stephen Curry
If this is the correct starting lineup, I expect to see CDR covering Stephen to start. CDR is turning into a solid player, but as you saw last night, when he is matched-up against true 3s, they like to take him to the post. Luol Deng (I have no idea if he is a solid post player or not) took advantage of him on the post a few times. It is going to be nice to see CDR defending a guy who doesn’t weigh more than him.
Advantage: CDR
Vladimir Radmanovic vs. Josh Boone
Tough match-up for either Boone or Battie here. Radmanovic is a shooter, and his best position is probably the 3, but for the Warriors he is playing the 4. This could actually be a game where we see Sean Williams.
Advantage: Vlad Rad
Brook Lopez vs. Mikki Moore
Mikki Moore probably had his best years on the Nets, and it is good to see that he is still starting somewhere (especially not the Nets). Age seems to be catching up with Moore, and his activity and hustle (what made him so popular here) is starting to decline. If the game slows down enough, Brook Lopez could have a big game.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Bloggers Talk: Golden State Warriors
Dec 9, 2009 Bloggers Talk, Nets vs. Warriors
I always love it when the West Coast teams come to town because we only get to see these guys twice a year, and only once in our time zone. On the flip side, that means this will be the one and only Bloggers Talk this season to feature the Golden State Warriors. With us today to talk Don Nelson, Stephen Curry and more is Rasheed Malek from Warriors World.
NAS: There seems to be increasing buzz about Don Nelson wearing out his welcome with the Warriors. How do you predict this situation going down, and do you think Nellie is deserving of the axe?
The situation will play out with Nellie finishing out his contract and retiring. There is no way the Warriors will fire Nellie as they don’t want to take the pr hit nor do they have the fortitude to do so. Nellie is not deserving of the axe because that would mean he is solely responsible for the Warriors’ misfortunes. The Warriors’ futility can be attribute to multiple individuals not just Nellie. For as much crap Nellie gets nowadays, He’s still the coach that got the team to the playoffs after a long long time.
NAS: The Warriors have been decimated by injuries all season. Can you think of any games specifically that could have played out differently for GS if they had a little more depth?
With the amount of injuries they’ve sustained its not right to simply pick one or two games which could’ve turned out differently. I think the Warriors would be having a pretty good season if their roster was healthy as they’re missing key members of their lineup and its been that way since the start of the season. I’m not too big on using injuries as a copout because other players have to step it up and pick up the slack.
NAS: What have been your early impressions of rookie Stephen Curry? Does he strike you as someone who’s going to stick around in the NBA going forward?
I’m a firm supporter of Curry and his abilities. He’s going to be a great player in the league as there is nothing he can’t do on the court and his vision along with his basketball iq are what make him special. He’s had a up and down beginning thus far but has shown he has all the tools and attributes to be successful. Great guy off the court as well.
NAS: How legit is Monta Ellis’ season this year? Do you think he can keep up this high level of performance?
Monta is going to end up averaging 25/6/5 for the season and will be an all-star as he is playing at an incredible level right now. His ability to get to the rim and finish is mindboggling and he might be the best finisher in the league as he can finish with both hands effectively. He’s taken on the leadership role and re-focused on the defensive end where he’s guarding the best wing player on the opposing team every night.
Thoughts on the Game: Harris Tops Rose, Nets Persevere
Dec 9, 2009 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bulls, Thoughts On the Game
By The Horns, Blog-A-Bull, Kiki Vandeweghe Interview, Brook Lopez Interview
The Nets finally succeeded in rewriting a painfully familiar script in their 103-101 road victory against the Chicago Bulls last night.
Headed into the fourth quarter, the Nets had a comfortable 10-point lead and looked to be in total control. Brook Lopez (25 points, 10 rebounds) was dominating in the post, Chris Douglas-Roberts (20 points, 3 blocks), was a functional second scoring option and the Nets were taking advantage of some sloppiness by the Bulls en route to 14 team steals.
But those who have followed the Nets this year know this team has rarely strung four solid quarters of play together. The Bulls went on a run in the fourth quarter, and all of a sudden, the Nets play-by-play guys were talking about how the Nets had missed 10 shots on a row, and were making suspect rotations on the defensive end, leading to back-to-back treys by Chicago’s John Salmons and Luol Deng. Suddenly, I was having flashbacks to the third quarter against the Knicks on Sunday, or the third quarter against Milwaukee last month, or that awful fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves opening night. You probably all thought it too – the Nets go cold – the opposition gets hot. The Nets then breakdown completely and another game is lost.
Yet, the Nets didn’t lose last night. Really, for the first time this season, this team struggled for a quarter, took the opposing team’s best shot, and still came out on top. Devin Harris (17 points, 6 assists, 4 steals) got roped into a game of one-upmanship with Bulls PG Derrick Rose (27 points, 10 assists), with Devo coming out on top. Rose hit a jumper with 4:48 remaining to tie the game at 88, and Harris came back with a three pointer to put the Nets back on top. Then, Rose put the Bulls ahead 94-93 with 3:21 remaining, so Harris came back again with one of his vintage, reckless abandon drives to the hoop to put the Nets up one. And just as all hope seemed lost for the Nets and Rose put the Bulls up 100-99 with a running floater with 19.5 seconds remaining, Harris drove to the hoop once more for two, to give the Nets the lead for good.
Point-wise, it might have looked like a lackluster night for Harris, especially when you consider the 5-12 shooting. But make no mistake – this was the Devin Harris the team was looking to build its core around when they traded Vince Carter in June. This Harris who is able to take over games when they matter most, using his speed and daring to get into the lane and score. We saw glimpses of that Harris in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Knicks, but seeing this Harris show up in crunch time is a first for 2009-10.
Let’s not forget another big offensive contributor early-on last night. Rafer Alston was on fire in the first half, making 5 of 6 shots, including a three-pointer, and a few long twos. It’s been a long time since we saw this Rafer Alston. In fact, I thought he was lost somewhere in Orlando. But if the Nets could get a performance like that out of one of their bench guys each night, they’re probably going to start playing a lot better overall.
Finally, let’s hear it for some coaching. Loved some of the decisions made by Kiki Vandeweghe and Del Harris. In the game’s closing seconds, they went small, substituting wisely by getting Rafer Alston on the floor for Devin’s deciding layup, keeping the Bulls defense honest around the perimeter. Then, as the Bulls got their last chance, Tony Battie was subbed in to get more rebounders on the floor. With the way Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson were tipping and grabbing offensive boards all night (9 combined, 16 offensive boards overall for the Bulls), it was critical to get Battie or Boone back out there. And of course, Kiki/Del didn’t forget to foul Rose after Alston’s free throws, not allowing the Bulls an attempt to tie the game on a three. This all sounds simple enough, but some of these substitutions and calls weren’t being made a couple of weeks ago.
Final, final thoughts after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »
Nets on the Net: 12/9/09 Edition
Dec 9, 2009 Brooklyn, LeBron James, Nets on the Net, Rod Thorn, Terrence Williams, Yi
Al Iannazzone over at Nets Insider looks at the misfortune of Yi Jianlian.
Recapping the past 24 hours of Twittergate, Dave D’Alessandro adds in his story this morning that TWill’s benching last night was strictly a coincidence, according to Rod Thorn.
On Twitter last night, Terrence Williams compliments his teammates and nothing else.
Bleacher Report says that last night’s win in Chicago proves why the Nets are a better fit for LeBron James than the Knicks.
Some Bulls fans are very upset that Bulls lost to the Nets (hey, they can’t lose every game can they?).
Now that the Nets are winning some games, one fan writes how they still may be able to entertain us.
Forest City Ratner is predicting a groundbreaking in Brooklyn in the “fourth quarter.”