Nets Are Scorching

The Nets and Thunder were locked in an entertaining game for about two-and-a-half quarters at the Izod Center tonight, but after the Nets went up 72-70 in the third, they were outscored 35-17 over the final quarter and a half, losing their 10th game in a row and falling to Oklahoma City 105-89.

• Yi Jianlian continues his strong showing since his return from injury, matching a career high with 29 points and 7 rebounds on 11-20 shooting. Yi also nabbed two steals.
• Kevin Durant was unstoppable most of the evening, totaling 40 points on 15-22 shooting, including a runner as the buzzer expired at the half, and a couple of electrifying dunks in the fourth quarter as the Thunder were pulling away.
• Nenad Krstic stuck it to his former team, scoring 19 points on 7-12 shooting.
• Devin Harris was quiet offensively, totaling 11 points, but he did register 11 assists.
• Brook Lopez continued his recent funk with 10 points on 5-11 shooting. He also grabbed 7 boards.
• Rough night for the Nets bench, as Tony Battie, Terrence Williams, Keyon Dooling and Rafer Alston totaled 8 points on 2-15 shooting.
• Courtney Lee quietly had a nice night offensively, with 17 points on 7-13 shooting.
• The Nets were outrebounded again, 43-33.

The Nets are now 2-29. They face the New York Knicks at home on Wednesday night.

Before we start talking about tonight’s game, I wanted to talk about something I found pretty interesting in Dave D’s pregame post:

Let us descend into the Ugly Archives this glorious afternoon.

Through 30 games, the Nets’ scoring differential is a minus-11.2.

The last team to post a double digit point differential were the 99 Clippers.  If you stop and think about it, it makes sense, the 2 Nets wins were close one meanwhile, a fair amount of 28 losses were in blowout fashion.  As the wins start to come (and yes I still believe they will come), you will start to see this point differential go down.

Looking towards tonight’s game, Dave D. has the health updates:

Injuries: Josh Boone had an MRI, which was clean, but he’s out. CDR will practice tomorrow, but he’s out. Ditto for Jarvis Hayes. And Rafer Alston will return tonight.

So good news, we won’t miss out on poor basketball because Rafer replaces Josh Boone.  In all seriousness, Josh Boone looked real good coming off the bench (now that Yi has wrestled the starting lineup away from him), and it sucks that he got hurt.  Good to see CDR and Jarvis returning to practice tomorrow.  It is going to be interesting to see how Kiki uses Dooling and Rafer off the bench as well.  Because Boone is out, expect Battie to get some more minutes backing up Yi (he has been backing up Brook exclusively).  Also plan on seeing some Sean Williams…well, maybe…Onto the match-ups!

Devin Harris vs. Russell Westbrook

T’his is going to be a real fun matchup to watch tonight.  Russell Westbrook has turned into a great offensive point guard, but he is pretty average on offense, so hopefully Devin can get himself into the lane.  I think that was the most frustrating thing about the Rockets game on Saturday.  He had the advantage on Aaron Brooks in terms of being able to get into the lane, but I think he just settled for far too many jumpers.

Advantage:  Push

Courtney Lee vs. Thabo Sefolosha

Thabo is the Thunder’s version of Courtney Lee.  A very good defender, who can contribute on the offensive end by hitting shots every now and then.  With Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook that is all you need really.  Thabo is so versatile, he may even draw Devin Harris on the defensive end.  From DailyThunder:

I said Russ will likely guard Harris, but I could see Westbrook sliding over and checking Courtney Lee and Thabo getting the Harris assignment. You’ve got to love the versatility of the unit. I’m sure Scott Brooks loves these options.

Advantage:  Thabo Sefolosha

Trenton Hassell vs. Kevin Durant

If CDR was healthy this could have been real fun to watch.  Two tall and lanky scorers with funny shots going at each other.  CDR’s ankle is still swollen (as someone who just sprained his ankle in Atlantic City, it sucks), so we won’t get to see this.  Trenton might be able to contain Durant (read:  hold him under 25 points) but he is going to have to be physical with him.

Advantage:  Kevin Durant

Yi vs. Jeff Green

Yi has put together a nice two games, but until he does it for like 10 straight games, the question is going to be “can he do it again?”  I think he can, and it is because he is being more aggressive.  His shot wasn’t really falling against Houston, so what did he do?  He attacked the basket and got his points in the paint and from the line.  That willingness to attack the basket was what was missing his first few years in the league.  Jeff Green has quietly been putting together a very nice season.  He is a great second option for the Thunder, and he should take advantage of Yi on the offensive end.

Advantage:  Jeff Green

Brook Lopez vs. Nenad Krstic

Brook Lopez is going up against a big body in Nenad Krstic, but I think he should be able to have himself a nice game tonight.  With Yi and Dooling back, the court will now be opened up for him.  This is becuase Dooling and Yi are knockdown shooters, and defenses are forced to stay with them.  Look for Brook Lopez to put up bigger numbers moving forward.

Advantage:  Brook Lopez

One final note: Fan on the Couch wasn’t posted this morning, but you will see it tomorrow morning.

Next up in Bloggers Talk is Royce Young, from the fantastic Thunder TrueHoop site, Daily Thunder, which is so cool, they even have their own t-shirts (we need to get some of these on Nets Are Scorching, right folks?).

NAS: Give Nets fans a reason to be optimistic. The Thunder were a young/inexperienced team last season that started terribly and got better as the season went along, and are now hovering around .500. What happened with the Thunder that brought them together and got them playing better and what does the roster need that should boost them up to the next level?

I feel bad. I’m honestly having a hard time finding a connecting factor between the two teams that could give Nets fans reason for optimism. Not to sound like a Laker fan, but OKC has Kevin Durant to build around. New Jersey has… Brook Lopez? That said, the Nets roster has talent and their 2-28 record isn’t a good indicator of the ability of the team. I felt that exact same way about Oklahoma City last year when it was 3-29 on New Year’s Eve. The Thunder made a commitment to starting new in 2009 last year and did so with a solid January and carried it over to a quality 20-30 finish to the season. That should be the goal for New Jersey. Forget 2009 and focus on 2010 and make an effort to build momentum into the offseason.

NAS: On that note, the Thunder just finished a rough part of their schedule where they were 3-5 against many of the league’s top teams. Any moral victories you took away in some of those losses?

The Laker loss at Staples might be a defining game later on. In three games against the defending champs, OKC has lost by just three in two of them. But maybe even more encouraging was the win in Phoenix the following night. After an emotional letdown against the Lakers, the Thunder turned around and beat a Suns team on their home court, a place they had only lost once prior. The most difficult part of the Thunder’s schedule should be behind them now, so pressing on above .500 is very, very exciting.

NAS: What are your thoughts on the Eric Maynor acquisition from Utah? Where does he fit in on Oklahoma City?

I turned my coffee table over and broke a window in excitement. I was a big fan of his before the draft last year and really hoped OKC would target him with its second pick. Utah got him before Presti could, but to get him for virtually nothing is excellent. The Thunder needs a long term backup to play behind Russell Westbrook and a guy that can change the pace. Maynor is definitely that guy.

NAS: Where does Kevin Durant rank in your mind among the best players in the NBA right now?

Disclaimer: I’m a homer. I unabashedly love KD. So keep that in perspective. But I’d put him in the top eight. He can score with anybody – he’ll toss up 34 and you won’t even notice it – but he’s really improved himself defensively. He’s learning how to take over games late. He’s probably not a Tier One player yet, (the LeBron, ‘Melo, Wade, Kobe, Chris Paul stratosphere) but he’s right on top of the Tier Two guys. Keep in mind, he’s just 21. Imagine his skillset when he’s 26. Scary. Well, for other teams.

A young franchise, with up and coming players and a star to build around struggled for the first two months of the season, only winning two of their first 24 games.

Your 2009-10 New Jersey Nets? Yes. But also your 2008-09 Oklahoma City Thunder.

Tonight’s game at the Izod Center should be an interesting matchup for the Nets, not only because the Thunder come to town with a 15-14 record, and their main guy, Kevin Durant, playing like a superstar, but because the Thunder are a great example of a young team that struggled initially, but was able to grow together and become a much better team. As Nets fans, we can only hope this year’s team, can follow the same trajectory as last year’s Thunder.

Granted, the Nets don’t have a player on the level of Kevin Durant currently on their roster, but in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, they have two guys who have flashes of superstardom.  If you add in a high lottery pick in June, the continued development of young role players like Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Terrence Williams and Yi Jianlian, and of course a free agent or two, and suddenly the Nets not only resemble the Thunder, but they could possibly grow at an even quicker pace into one of the league’s better teams.

Don’t take my word for it, just hear what coach Kiki Vandeweghe has to say about it, as reported by the always fantastic Ben Couch:

“Could they have won more games letting the veterans go, retarding the growth of a Durant?” Vandeweghe asked, rhetorically. “Yeah, they probably could have won a few more games, but that’s not the path they chose. It took them two years to get there; we’re trying to do it within a year, but it’s a tried-and-true method (of) almost force-feeding your guys. And that’s what they did in Oklahoma, they force-fed their guys and they got good results.”

The Thunder finished with 23 victories last season, after finishing December with only 4. While they were able to take advantage of their schedule, grabbing some victories against bottom-feeding teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings, as the season wore on, they were able to pick off some of the league’s best teams, including the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs (twice).

This season, the Thunder have already beaten the Orlando Magic at home, and the Spurs and Phoenix Suns on the road. Of course when you talk about the improvement of Oklahoma City, a lot of the focus starts with Durant, who in his third season, is averaging career highs in points per 40 minutes (27.9) and Player Efficiency Rating (23.12).

But the improvement doesn’t stop with Durant. Jeff Green, a 23-year-old forward, is utilizing an improve turnover and assist ratio to raise his PER from 13.99 to 14.4 this season. Starting Center (and old friend of the Nets) Nenad Krstic, has improved since coming back from Russia last year, averaging 14.5 points and 9 rebounds per 40 minutes, on 48 percent shooting, good for a PER of 14.06, after essentially playing himself out of basketball in 2007-08, his last year with the Nets. Rookie James Harden is a sparkplug off the bench, averaging 10 points, on 36 percent shooting from three. Another rookie, Eric Maynor, was recently acquired from the Utah Jazz to back up Russell Westbrook at PG. Westbrook is having a similar season points-wise to last year, but has also improved his turnover and assist ratios, to jack up his PER and pure point rating.

Outside of Durant, and possibly Westbrook, these are not yet household names, yet the Thunder are keeping their young heads above water in the tough Western Conference. While there’s still a lot can that go wrong for the Nets, the Thunder should hopefully provide hope for what can go right. While adding someone on the level of LeBron James or Chris Bosh is nice, it’s not a necessity. The Nets just need to stick with their plan of rebuilding, even if it means an ugly record in November and December.

Just a quick look at everything that’s been going right for Yi Jianlian, who looks like a different player since his return from injury Wednesday night.

As always, be sure to check out our Nets Are Scorching video page on YouTube, for up to date videos and other goodies.

After starting the season 0-18, the Nets are staring down the barrel of another double-digit losing streak tonight, according to Julian Garcia of the Daily News.

Many Nets are impressed with Yi Jianlian since his return (so is Nets Are Scorching, see our update in a few hours): “He’s shooting the ball with confidence, attacking the rim with tenacity and finishing strong,” Devin Harris said. “He’s capable of it. I’ve seen him jump just as high as Sean [Williams] in certain places. He’s got the athleticism. He’s a very talented individual.”

Brooklyn Opponents remain classy, and erect a guillotine for eminent domain (and Russia!) in front of Freddy’s Bar: He passed it over to Death, who pronounced, “Poor eminent domain, born of a noble purposes of building hospitals and roads… is being used to take Americans from their homes, not just for a British bank but also for Russia… eminent domain, you are hereby condemned.”

A look at the financial crisis in Russia, and the one Russian oligarch, Mikhail Prokhorov, who is “At least one Russian oligarch is having fun.”