The Nets controlled the game for most of the first half, but Philly was able to capitalize on a 12-point third quarter by New Jersey. After two missed FTs by Elton Brand, the Nets still couldn’t get a good shot up to tie, as Jarvis Hayes forced a three that missed by a mile.
The Nets struggled greatly in the transition game, getting outscored 25-2 on the fast break.
Besides his last three attempt, Hayes probably had his best game of the season, scoring 18 points on 4-8 from three.
Fighting stomach issues, Brook Lopez had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Yi Jianlian had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sixers only shot 36.5 percent from the field and 62.1 percent from the FT line, but they did a better job controlling the ball than the Nets, only committing 12 turnovers.
Terrence Williams played some critical minutes down the stretch, and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Before we talk about tonight’s game, I want to look at the game Wizard’s game winning play and show you how the Nets defended it. In my opinion, the play was well defended, but better (maybe luckier) offense prevailed:
As Boykins continues to dribble out the clock, Antwan Jaminson comes up and sets a screen for Earl. The reason they are setting the screen is because most teams switch screens late, and the Wizards are trying to get a big to cover the speedy Earl Boykins.
And that is exactly what happens, Kris Humphries is there to cover him. Ben Couch talked to Humphries about the play:
“In that situation, the last thing I wanted to do was get caught in the air and foul,” Humphries said. “I probably should have pushed up a little bit more and tried to get him to go more toward the basket, take a little tougher shot.”
I actually think Humphries did a very good defending Boykins. You don’t want to close out too hard on him, because if he does, he will end up dribbling right around Humphries and get himself an easier shot. Since Humphries is so tall, he basically forced Boykins to shoot over him, which is a good thing. He just made it this time.
As for tonight, the Nets are welcoming All-Star starter Allen Iverson to New Jersey. The Nets have played the Sixers twice during their season-opening losing streak, and lost both by a combined 6 points. Both games were exactly the same, the Nets down two missed a chance at winning/tying the game, then the Sixers made 1 of 2 foul shots, and then the Nets were not able to get a game tying attempt up. Hopefully tonight things will be different. Onto the lineups…
Keyon Dooling vs. Allen Iverson
Iverson has aged quite a bit, but he still shows flashes of his greatness from time to time. If Devin Harris was playing tonight, I would actually be worried he might go off, but I am confident that Dooling (the better defender than Harris) will be able to handle Iverson.
Advantage: Push
Courtney Lee vs. Jrue Holiday
Even though Jrue Holiday starts, he still plays slightly less than 16 minutes per game. In those minutes, he is only averaging 5.4 points per game. He is going to be a very good player, but it is going to take him some time to get adjusted to the league. When Holiday is covering Lee, I expect him to be aggressive and attack the basket. That is something he does very well.
Advantage: Courtney Lee
Chris Douglas-Roberts vs. Andre Iguodala
CDR is starting to get back into a rhythm a little bit. He was attacking the basket a little more, and looking for chances to get a shot up. I have been saying that I would like to see CDR be a little selfish as he tries to work out of this slump.
Advantage: Andre Iguodala
Yi vs. Elton Brand
Kris Humphries had his first bad game as a Net, but that didn’t really hurt the team since Yi was able to play pretty well during the game. I think what Kiki is going to do from here on out is play the hot hand. Whoever is playing well will be out on the court, and last game it was Yi. I did like that Kiki put in Humphries instead of Yi for that last possession.
Advantage: Elton Brand
Brook Lopez vs. Samuel Dalembert
Brook Lopez shouldn’t have any problem with Samuel Dalembert in my opinion. Dalembert is a very good shot blocker, but he doesn’t have the size to keep Brook out of his scoring spots (and that is the only time Brook seems to have trouble). Lopez has the strength to get into Dalembert’s body and negate his jumping ability. That is key when you are dealing with a very good shot blocker.
The Philadelphia 76ers make their last trip to the Izod Center for the season tonight, so with us to give us some insights is Carey Smith, from the TrueHoop blog Philadunkia.
NAS: Since the All-Star rosters were announced, there has been some talk about the injustice of Allen Iverson being voted in as a starter. Can you find any justification for it?
I actually think al of the outcries about the injustice of Iverson starting are funny. The ASG is about who the fans want to see, not which players are the most deserving. The fans voted for Iverson, so he should get the start. I understand that his level of play this year does not warrant a starting spot in Dallas, but under the current ASG selection process, which I should add needs to be tweaked, Iverson did nothing wrong and should start. There was a very good story on hoopstvonline.com this week about Iverson’s ASG “injustice” and all the heat he has taken. I agreed with what the writer had to say, Iverson is getting roasted but some how Kevin Garnett who does not deserve to start either, has not caught any heat. http://www.hoopstvonline.com/news/iversonvkgasg.html.
NAS: There are a number of Sixers players who have been mentioned in trade buzz. What’s your sense of the truth to these rumors? Who do you think stays, and who goes?
The 76ers will absolutely make a trade, but the numerous rumors that pop up everyday are making hard to decide which players will be exiting. They’ve been shopping Sammy D and his awful contract for two years now and continue to do so. The problem for me is that Sammy is playing the best ball of his career. He has racked up 6 double-doubles this month and has become a game changer on the defensive end. Still his contract is killing us, so it’s probably best for the long run to deal him. Obviously Iguodala is rumored in several trades and I’ve heard Louis Williams and Thad Young mentioned as well. That’s kind of scary since just this past summer, those three were envisioned as the core this franchise was going to build around. If I had to bet, I’d say Williams and Dalembert go.
NAS: You’ve been highly critical of Sixers coach Eddie Jordan throughout the season. Would you like to trade him for Kiki Vandeweghe?
I’d have to disagree that we’ve been highly critical of Eddie Jordan. In fact I would have to say that lately we have been super highly critical of the job Jordan has done and deservedly so. We gave Jordan plenty of breaks at the start of the 2009-10 season because the players were learning his offensive system and the Sixers had some injuries early on to starters (Mo Speights and Louis Williams). During the initial grace period, we noticed just horrific coaching tendencies that Jordan displays and we held back from writing about them. But once everyone was back from injury and Iverson had been in the lineup for a week or two, the gloves came off and it has not been pretty. Poor substitution patterns, lack of a concern for defense, refusal to play appropriate match up games (on both ends of the floor) and the inability to define players roles are just some of the basic NBA coaching sins Jordan has committed. Still I am not sure how much of I is Jordan’s fault. I said it this summer and I’ll say it again now Jordan was the wrong choice for this team as his coaching style and X&Os do not fit the personnel.
I would trade Jordan for a bucket Gatorade, so yes I would trade Jordan for Kiki. I would then take Kiki and make him a player/coach as the Sixers sure could use his career 53% field goal shooting touch on this squad.
For six years, I owned a car that never really ran well, but got the job done. The problem was, I drove the thing to the ground, and by the time I had amassed about 150,000 miles, every time I got into the car, I would hope against hope that the piece of crap could just get me through this one last trip. If the car could just get me a little further, I vowed to never take another long trip again, retiring the thing for grocery shopping and the occasional trip to Target.
And then one day the car just died. And I realized that my plans for using the car going forward were irrelevant. It was never a good car to begin with, and the abuse I put it through for most of its lifespan gave it a specific expiration date. That date had passed. Game over.
I guess this terrible, terrible analogy I made regarding last night’s Nets/Wizards game would have worked better if I told you that my car died when the smallest person in my town jumped in front and slashed my tires, while smashing my hood in with a baseball bat. Sadly, things don’t happen like in real life, only in the NBA.
Last night’s 81-79 loss to the Wizards just felt weird, and despite the overall shock value of it – Earl Boykins, a guy who wasn’t even in the league last year hits the decisive shot with .4 seconds? – the outcome also seemed inevitable. Despite a solid defensive effort, holding the Wizards to 81 points and 42 percent shooting, the Nets were never able to put away a clearly inferior opponent and it came back to kill them. Up 12 in the first half, the Nets were owned on the boards throughout, getting outrebounded 40-32 and allowing 15 rebounds on the offensive end. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Nets, who had been shooting around 50 percent for most of the game, just seemed to sputter offensively, as Kiki Vandeweghe seemed to lose the Midas touch had had Wednesday night with his rotation choices. Kris Humphries, a hero against the Clippers, was the goat last night, going 1-8 from the field, including way too many long twos in crunch time. Terrence Williams, who seemed to do everything right a few nights ago, was on the bench for the Wizards. Courtney Lee, who didn’t miss in the first half, scoring 17 points, disappeared in the second, finishing with 19.
So, like my car, the Nets had an expiration date in this game. I wasn’t sure when the nail would be driven in the coffin, but I was fairly certain about the outcome. It was clear to me after Yi Jianlian hit a jumper with about 5:30 left in the third to put the Nets up by 8, and they ended tied with the Wizards towards the end of the quarter. After failing to score the knocking blow, it was just a matter of time before the Nets were going to stall out and be stranded by the side of the road.
An Earl Boykins jumper with .4 seconds left was enough to sink the New Jersey Nets tonight at the Izod Center, as the fell to the Washington Wizards 81-79.
I guess this is a good story for the NBA: the diminutive Boykins, who wasn’t even in the league last year, scoring 15 points and hitting the game winner. But to quote the great Derrick Coleman, whoop-dee-damned-doo.
The Nets could never put the Wizards away tonight. Despite leading by 12 in the first half, the Nets kept letting Washington hang around in this game and it bit them in the rear in the game’s final few minutes.
Here was a night where the Nets rebounding woes really came home to roost. Washington had a 40-32 advantage on the glass, including 15 offensive rebounds. Considering the Nets outshot the Wizards (45.5 percent to 42.1 percent), and had less turnovers (19-16) and you could say the game was lost on the glass.
Courtney Lee was on pace for a career night with 17 first-half points, but finished with 19.
Kris Humphries struggled big-time tonight, shooting 1-8 from the field (8 points) and committing a costly turnover with about 1:20 left when he was caught in no-man’s land with the ball as the shot clock expired.
17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks for Brook Lopez, who also made a beautiful spin, up and under move on Brendan Haywood to tie the game at 79. If we could only clone you, Brook.
Better effort from Chris Douglas-Roberts tonight with 8 points and 9 rebounds.
Before we get to the game tonight, I just wanted to talk about Brook Lopez and the All-Star game. Al Iannazzone’s post from today is what got me thinking about it. There, he has an awesome quote:
Brook Lopez could care less that he didn’t make the All-Star team. He was sleeping when TNT announced the reserves last night and he also watched Willy Wonka. We asked which one?
“The good one,” Lopez said.
That means the first one. Not the Johnny Depp disappointment.
“Gene Wilder is tough to beat,” Lopez said.
If Brook isn’t mad about it, us fans shouldn’t really be either. I mean did he deserve it? You can argue it, I mean All-Star teams usually take two centers and I think the the fight for the “second best center in the East” is a good one. You have a lot of candidates. You have Joakim Noah, David Lee, Al Horford, and Brook Lopez. Horford is probably the best defender and he plays on the best team, so I can see why the coaches took him. The comforting thing about this is that Brook is only 21 and still developing. If all goes according to plan, he should have plenty of All-Star games under his belt.
As for tonight, the Nets continue their pursuit of finishing the season over .500 against the Wizards. A team that you can argue is worse off than the Nets. You are going to see my projected lineup looks an awful lot like the one that fans don’t want to see. Here is my take on it. Kiki is going to stick with his guys (at least in terms of starting), but if they struggle he is going to have a quick hook. Just my opinion though, so we will see what happens. Anyway, onto the lineups!
Keyon Dooling vs. Randy Foye
You know what, I think it is smart to keep Harris out, especially now that Keyon got things flowing. As Mark said earlier, you got to go with the hot hand and Dooling is it. Foye in his own right is playing pretty good right now. But I think Dooling’s defense will be able to shut him down.
Advantage: Keyon Dooling
Courtney Lee vs. Mike Miller
Mike Miller has returned from injury and is playing pretty well. Lee is returning as well, coming off getting his wisdom teeth removed. Lee, despite all the talk about how much he sucks, has been playing well (though not to the level people expected him to at the start of the season), and most importantly, he has been aggressive. All that being said, I think Kiki will have a short hook with him.
Advantage: Push
Chris Douglas-Roberts vs. Caron Butler
Do I think CDR is intentionally not shooting? I don’t know, it is tough to say, I mean his change of style of play is so drastic, that it could be possible. What could also be possible is that he just misunderstands Kiki’s play through the bigs mantra, that he is doing it to a fault. Maybe the win gets him going, and he will return to his aggressive self.
Advantage: Push
Yi vs. Antawan Jamison
When I was talking about a quick hook, I was talking about Yi specifically. He has a tough matchup in Jamison, so if he isn’t hitting his shot, expect to see Kris Humphries in real quick…
Advantage: Antawan Jamison
Brook Lopez vs. Brenden Haywood
If you remember the last time these two played, Haywood did an effective job of shutting Brook down. He was able to use his strength to push Brook out of his post position. It is going to be fun to watch these two go at it again.
Today’s guest is Kyle Weidie from the superstar TrueHoop Wizards site, Truth About It. Kyle talks about one of the few franchises that may be in even worse shape currently than the the Nets.
NAS: What are your thoughts on the trade rumors involving Caron Butler? The Nets seemed to be backing away from trading Devin Harris now, but would you be interested in a Harris for Butler swap?
I haven’t been particularly fond of Caron’s play this season. He has not adjusted his offense game to be more team-oriented in order to fit into Flip Saunders’ system. His assists per 36 minutes is down to a measly 2.0; it stood 4.4 and 4.0 in ’07-08 and ’08-09 respectively. Even in ’06-07, the last time Gilbert Arenas was really on the court before this season, Caron managed 3.4 assists/36.His latest transgression, ignoring the play Flip Saunders called with the Wizards down one point with 6.7 seconds left against Dallas, clearly outlines that Butler is playing selfishly and that two All-Star appearances has led him to egotistically believe that he’s a number one option, superstar player when he is not.As far as I’m concerned, his time in DC has passed because he has vastly strayed from the reason he was given the nickname “Tuff Juice” in the first place. I don’t want to completely trash Butler. He’s a good guy, a decent locker room presence, and a great community man. But it just ain’t working out.That being said, I’d be completely down for exploring a Harris for Butler trade. Why not invest in a decent young PG for the future? Problem is, I’m not sure the Wizards’ brass wants to put themselves in the position to take on two more years of contract that they’d be getting back in Harris.
Why do you guys want to get rid of him anyway?
NAS: What can you say about the current direction of the Washington franchise? Their struggling through another poor season, their star player has been indefinitely suspended… where do you go from here?
You forgot to mention an ownership in transition …. limbo. Basically, there is no direction. I say they try to get value in return for their assets, but without completely blowing up the house with a fire sale. Sounds neither easy nor likely. Rebuilding is so painful, so enduring, so unpredictable … and something Wizards fans don’t deserve. They really need to find a way to remain competitive while rebuilding … so, not like the Nets. But to do that, you need luck in the draft. After Kwame Brown, I’m not sure the Wizards franchise will ever have luck in the draft again.
NAS: Where do you rank Antawn Jamison among the top players in the NBA? Is he a part of that conversation?
I guess you’d have to put a number after “top” to really get the convo started. At 33-years old, his ability is obviously on its down-slope. That being said, Jamison is still putting up incredible numbers. He rebounds like a man and his offensive trickery (and the fact that he doesn’t play in the paint much) lends itself to more sustainability as he ages. Currently, Jamison is unquestionably a top 40 NBA player … maybe even top 30.
NAS: In your opinion, does Gilbert Arenas ever play for the Wizards again?
I highly doubt it. My clairvoyant opinion indicates there’s a 20% chance he’ll play for the Wizards again. Seems pretty high, right? But you wouldn’t bet your life on a 20% chance. If by some strange circumstance he plays for the Wizards again, I will welcome him with open arms, conditionally of course. He must be repentant, and the must prove himself to be more mature, which will obviously take some time. Oh yea, he needs to stop lying and being so delusional too.He’s a good guy when it comes down to it, and everyone deserves a second chance. The idea that Americans love comeback stories has become cliché, but true. Why does Gil have to comeback somewhere else? Why can’t D.C. have his comeback story? Who knows …at this point, I’m not sure I care either way.
After watching the Nets get pulverized into a pile of jelly during their West Coast road trip last week, Wednesday’s night victory against the Clippers has made me a bit greedy.
The next three games for the Nets are all against struggling Eastern Conference teams –Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. Unless this organization really doesn’t give a hoot if they set the record for most losses in a season – and they should, because as a fan, I want nothing to do with this record, and the players clearly don’t either – than Kiki Vandeweghe needs to coach these games to win.
By “coaching to win,” I mean Kiki needs to follow the successful blueprint carried out on Wednesday night, when the Nets played five guys for the last half of the fourth who were basically, the “hot hands.” Their age, experience and contract value was irrelevant.
