I didn’t think the Nets were going to show any signs of fatigue tonight, with the bench logging a good amount of minutes, however that wasn’t the case. If the Nets performance last night defensively was the best we have seen, tonight could have been the worst as the Nets lost to the Wizards 109-99.
I know a lot of you didn’t see that game, and that was probably a good thing. The defensive rotations were off the entire night. So much so, that Blatche (the man the Nets doubled) picked up 8 assists in the first quarter. The Wizards were allowed to crack the 100 point mark for the first time in 20 games.
Devin Harris put up a quiet 22, but he struggled on the offensive end. The only player that looked like he was clicking was Brook Lopez who also put in 22 on 12 shots.
There are some teams that just present match-up problems for other teams (think Nets vs. Bobcats). With how the Wizards are currently constructed, they aren’t much better talent wise, but they just are a tough match-up for the Nets. Especially Blatche who was running around the court like a chicken with his head cut off trying to get a triple double.
Terrence Williams had another solid game but had a key turnover when he tried to throw a full court bounce pass down 5 late. Rookie mistake that happens, just poor timing of it.
First off, Happy Easter everyone! Today’s game isn’t going to be televised, which sucks, but it also makes you realize how lucky you are as a Nets fan that we have a station dedicated to playing Nets games. There are teams (good ones), who have a large chunk of go untelevised.
Anyway, onto the preview. Coming off their best performance of the year, the Nets now have another winnable game against the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have been struggling as of late (they just snapped a 16 game losing streak), and they might have provided the Nets with some poster-board material:
The above video is from the great Washington Wizards blog (and TrueHoop Network member) TruthAboutIt, and in it, Nick Young says “We ain’t trying to be like a New Jersey Net” (right around the 30 second mark). The Wizards have eked out a few wins against the Nets, but with the Nets playing some of their best basketball (and the Wizards playing some of their worst), I think the Nets can come away with this one. Onto the lineups…
In most instances I don’t like to use +/- for a one game sample size, but Terrence Williams +/- of +26 during yesterday’s win against the New Orleans Hornets is a very telling stat. T-Will was the one player on the Nets who made things go. Sure he only had 14 points (7-13 shooting), but his shot selection was real impressive. I think my favorite play was on a fast break in the first half where Williams pushed the ball all the way into the lane where he hit an eight foot jumper. Earlier in the year, the 8-footer would have been a three pointer (as noted by Marv Albert and Jim Spanarkel), and that really shows the growth Terrence Williams had made throughout the year. Where Williams really shined last night though was when he was passing the ball. T-Will racked up 14 assists to go along with his 14 points, with a lot of them coming off the dribble. The pass off the dribble might be the hardest one for NBA players to make, and Williams makes it look easy. The ability to pass it off the dribble instead of gathering oneself and then making the pass allows for the pass to get their quicker, giving the player who makes the catch more time to get the shot up.
As Williams told Ben Couch, he wasn’t the only one who played well:
“It wasn’t only me,” Williams said. “I did some things, but you’ve got to credit my teammates – they hit the shots. I would say that I had a little energy tonight, but that’s my job. When you come off the bench and you’re the energy guy, you’ve got to come in with energy.”
The Nets’ depth has been their biggest problem this year, but for one night, it was really sparked the team. All 11 players who got in the game for the Nets (Trenton Hassell was the only active player who didn’t play) scored, with 8 of them getting into double figures. The second unit played very well against the Hornets, especially in the third quarter. The Nets were in one of their patented 3rd quarter funks, but then the bench came in and closed the third with a little 6-0 run that expanded the Nets lead from 7 to 13, effectively putting the game away.
