The Nets looked good through the first quarter, leading by 9 at the end of one, but a 32-19 third quarter for the Pacers put the Nets away for good.
Terrence Williams, starting for Jarvis Hayes, was a few rebounds and assists shy of a back-to-back triple double, finishing with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
Yi Jianlian had a good game, finishing with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Brook Lopez led all Nets in scoring, finishing with 20 points and 5 rebounds.
The Nets did a poor job taking care of the ball tonight, finishing with 19 turnovers.
Troy Murphy led all scorers with 25 points and 9 rebounds.
The Pacers outscored the Nets 60-44 in the paint tonight. That’s ballgame right there.
Well, the Nets really took it to a team that needed a win last night, proving me wrong on my prediction for the final 4 games. Let’s see if they can do it again as they take on the Pacers. Both the Nets and the Pacers played a game last night, but the Nets were involved in a 2OT game with the starters (and T-Will) playing loads of minutes (they all logged 40+ last night). With the Pacers playing well and with the Nets’ fatigued this could get ugly as Kiki and the Nets might have to rely on their bench to take this one. The Nets’ bench can’t really do that. Onto the lineups…
I said it in the last Thoughts, and I will say it again; at this point in the season, it really isn’t about the wins and losses. These last few games are really about making sure the guys who are going to be on the team next year (we know who they are by now) finish up on a positive note. Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams, Devin Harris, and Courtney Lee all had really good games last night, so even if the Nets’ would have lost against the Bulls, I would have been happy. With that being said, it sure did feel good watch the Nets play the role of the spoilers last night against the Bulls. A couple times in the second half (and in the overtimes), the Bulls looked like they flipped the switch, and each time I thought to myself “Welp, they were due for a run. I mean they are playing for something.” Each time, I was expecting the Bulls to pull away for good. However, the Nets fought back each and every time, and that was pretty cool to see. It couldn’t have been more evident in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. The Nets had just let the lead slip out of their hands, but Derrick Rose missed a foul shot that kept the game within two. Instead of settling for a three, Courtney Lee attacked:
This aggressive move is what forced Brad Miller to help, and this help is what freed up Brook Lopez for the tip in dunk (which was definitely not goaltending). I couldn’t be happier for Brook on this play. He has been the Nets’ most consistent player (and the only player who has played in every single game this year) the entire year, so for him to finally have a moment like this made me feel good for him. You could tell that he was really excited, just by watching his reaction after the play.
The Nets again showed some resiliency in the first overtime. After quickly falling behind 7, the Nets fought all the way back to tie the game with 12 seconds left. The Bulls had the ball, and they put it in Derrick Rose’s hands. Rose had killed the Nets all night up until this point:
Courtney Lee, without help, cutoff Rose’s lane and forced him into a tough step-back jumper. The Nets then went into the second overtime and really took advantage of the Bulls’ fatigue.
Moving on, we need to look at Terrence Williams’ triple double. It is a great feat for a rookie (though it is the 4th time this year a rookie came away with a triple double), especially considering how far Terrence Williams has gone. Williams was tremendous throughout the game as he finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. You saw what kind of mismatches Williams can create in this game. The Bulls didn’t really know how to match up with him, they tried Luol Deng to match with Williams’ size. However, T-Will’s ballhandling ability and athleticism allowed him to get by Deng whenever he wanted.
Terrence Williams REALLY wanted that triple-double last night: “I told my teammates: ‘I need one assist. I don’t care if you shoot it from halfcourt, just shoot it and make it,’” Williams said. “I threw Brook the lob and he put it in the rim and it came out. I was like. ‘It’s not meant to be. Then on the last play, I said, ‘Brook you should take off.’ He challenged and took off and I got the rebound.
Fred Kerber puts TWill’s season in perspective: There was a time this season — actually, several times — when the Nets thought about sending Terrence Williams to the D-League. There also was a time when folks thought the Earth was flat and those new fangled computer gizmos were a fad.
Kiki Vandeweghe still has Yi’s back, even if it looks like Kiki won’t be back after this season: “He’s still a young player,” Vandeweghe said of Yi. “What he doesn’t have is the background of the pickup games that all these other guys have. So he has to spend a lot of time working over the summer.”
Courtney Lee has the right attitude about his unknown role with the team next season: “To me it’s about winning more than anything. If we can get two stars in here to go along with Brook (Lopez) — or if Devin (Harris) is back to go along with the three of us — I’d be very happy with that. I’m on board with anything, as long as we win.”
Is it possible for a team to permanently play in New Jersey after the Nets leave for Brooklyn? Commish David Stern doesn’t heartily endorse it while talking to Dave D’Alessandro: The Commish, as usual, saw that one was coming, and he didn’t skip a beat: “All I can say is, given the difficulties in TV arrangements, sponsorships, and the number of teams in the market, it’s something that has to be analyzed.”
