Nets Are Scorching

After the completion of a wild New Jersey Nets season, Nets are Scorching will be looking back at the players that made it happen.

The face.

Final Stats: 25 G, 9 GS, 16.1 MPG, 4.4 PPG, 0.8 APG, (0.7-2.7) 3.4 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 44.7 FG%, 0 3P%, 64.3 FT%, 90 ORtg, 10.1 PER

It felt like it should’ve been much more. More playing time, more minutes, more points, more moments. Unfortunately, a bad foot injury slowed the one 2010 rookie the Nets kept. Only playing about a third of the season, James’s injury unfairly struck him down in the first start of his career in December. He returned late in February, but was shut down soon afterwards when the season became meaningless and the risk of re-injury ballooned.

This is not to say that we didn’t see some things from James. He always seems to know his spot on the offensive end and continually scraps defensively as well. His shot still needs work, but he’s getting there; I’m surprised he only took three threes on the year, but I figure he’s just got to get used to the NBA three. I’ve said throughout the year that he’s a sparkplug kind of player: the kind of guy who would never be the first offensive option on a good team, but in the right role on the right team would make a huge difference. The Nets aren’t that team yet, but they’re close – and the energy he’s able to bring to the table will help him succeed around stars like Deron Williams.

The Pink Shirt: With no question, Damion James’s best day in a Nets uniform so far was, like Travis Outlaw’s, an ocean away. The day before the triple-overtime extravaganza, James knocked down 5 of 6 shots en route to a 15-point, 7-board performance against the Toronto Raptors. He also notched three assists and a steal. Given the structure of the Nets, I’d say we saw the best lineup the Nets could have had this season: Williams, Morrow, James, Humphries, and Lopez.

The Paper Bag It’s difficult to give a paper bag to a guy who you didn’t really expect to dominate. He’s kind of like Robert Horry in that sense: if he does something good, great, and if he doesn’t, it’s not a big deal. Still, I’d say his worst day came in an embarrassing loss to Boston in December, one I sat courtside at. In a game that the Nets never really stood a chance in, James shot 2-10 from the field, turned the ball over three times, and gave me the “uh, this guy doesn’t look like an NBA player” impression. Granted, Travis Outlaw was busy missing every shot he took, so I was noticeably distracted. But James’ youth was clear on that day.

Final Thoughts: Mark pointed out this morning that the Nets see James as part of their core, and while I agree it’s a little surprising, I believe it. The guy was plagued by a bad foot for most of the year and still showed flashes that made you think he could be a legitimate NBA starter. As long as he doesn’t re-injure the foot, his energy alone should earn him major minutes. If the Nets end up swinging a deal to get rid of Outlaw’s contract, that just means even more minutes.

Final Grade: B-

After the completion of a wild New Jersey Nets season, Nets are Scorching will be looking back at the players that made it happen.

Final Stats: 42 G, 10.4 MPG, 3.8 PPG, 1.6 APG, 1.5 (0.7-0.7) RPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 42.4 FG%, 37.5 3P%, 58.9 FT%, 14.8 PER

Ben Uzoh was fortunate to get a spot on the Nets after going undrafted and impressing Avery Johnson during the offseason. As a no-risk proposition, Uzoh wasn’t a relatively bad pickup. Serving mostly as a third-string point guard (and filling in as backup with all the injuries), Uzoh did what was expected of him. In his limited minutes, he didn’t have the time to produce any tangible offense or rebounding, but when you prorate his numbers on a 40-minute basis, he wasn’t half-bad: he averaged 14.4 P/40, 5.6 R/40, and 6.3 A/40, all resulting in that 14.8 PER, just a shade below the league average. But Uzoh’s greatest asset was effort, as he was one of very few Nets who cared on a regular basis. He proved to be a plus defender, actually earning an honorable mention on John Hollinger’s All-Defensive Team (Insider) for his impressive defensive on-off differential of minus-5.10.

The Pink Shirt: This has to be Uzoh’s making the team. Again, he was a long shot without much worth, but he scrapped his way onto a squad that benefited from his dedication at times. If he’s not with the Nets, he’ll very likely get a shot somewhere else around the league considering his per-minute numbers.

The Paper Bag: It’s hard to pick one in particular, but Uzoh didn’t really play well against the Philadelphia 76ers. In his three games against them, he shot 6-of-18 from the field in just 30 minutes of play.

Final Thoughts: Honestly, Uzoh was a good one-year experiment with no discernible downside. With the Nets’ decision to sign Sundiata Gaines for next season, Uzoh is essentially expendable. Again, though, he’ll get a chance for another NBA team.

Final Grade: B

As the end of the season moratoriums continue to mount, there is discussing among Avery Johnson and the Nets front office about who the team should be building around going forward. Deron Williams is an obvious choice and if you like big men who can score more than 20 points per game, Brook Lopez is also not a bad choice. The other supposed players of the Nets core include Kris Humphries (provided he resigns), Anthony Morrow and Damion James.

Can’t argue with any of those guys, though I’m shocked James is on the short list after barely playing this season. I should also be on the record in saying Humphries was fantastic this past season, but the organization can’t get too crazy trying to resign him. If he signs for Outlaw money and length and regresses back into the player he was last season, the Nets are going to be really stuck again at PF.

Some players I thought would be and I’m glad to see are not on the “core” list:

Jordan Farmar: good guy, solid backup PG, but with Deron Williams as your starter, you don’t need to be paying $3 million plus for a backup.

Sasha Vujacic: This guy has been getting some mentions lately as potentially someone to bring back and I don’t get it. I think he surprised a lot of us in his first few weeks as a decent clutch shooter, but he shoots WAY too much for a player of his ability, and his “pesky” defense wasn’t as advertised this season.

Some players I’d like to see be a part of the core:

Sundiata Gaines: No, Gaines isn’t winning anyone a championship, but for the cost, I think he’s a real asset to spell Williams for 10 minutes a game at the PG. Plus he’s a likable player with a great underdog story who I want to see succeed as a complimentary piece in NJ/Brooklyn. Remember, the Nets were never able to get a solid backup for Jason Kidd and it cost them dearly when Kidd was playing on one knee against the Pistons in 2004.

Brandan Wright: Totally overvalued right now, but if he could be brought back on the cheap, I’d be intrigued. He’s a 12th man, nothing more right now, but unless he’s pulling Sean Williams’ stuff behind closed doors at practice, I can’t see the harm of stacking a talent like that on the bench and see if he can finally evolve into the player so many thought he was going to be at UNC.  And despite not looking that great in a Nets uniform, he still put up decent per 40 minute numbers according to John Hollinger.

After the completion of a wild New Jersey Nets season, Nets are Scorching will be looking back at the players that made it happen.

Final Stats: 10 G, 0 GS, 14.6 MPG, 5.5 PPG, 2.5 APG, (1.0-1.4) 2.4 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 41.7 FG%, 23.5 3P%, 55.0 FT%, 99 ORtg, 15.3 PER

Gaines only played 10 games for the Nets, but he made enough of an impact that he did a couple of things – 1) made Ben Uzoh expendable and get sent down to the D-League and 2) earned a guaranteed two-year contract from the Nets. Of course, a few days later, Gaines suffered a fractured right hip. Ouch. There really isn’t much more to say about Gaines, the Jamaica, Queens native other than it’d be perfect if he was with the team when they moved to Brooklyn and he started going out with one of the BK natives. At least for LL Cool J fans.

The Pink Shirt: (ed. note: in honor of The Greatest Nets Fan in the History of Nets Fans, this is our award given to a player’s best moment of the season.)

Actually, of course there’s more to say about Gaines, who first burst on the scene and made people notice quick fresh off a call-up by the Utah Jazz from the D-League. Who can forget? In any case, Gaines biggest moment as a Net came in a 102-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 21 when he scored 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the deck and 5-for-7 from behind the charity stripe. He added six boards, three dimes, and three rock rips in only about 24 minutes of play. But then…

The Paper Bag (ed. note: in honor of last season’s Brett Yormark controversy, this award is given to the player’s worst moment of the season.)

The second-year player that worked on his grind, earning two 10-day contracts from the Nets and eventually a two-year contract, got hurt, only playing less than five minutes in the next game. Season over.

Final Thoughts:

Gaines looked more than capable when he was on the court and played with confidence as all Queens ballers do… and I don’t say that because Gaines and I grew up in the same neighborhood. Seriously. It’ll be interesting to see if the Nets keep Uzoh on because they won’t have to with a healthy Gaines on the hardwood. He’s more than solid for a third lead guard and in back-up duty this season, however small a sample, it will be intriguing to see what he can do when he’s back on the floor next season.

Final Grade: INC

After the completion of a wild New Jersey Nets season, Nets are Scorching will be looking back at the players that made it happen.

That about sums it up.

Final Stats: 82 G, 55 GS, 28.8 MPG, 9.2 PPG, 1.0 APG, (0.7-3.3) 4.0 RPG, 0.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 37.5 FG%, 30.2 3P%, 77.2 FT%, 97 ORtg, 8.8 PER (career low)

Close your eyes. Picture a Nets game from this past season. Any game, because Outlaw played in every single one. Outlaw receives the ball on the left wing. Does he:

a) call for a pick-and-roll
b) swing the ball around, looking for an open man
c) pump-fake, dribble around with no direction for 3-5 seconds, and fire a contested fallaway 18-footer
d) retire

If you answered anything but “C,” I don’t think you’ve seen much of the Nets, or spend your time reading my Twitter account during any Nets game.

When the Nets signed Outlaw, I was in the same boat as everyone else: yeah, the guy got a little overpaid, but since it was a flat contract going ahead, I wasn’t too concerned. $7 million in 2015 for what I thought Outlaw would be wasn’t necessarily a bad deal. It was essentially the MLE. But Outlaw wasn’t the guy we thought he could be this season. He wasn’t even close. Avery Johnson dogged him mid-season for his lack of conditioning. The athleticism he had exhibited in Portland seemed a distant memory. He’d get lift on his jumpshot, but he’d take such poor shots that they were doing far more damage than good in the long run. He was long, so he could disrupt opponents on defense, but he was consistently a step behind, whether he was isolated or helping out.

The Nets signed him as a starter, but aren’t trying to keep him there. That much is clear. Had Damion James not broken his foot, had the Nets not been plagued with Quinton Ross & Stephen Graham as alternatives, there’s a good chance Outlaw wouldn’t have started at the 3 again. Given his skill level, he deserves to be a seventh or eighth man somewhere, making a difference on a playoff team that doesn’t really have any need for him but could use him to spell their starters.

He knows he can do better. He wants to do better. He’s said as much as this season draws to a close. And that’s cool. I’m glad he’ at least saying he’s committed to improving. Unfortunately, I don’t know if he can. I’ve been wondering if that broken foot he suffered in 2009 with Portland never fully healed. It would make sense; he’s been robbed of his athleticism and looks clumsy while handling the ball. He reminds me of watching high school ball, gangly 15-year-olds who haven’t filled out their body yet.

It’s because of these reasons that I give Outlaw this year’s Yi Jianlian Award: the guy we all knew wasn’t great, wanted him to thrive in his role, but forgetting that below-average players don’t thrive in roles without great players around them.

The Pink Shirt: (ed. note: in honor of The Greatest Nets Fan in the History of Nets Fans, this is our award given to a player’s best moment of the season.)
As much as Outlaw’s season felt like one tragic comedy, he did have some good games – he took apart his old Clippers team, and was instrumental to the Nets upsetting Denver. However, his sublime moment was was one indisputable highlight: March 5, 2011, in London, in triple-overtime, Nets down 136-135 with 12 seconds remaining. Outlaw drew the foul, stepped to the line, and calmly sunk two free throws with the eyes of the raucous London crowd placed firmly upon him. The Nets got a stop on the next possession and won the game.

The Paper Bag (ed. note: in honor of last season’s Brett Yormark controversy, this award is given to the player’s worst moment of the season.)
With Outlaw, his moment in the dark lasted over a month. Between December 3rd and January 12th, Outlaw shot a preposterous 29.3% from the field on 188 field goal attempts, also missing 53 of his 65 shots from deep. Outlaw averaged just under 10 shots per game in this span, which meant he averaged shooting 3/10 per game in this stretch. He never shot above 50% in any one single game in this span.

Final Thoughts: Outlaw will likely be back next year, but there’s no question the Nets will be looking to move him. (We’ve got some trade ideas coming, too.) After understandably falling out of Avery’s good graces, he became one of the many scapegoats for the struggles the team faced this season. If he does come back next year, he’s almost assuredly going to be coming off the bench – where I think he’s destined to be.

Final Grade: D-

On the day after the last day of the (regular) season, the New Jersey Nets organization must have been feeling pretty confident about their future. Deron Williams most notably, was talking like his presence in Brooklyn in 2012 was a foregone conclusion:

“I like this organization a lot. I like the direction they’re going. They made me and my family feel real comfortable,” said Williams. “I like Coach [Avery] Johnson. The way he coaches and the way he carries himself.”

Williams’ right wrist was wrapped in a cast after surgery he admitted angered him. He thought he’d only need rest but was out-voted “2-against-1″ by docs.

“I definitely can see myself staying here,” Williams said. “It’s something that’s going to be brought up a lot this summer after the collective bargaining agreement handles itself and then we’ll look at it.”

I don’t know what kind of tapioca pudding or kool-aid Mikhail Prokhorov and Billy King are feeding DWill these days, but just keep doing it. Al Iannazzone seems to think getting Dwight Howard for next season is a bit of a pipe dream and I agree, but this organization still needs to show a very clear plan on putting a talented team around Williams and Brook Lopez. There’s been a bit of buzz about where Sasha Vujacic fits on this roster next season and I have an easy answer for that — he does. Kudos for Sasha for coming here and being a pro, but he’s too costly for a skillset the team already had under contract in Anthony Morrow. The Nets need to start acquiring versatile players for SG and SF who can shoot, defend, and score near the hoop. Sasha and Morrow each can only do one of those things with any consistency, and quite frankly, saying Sasha can shoot is a bit of a reach considering the high volume of shots he takes when he’s on the court.

Last night, the season came to a close in a literary fashion. A team with no incentive to win, other than pride, was carried to victory by its bench and its fans, riding the wave of narrative (and Rasual Butler) to its 62nd win. I’m talking about the Bulls, of course. On the other side, The Nets were a beaten-up, broken-down team that just couldn’t compete. That was their identity for the last quarter of the season; after the wild ending that resulted in a victory over Boston, a five-game winning streak, and the pinkest, shirtiest, jubilationiest fan ever, the Nets won merely two of their final seventeen games.

It wasn’t surprising. Deron Williams was injured, about 5,000 other guys followed. The Nets finished with only two guys playing the full 82: Brook Lopez & Travis Outlaw. They trotted out 22 guys in total on their roster this season, and only two – Williams & Lopez – are guaranteed to be back next season. Everyone else is either on the block or out the door.

Still, this season, despite the poor record, has been one of the most wild for New Jersey in recent memory. Let’s take a quick look at how last year’s team and this year’s stack up:

2009-2010	Year	2010-2011
12	Wins	24
5th	Place in Division	4th
100.6 (30th)	Offensive Rating (Points/100 possessions)	103.1 (27th)
110.5 (25th)	Defensive Rating (Points allowed/100 possessions)	109.9 (21st)
91.4 (24th)	Pace (Possessions per game)	89.9 (24th)
.458 (30th)	Team eFG%	.474 (27th)
.517 (23rd)	Opponent eFG%	.503 (19th)
74.8% (25th)	Free Throw Percentage	75.1% (25th)
13.7% (21st)	Team Turnover %	13.4% (15th)
13.3% (14th)	Opponent Turnover %	11.8% (30th)
25.1% (21st)	Offensive Rebound %	26.1% (16th)
71.8% (28th)	Defensive Rebound %	74.2% (14th)
Bruce Ratner	Owner	Mikhail Prokhorov
Rod Thorn	General Manager	Billy King
Lawrence Frank/Tom Barrise/Kiki Vandeweghe	Coach	Avery Johnson
Izod Center	Arena	Prudential Center
537,230 (30th)	Annual Attendance	581,378 (28th)
Bobby Simmons ($10.6 million)	Highest-Paid Player	Deron Williams ($14.9 million)
Brook Lopez, 18.8 PPG	Top Scorer	Brook Lopez, 20.4 PPG
Brook Lopez, 8.6 RPG	Top Rebounder	Kris Humphries, 10.4 RPG
Devin Harris, 6.6 APG	Top Assist Man	Deron Williams, 12.8 APG
0-18	Season-Opening Streak	2-0
2 (once)	Longest Winning Streak	5 (once)
ERROR	Win #13	January 24th, 2011 vs. Cleveland
4	Total Overtimes Played	13
Harris, Lee, Douglas-Roberts, Yi, Lopez	Opening Night Starting 5	Harris, Morrow, Outlaw, Smith, Lopez
0	In-Season Acquisition of Superstar Count	1
1 (Trenton Hassell)	Amount of Trenton Hassell’s	2 (Stephen Graham, Quinton Ross)

I’d say for the most part, things are looking up. One big change for the worse has been opponent turnover rate, consistently the Nets haven’t forced turnovers out of their opposition, particularly up top. That’s because Courtney Lee was much better at forcing opposing guards into bad decisions than Anthony Morrow is. Other than that, this was what I’d call a “baby steps” season – getting slightly better across the board, gearing up to make a splash in two years in Brooklyn.

Depending on who the Nets retain or sign, next year will again look completely different. Hopefully, with D-Will around, it’ll be for the better.

That guy's pretty good.

7:55 PM:Five minutes or so to game time: I’m sitting in front of my TV at Casa Kharpertian, waiting for NBA League Pass to come on. I’m not sure how many of you have League Pass, but the music they have during “commercials” is horrible. It’s the most bland, generic power-chord-guitar music I’ve ever heard. But I’ll find a way to live. How else am I going to enjoy Bulls-Nets?

Speaking of which, the Bulls are starting their normal 5 tonight against the Nets despite the fact that they’ve locked up the #1 seed. Tom Thibodeau is either a genius or they’re going to wear out in the playoffs. The answer, of course, is the former: Thibs is brilliant, and has maximized that roster. I give the Nets almost no chance tonight.

7:59 PM: Before the game, from gsloots: “Not sure where this offseason leads, but can’t help to feel a little upset that I can’t root for a Favors/Kyrie Irving lead in Brooklyn.”

Same here, but Deron Williams is worth that cost. Besides, Kyrie is almost guaranteed to go #1, and the Nets aren’t exactly guaranteed the #1 pick (remember John Wall?).

8:04 PM: If the Bulls win tonight, they guarantee at least a coin flip for home-court in the Finals. The Spurs would have to lose to guarantee it, if the Spurs win, it’ll coin-flip. I guess this game means more to the Bulls than I thought.

(Also, once the game starts I’m going to countdown from the game time.)

8:10 PM:Glad to see that the Bulls still have that same intro music. I always thought it was the coolest thing growing up.

Also, njnets416 on Twitter asked who the Nets might re-sign this coming free agency other than Humphries. They’ll probably pick up the option on Ben Uzoh, but I doubt any of the free agents will be back. Brandan Wright’s option won’t be picked up. Maybe Sasha at the right price, but the Nets probably shouldn’t offer him that price. Truthfully, we’ll probably see a whole new team again next year.

First Quarter, 11:01: Dan Gadzuric just won an awkward tip that was about a foot in Noah’s direction. Gadzuric didn’t jump, Noah jumped and completely missed it, and Gadzuric reached over and tipped it backwards. The Nets immediately turn it over and Chicago scores. Basically what I expected.

7:11: First time-out, Nets down 9-8. There’s no doubt why Chicago’s defense is so phenomenal. Noah’s timing is impeccable, both on his feet and with his hands. That’s a quality you want in your center – you want a guy who’s able to stay on his feet against good counter-moves, who can step out to contest, and put his hands up at the correct times. Plus, he always busts his butt down low. Brook doesn’t have that defensively, but his offense is so good that you need him out there.

The Nets look completely scattered, but that’s their identity right now – a team literally without direction. The other General (Deron) isn’t there to lead the troops, and most of the soldiers are playing their last game in a New Jersey uniform. Given the sloppiness so far, it’s amazing that they’re only down one – but when it’s early and Stephen Graham has hit a three, anything is possible.

5:26: Gadzuric just took a jumper and Chicago’s crew just busted out laughing.

2:08: Stephen Graham is on weird-fire right now. He’s knocked down three jumpers, and I mean knocked down. Not-touching-the-rim swishes. Meanwhile, Noah & Boozer are running the crap out of Brook Lopez & Johan Petro. It’s almost like they’re showing off.

Travis Outlaw airballs his 493,295^th jumper of the season. I realized something earlier this year: Outlaw can be a useful basketball player if you don’t have to rely on him for anything. I was talking to my dad about that, and he busted out laughing, because it sounds like a joke. But I’m serious. If Outlaw is your ninth man, and you don’t really expect anything from him, and he never has to handle the ball, or post up, or do anything but play defense, and you hope he hits his open jumpers but don’t really need it… He can be effective.

This isn’t that team. This isn’t the team for him. Outlaw deserves to be somewhere that he can blend into the background as a second-string 3/4. That’s his NBA destiny, and it’s not happening in New Jersey.

End of the First: Nets down 26-20 after 1. Brook Lopez has missed five of his six shots. But let’s recap the last 3 possessions:
1) Ben Uzoh dribbled around for 21 seconds, dumped it off to Petro, and Petro swished an 18-footer.
2) Ben Uzoh dribbled around for 15 seconds, threw it inside to Petro, who got called for a three-second violation.
3) Ben Uzoh dribbled around for 12 seconds, gave it to Petro, who dribbled around for a few more, then threw up a terrible inside shot and was bailed out by a questionable foul call.
Sometimes I hate basketball.

Second quarter, 10:25: Bulls widening this lead. 33-20 now. Getting ugly fast. Not that that’s unexpected. Outlaw airball count: 2.

6:23: Nets first make of the quarter comes almost four minutes in, on an iso by Farmar that he just pulled up into a jumper. They just don’t care about running any offense right now. It’s either the “stand-there” or the “pick-and-roll-and-run-around.” The only shots they’ve made have been off weird offensive sets that either broke or never furthered the goal of putting the ball in the basket. On that last one, Sasha barreled into two defenders, threw a risky interior pass that Wright barely caught, and Wright turned around and hit a terrible shot. It was a good make, because of the toughness of the shot, but bad offense means bad players are taking tough shots late in the shot clock.

2:33: Jordan Farmar just absolutely clowned Derrick Rose off a crossover and then buried a three as Rose tried to recover. I’m literally in shock. Farmar looks like a legit NBA guard right now. I know it’s just a three-minute stretch, he’s just been knocking down shots and playing the pesky 1-guard on defense. Don’t you worry, though: he’s still not throwing credible entry post passes.

Halftime: 50-43, Bulls are up. The Nets have stayed in this game so far by getting to the line, hitting threes, and hitting lucky shots. Plain and simple. They’re not creating good offense, they’re making shots they don’t normally make. That’s not a great recipe for long-term success, but the Nets are only down 7 for now.

Meanwhile, with about a minute left, the future MVP roared in anger after missing a shot and free throws. I mean roared. No one on the Nets ever gets that angry. No one cares that much.

Reader Hanif writes in about the future of the Nets: “‘I’m excited about the prospect of seeing a run-and-gun Nets offense next season. I have a good feeling D-Will will re-sign in 2012 for Brooklyn’s campaign and I strongly believe the Nets should develop Brook Lopez, bulk him up and work on rebounding and defense.”

However, he also adds: “If I were G.M., Travis Outlaw would be the first to go.” I’d love to agree with you, Hanif, but there aren’t a lot of trade scenarios that other teams would agree to that would move Outlaw, unless he was packaged with Lopez. It’s not that easy. (However, we will have some trade ideas up soon. Am I a hypocrite? Maybe.)

Third quarter, 9:38: This is the enigma of Jordan Farmar. After flashing from irrelevant to fantastic, he’s now dropped back down to lethargic. He looks like a guy at 4:30 on a Friday who can’t wait for his work day to end so he can enjoy the weekend. Except the weekend is probably going to be 18 months because your union is going on strike.

Somehow, though, the Nets have cut the lead to 1 – capped by a ridiculous Dan Gadzuric and-1 that looked absolutely awful and somehow dropped through perfectly.

8:41: Derrick Rose’s first “oh man, this guy is MVP” moments. After struggling early, he hits a gorgeous layup while bouncing off defenders, then fires a perfect pass in to Deng for a slam. I get the MVP hype, I guarantee you. He’s not number one on my ballot, but it’s not like the case is absurd. (I have him third.)

7:17: Let the record show this is how I feel about this evening so far.

5:55: It hasn’t stopped. The Nets are still making ridiculous shots off inherently broken plays. The Farmar jumper puts them up one. Brook Lopez then makes a great and-one (note: that wasn’t a broken play). I feel like there’s magic in the air.

4:39: There is a timeout break. The break was called by Chicago. It was called because New Jersey is up eight. I’m also not sure what universe I’m in.

Vivek writes: “Don’t look now, but Jordan Farmar has kind of outplayed Rose thus far. How long do you give this? 30 seconds? 60 seconds?”

Actually, it’s been like this all game. Rose is probably just saving himself for the playoffs. Still, he doesn’t look good, and Farmar is back to looking good again. I’m just at a loss for words, because logically, this doesn’t make sense. The Nets are a bad team taking poor-quality shots, handling a good team taking decent shots.

Basketball is clearly not played in a linear, logical world.

End of the 3rd: This is making sense again. Stephen Graham is throwing up wild shots and getting called for charges, Travis Outlaw is kicking it out to Brandan Wright for shock 18-footers, and Derrick Rose is taking over offensively. A surprising lead has turned into a tie game after 3. Unless Thibodeau rests everyone in the fourth, I doubt the Nets pull it off.

Fourth quarter, 8:52: Travis Outlaw hit a stepback jumper and a 3 on successive possessions. On a related note, I just started twitching uncontrollably.

8:09: Derrick Rose has been pressing tonight. I’m not entirely sure why, but he just seems like he wants to win a little too much – more than usual, and he’s forcing Nets-like shots and missing free throws as a result. Meanwhile, Travis Outlaw just proved that we’re in Bizarro World by burying another off-balance jumper, putting the Nets up 6. Where was this guy for 81 games?

6:49: Jordan Farmar and Derrick Rose switched bodies on a dare for this game. That’s the only logical explanation. Farmar has 17 with 11 assists, Rose has only one assist and isn’t shooting well. Meanwhile, Graham is showing a surprising amount of emotion in this game: getting (unfairly) called for a technical, then twice drawing offensive fouls – once on a flop. He then was yelling and pumping his fist as the Nets got the ball back. Didn’t see that coming.

2:25: We’re watching a supporting cast right now. I mean a literal one, or I guess a literary one. The Nets are background characters in the story of the Chicago Bulls right now. The Bulls, the Bulls reserves fighting to the last second to secure a seemingly meaningless victory is what this game is about. The fans, who shouldn’t really care, are booing like it’s the NBA Finals. The team cares about winning, every single second. The Bulls are breathing meaning into this game, and the Nets are just standing idly by, a casualty of the nature of basketball’s narrative. I normally hate those ideas – they’re often rooted in odd subjectivity – but I can’t help to imagine that’s what we’re watching.

1:33: In crunch time, the Nets run a two-man game with Petro & Farmar. Of course.

1:30: And it works. Of course.

:22.8: Nets get lucky on a tip between Gibson and Petro; Gibson beats Petro so soundly that he actually tips it out of bounds, giving it back to Jersey. The Nets run two offensive plays through Lopez – one a nice spin move on Kurt Thomas, the other a nice move that led to his shot being pounded to the glass. Still, that’s where you’ve got to go. Chicago makes a free throw to make the lead 93-90. Anything is possible.

:00:00: Nets run a curl play for Farmar, he gets a decent look but it doesn’t fall. Gibson out-hustles Outlaw for the rebound, knocks down two free throws. The game goes back-and-forth for a bit, but the end is predictable. This game is about the Bulls, and the Nets are just the necessary background music. This game was a final statement from Chicago heading into the postseason: we will not take plays off.

The Bulls will keep playing on. The Nets’ curtain is closed. A season defined by its constant change has finally become static. The win-loss percentage is unremarkable, the team unsurprising. But the ride was wild, strange, and confusing at too many times. I hope next season comes sooner than expected.

Fin.