Thoughts on the Game: What Victory Looks Like
Oct 24, 2009 2009 Preseason, Thoughts On the Game
The last time the Nets gained a victory, in any shape, form or iteration, was an April 13, 91-87 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Izod Center. In that time, the Lakers won the NBA Finals, Vince Carter was traded to the Magic, the King of Pop died, the U.S. Government officially began its debate on health care reform, a nation was hoodwinked by a reality TV crazed father who said his kid was stuck in a weather balloon, and the Nets lost a score of summer league and preseason games. Yes, until last night’s wire-to-wire dominant 110-88 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers at Carneseca Arena in Queens, NY, it had been a long time since Nets players – and their fans- last saw what a victory looks like.
We certainly saw, and can remember, what the losses looked like. Key players, like Devin Harris, Courtney Lee Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes on the sidelines in suits. Inconsistent play from young players like Yi Jianlian, Terrence Williams and Brook Lopez. Porous defense on the perimeter as teams – mainly the Knicks who played the Nets three times in the preseason – drained three after three. Failed opportunities by players like Courtney Lee, who were improbably in position to tie the game with seconds left, despite being down 5 points only a few seconds before.
Courtney Lee: Growing on Offense, Still Talking Defense
Oct 23, 2009 2009 Preseason, Courtney Lee, NAS Reporting
Everyone you talk to during Nets practice believes Courtney Lee is going to raise his game on the offensive end this season.
Devin Harris, by all accounts the team’s number one option on offense this season, sees a little of himself in Lee.
“Courtney is going through the same situation I went through coming from Dallas,” Harris told the media scrum at the PNY Center yesterday. “He’s proving he’s better than he was in Orlando and he can do more on the floor.”
But no offense to offense, Lee still sees himself as a defender first – even after falling just short of scoring 5 points in 6 seconds at the end of Wednesday’s preseason game against the Knicks – instant offense to the truest form.
“Coach Frank said he was going to give me a lot of freedom on offense,” Lee told Nets Are Scorching during practice yesterday. “But the end that’s most important to the team and to me and to (Frank) is the defensive end.”
When asked if he sees himself as one of the team’s anchors on defense, Lee was very quick to agree, before giving credit to some of his teammates.
“Yeah, I got Devin, Brook, CDR and myself and the young boy Terrence (Williams) who’s going to be a tremendous player in the future,” Lee said. “So that’s what we have to feed off of. Our quickness energy-wise and being more active. And speed. We can run the lanes and pesterize you on defense.”
And don’t think Lee is thinking ahead to next Friday’s home opener against Orlando either. He’s not about to admit that he’s looking to stick it to them on offense the way Devin Harris has made the Mavericks look foolish for trading him away two years ago whenever the Nets and Dallas square off.
“Taking it one game at a time, don’t matter who we play,” Lee said. “We’re going to go after them like they stole something and that’s our mentality for everybody else.”
Still, it’s worth taking note of the evolution of Courtney Lee on the offensive side this preseason. Going beyond points per game in his four preseason appearances, Lee is taking more shots per game than he did with Orlando. He’s averaging 11 field goal attempts this October, compared to 7 field goal attempts last season in his rookie season.
But what’s more eye opening is how Lee is generating offense this preseason. In Orlando last season, Lee was primarily a jump shooter, with 71 percent of his total field goal attempts coming as jumpers. During the preseason, Lee has showcased a more balanced scoring approach from both the inside and outside. According to ESPN’s preseason shot charts, Lee has averaged 6 jumpers per game and 5 close and inside shots. He’s shooting about 46 percent on those jumpers and 60 percent on the close and inside shots.
Will he maintain those numbers once the team is at full strength? Devin Harris wouldn’t mind, saying guys like Lee and Chris Douglas-Roberts being more aggressive on the offensive end would take some of the burden off his own shoulders.
All eyes were on Lee in the closing seconds of Wednesday’s game, where some fortuitous bounces of the ball and some carless fouling by the Knicks put Lee on the free throw line with a second left in position to tie the game, despite the Nets being down by 5 points only a few seconds earlier.
After missing a few earlier free throws on purpose in order to generate offensive rebounds, Lee missed the free throw he needed to hit, capping a bizarre ending to the game.
“That was crazy,” Lee said with a smile. “You work so hard to get yourself back in that situation missing free throws and then it’s time to hit those free throws. I was pushing it hard, trying to get a hard bounce off the rim two times … then to shoot the regular way kinda throws you off a little bit.”
As an added bonus, here’s some audio from Lawrence Frank who talks about Courtney Lee and the team’s late game dramatics this preseason.
Thoughts on the Game: Lee Can’t Make a Miracle Happen
Oct 22, 2009 2009 Preseason, Thoughts On the Game
Blink and you would have missed Courtney Lee almost single-handedly pull off a miraculous comeback for the Nets in their game against the New York Knicks last night. With about 6 seconds left, and the Nets down by 5, Lee sank a free throw, intentionally missed the next, grabbed the loose ball, hit the “and 1″ to cut the score to two, missed the free throw and then came up with another loose ball and a foul, with a chance to tie the game with 1.1 seconds left.
The last time I saw so much offense is such a short amount of time against the Knicks, Reggie Miller was wrapping his hands around his throat – the universal “choke” sign – as superfan Spike Lee writhed in agony courtside. Granted, the circumstances were much, much bigger that time around as the Pacers went on their way to shocking the Knicks in the playoffs, but I think it’s only natural for basketball fans to come back to that game when you see something equally improbable happening before your eyes.
Except last night, in front of about 16,000 fans at the Prudential Center (talks of a sellout were a wee bit exaggerated, but not by much. And Joe Jackson seemed entertained by the game during the MSG feed) Courtney Lee missed the free throw he needed to sink, and the Nets lost to the Knicks 94-92. The Nets still haven’t won yet this preseason, and they get one more shot on Friday night. Yes, the team is sorely missing Devin Harris, and to a lesser extent, guys like Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes would sure help too, but the Knicks were able to pull away in the fourth playing a lineup of four rookies and Larry Hughes.
Quick Recap: New York Knicks 94, New Jersey Nets 92
Oct 21, 2009 2009 Preseason, Quick Recap
The New York Knicks (5-2) defeated the Nets (0-6) 94-92 tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, keeping the Nets winless with one game to go this preseason.
- Well that ending was more interesting than it had any right to be? Courtney Lee had an opportunity to tie the game at the free throw line, and one-upping Reggie Miller by scoring 5 points in 6 seconds, but he missed his first free throw, sealing the game for the Knicks.
- Prior to Lee’s late dramatics, the Knicks’ Toney Douglas made a beautiful layup with 14.3 seconds left to put the Knicks up by 5.
- The Nets got walloped in the second quarter again, being outscored 38-20 and given up six consecutive three-pointers as the first half ended. They responded in kind this time, outscoring the Knicks 36-17 in the third.
- While Courtney Lee wasn’t quite the hero, he still finished with 19 points and 2 steals.
- Chris Douglas-Roberts led all scorers with 26 points. He also chipped in 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
- Brook Lopez fought through double-teams all night and finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks.
- After lighting up the Knicks Friday, Yi finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds tonight.
- Another ugly night for Bobby Simmons as you have to question what his role on this team is going to be. He finished with 5 points on 1-6 shooting, along with 4 fouls and 4 turnovers in 14 minutes. He also got posted up and scored on by Jordan Hill in the closing minutes of a close game.
A Sellout in Newark?
Oct 21, 2009 2009 Preseason, Prudential Center
The Star-Ledger is reporting a possible sellout for tonight’s Nets-Knicks preseason game at the Prudential Center in Newark. According to the report, attendees are being advised to get there early and fans with a “Mayor’s Pass” voucher, may not get their four tickets honored because of the walk-up ticket demand.
One Prudential Center official said earlier Wednesday that the amount of fans buying walk-up tickets has been “incredible” thus far, according to the report.
A near sellout for any Nets game, no less a preseason one in a building where the team doesn’t even play is an interesting concept. I was impressed when I heard last week that nearly 13,000 people showed up for the first preseason game at the Prudential Center – but I think some of that surprise was tempered when it was revealed that a lot of those tickets were giveaways. So the question remains for tonight: are these tickets freebies? Are these Knicks fans crossing the river for some preseason basketball (though, as Celtic Hub’s Zach Lowe notes today, Knicks fans are necessarily flooding their own home, MSG, right now). Either way, this is an interesting thing to look for tonight.
The Rotation Situation
Oct 19, 2009 2009 Preseason, Analysis
A combination of injuries and inconsistency up and down the Nets roster has made coach Lawrence Frank noticeably coy about declaring his likely rotation for opening day, which is less than two weeks away.
The Star-Ledger’s Dave D’Alessandro recently asked Frank about his plans for the rotation, and Frank expelled a lot of verbiage, but little tangible information:
“First and foremost, we have to get everyone to understand exactly what we have to embody as a team and as individuals, what each man must contribute in order for us to have a chance to win, get everyone to recognize that there’s no substitute for a good work ethic and believing in each other, continue to prioritize defense and being unselfish at the other end, sharpening the saw that you had created in the prior 13 practices, and you want to establish the rotation that you’ll go into the season with,” the Nets coach said.
Long story short: “Let’s just say there are still jobs up for grabs,”Frank said.
A lot of this is understandable. Keyon Dooling hasn’t seen any game action this preseason as he recovers from hip surgery. Devin Harris and Courtney Lee have been in and out of the infirmary. Jarvis Hayes, who seemed headed towards a starting spot at the three, has been battling shin splints and a rising Chris Douglas-Roberts has probably been the team’s most consistent performer in October. Cagey veterans Eduardo Najera and Tony Battie are battling assorted aches and pains.
Provided everyone is in good health, the starting lineup for opening day is shaping up to be Harris, Lee, CDR, Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez. Of those five, only CDR is a real surprise to me. It’s very clear that Douglas-Roberts has worked hard this off-season and he’s certainly playing well enough to start on this roster, but I still think it’s a major mistake. It’s true the team needs to find as much offense as they can with Vince Carter no longer on the roster, but inserting CDR’s scoring punch into the starting lineup may be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. With CDR in the starting lineup, the bench is left with three guys who could potentially put the ball in the hoop: Hayes, Bobby Simmons, and, when healthy, Keyon Dooling. All three are primarily jump shooters who take more than 76 percent of their shots away from the basket, according to 82games. We know we can’t expect much offensive versatility from the frontcourt reserves. Sean Williams’ only real offensive talent is on inside shots and putback dunks. Ditto for Boone. Najera was a decent jump shooter in Denver but hasn’t been healthy enough to establish anything during his Nets tenure. Terrence Williams is still inexperienced and is a very streaky shooter. Rafer Alston, the back-up point, is another jump shooter – another inconsistent one at that.
Thoughts on the Game: New York Knicks 93, New Jersey Nets 89
Oct 17, 2009 2009 Preseason, Brook Lopez, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Terrence Williams, Thoughts On the Game, Yi
For Lawrence Frank, game five of the preseason was about “experimentation” with the rotation due to the injuries that had left him without Devin Harris, Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling. We saw things in last night’s game like Bobby Simmons at the four (yuck), Will Blalock getting time at the point (eh), and a Sean Williams sighting in the third quarter – who was surprisingly more productive and active on defense than he was in the preseason opener when he looked like he had about 20 other places he wanted to be instead of the basketball court.
But to me, the night belonged to two players who are likely going to be key parts of the Nets rotation without any experimentation – well maybe some tinkering with one of these players because of his versatility (which I notably assailed on this site only a few days ago). Yes, last night was another loss, and the Nets are now 0-5 in this preseason and have often looked about as bad of a basketball team as many preseason analysts have predicted them to be. But I left Madison Square Garden last night with a good feeling about Yi Jianlian (21 points, 7-14 from the field, and 11 rebounds) and Terrence Williams (21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists). Yi especially showed me things last night that I don’t think I ever saw from him last season. Aggressive basketball. Driving to the hoop and moving towards the ball on offensive sets. As a whole, smart field goal attempts. This is where the word “potential” is always attached to his name like his uniform number.
Quick Recap: New York Knicks 93, New Jersey Nets 89
Oct 16, 2009 2009 Preseason, Quick Recap
The New York Knicks (2-2) defeated the Nets (0-5) 93-89 tonight in Madison Square Garden, keeping the Nets winless to start their preseason.
- The Knicks took off in the second and third quarters tonight, outscoring the Nets 52-30. The Nets were able to close strong in the 4th, cutting the Knicks lead to 4 before the end of the game.
- This was probably Yi Jianlian’s finest preseason game to date finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Most importantly, Yi didn’t pick up his first foul until the fourth quarter and he was active and aggressive around the rim throughout, even attempting a dunk on David Lee.
- Terrence Williams proved my criticism was premature earlier this week, putting together an all-around good game with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He also sunk two 3s down the stretch, keeping the Nets within striking distance.
- Courtney Lee continued his strong preseason with 17 points.
- There was a Sean Williams sighting in the 3rd quarter. Williams chipped in with 2 points, but played some good defense while he was in there.
- The Bobby Simmons power forward experiment wasn’t a smashing success. He finished with 0 points on 0-8 shooting with a +/- of -12. On the positive side, he did have 3 steals.
- Lawrence Frank still likes running Iso plays, even when he doesn’t have the personnel available to do so.
- We miss Devin Harris.
- Brook Lopez is hilarious when he’s angry.
- Sebastian and Mark met each other and survived the experience.
Terrence Williams is a Work in Progress
Oct 15, 2009 2009 Preseason, Terrence Williams
When discussing Terrence Williams, one idea that many analysts keep coming back to is that he may not be elite in any one particular area, but he does do lots of little things well. While this may ultimately be in true, TWill has not reflected this versatile, “jack of all trades” player in the Nets’ first four preseason games.
Williams is averaging 7 points on 34 percent shooting in four preseason games, including two starts. What’s even more alarming is TWill has not been able to help the team with the two most highly praised components of his overall game – his passing and his defense. He has amassed 6 assists to go along with 8 turnovers and his +/- is -24.
Cue the part where you tell me that this is only the preseason, that Williams is a rookie, and that it’s very unfair for me to be passing judgement so early in his professional career. Overall, I agree with these sentiments, but I feel like the slow start could be a sign that it may take TWill some time before he can start making some positive contributions to the Nets, much to the chagrin of his fans who want to see Williams get every chance available to him to prove he can be a contributor in an NBA rotation.
There were a few specific plays from Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics that I believe showcase some of Williams’ passing and defensive issues:
1st Quarter, 3:32 left: Brook Lopez rebounds the missed Rajon Rondo shot and outlets the pass to Devin Harris, who brings the ball up to the top of the key before passing it to Terrence Williams, already in motion, streaking towards the rim along the right blocks. Williams has Rasheed Wallace beat to the rim but instead head fakes before flinging the ball with one hand across the court to Courtney Lee in the left corner. Lee’s sightlines towards the rim are being screened by Eddie House, who anticipates the Williams pass and runs over to get a hand in Lee’s face. Lee however, doesn’t make the catch and the ball goes out of bounds.
4th Quarter, 10:30 left: Williams has the ball near the top of the left wing when he makes a move to his left freeing himself up for an open jumper. Meanwhile, Eduard Najera is rolling towards the rim, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Tony Battie are standing in the paint, and Jarvis Hayes is crossing from the right corner to the top of the key. In mid-air, Williams opts to skip on the jumper and pass to Hayes, who’s not quite at his spot yet. The pass is intercepted by Rajon Rondo.
Thoughts on the Game: Celtics 91, Nets 88
Oct 13, 2009 2009 Preseason, Thoughts On the Game
Let me start things off with a mantra: this is only preseason, this is only preseason, this is only preseason …
These games still mean nothing, even if it was the first opportunity for New Jersey Nets fans to see their team on the home YES Network. Still, you have to think on a night where the Boson Celtics were sitting all of their “Big Three,” and the Nets were playing with a healthy starting lineup before their anticipated first-ever game at the Prudential Center in Newark, that maybe, possibly, this was the night the Nets would pull down their elusive first win of the October “doesn’t count” segment of the season.
Instead, the healthy bodies became unhealthy as Devin Harris left another game, this time with a groin injury, bringing Yi Jianlian with him, who was suffering from a shoulder strain. A halftime lead of 13 (by way of 60 points), evaporated as the Nets were outplayed in the fourth quarter by a Celtics unit led by Rajon Rondo and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. The Nets, who looked soft and confused without Devin Harris running the point, scored only 11 points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics owned the offensive glass, grabbing 14 boards. Players like Eduardo Najera were airballing critical three-point shots in the closing minutes, while the Nets were apparently trying to set a screen for Brook Lopez from beyond the arc in a final attempt to tie the game – nevermind that he’s never sunk a three-pointer in his pro career.