Thoughts on the Game: Nets Stink Up the Swamp One Final Time
Apr 13, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bobcats, Thoughts On the Game
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
Queen City Hoops – Rufus on Fire – View from the Couch
The Nets closed out their run of basketball at the Meadowlands last night in similar fashion to how the organization has spent most of their days in the New Jersey swamp: with an uninspired, ho hum loss in front of a paltry crowd. Outside of some excellent work by the YES Network, who were showing clips of “Meadowlands Moments” throughout, there was little pomp and circumstance to this evening. No images of Derrick Coleman and Chris Dudley cutting down the nets and wishing the New Jersey faithful a pleasant good evening. No signs of Jason Kidd or Kenyon Martin electrifying the crowd one more time before the lights were turned off. Instead, the only real connection to this franchise’s past came in the form of the opposing head coach, Larry Brown, who coached the first ever Nets game at the Meadowlands in 1981.
To be honest, I don’t know if there was anyone out there who felt like lingering past closing time at the Meadowlands last night. The Nets are one game away from finishing up their worst season ever, which says a lot for a franchise whose futility may only be rivaled by the Clippers. And while there have been some good times at the Meadowlands, it’s hard to call it a real home for an organization that’s jumped around the New York/New Jersey area for decades. Even their next move to Newark is just a temporary one with Brooklyn appearing to be their final home – for the time being.
As for the game itself – the Nets played poor defense early, squandered a run in the second half by going ice cold shooting-wise in the 4th quarter, and demonstrated their utter lack of depth whenever their bench took the court: ladies and gentleman, your 2009-2010 New Jersey Nets.
While the Nets are far removed now from being considered the “worst of all time,” they’re still a pretty bad team, especially when they’re giving up 59 first half points and allowing an offensively challenged team like the Bobcats to have an incredibly balanced scoring attack with 7 players in double figures. Meanwhile, only 7 players on the Nets even scored a point in this game. While the Nets looked pretty balanced with their starting 5 all scoring 14 or more points, the bench – sans Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling from the start, and Kris Humphries after a first half injury – only scored 4 points total, compared with 50 for the Bobcats bench. Yes, these are NBA players, but it’s especially embarrassing when a guy like Gerald Henderson, who’s gone scoreless in four previous games, drops 14 on the Nets, including a posterizing dunk on Devin Harris in the second quarter.
Still, with all that, the Nets actually clawed back from a double digit first half deficit and briefly grabbed a one point lead in the third quarter. Harris hit two threes early in the third quarter, Terrence Williams was able to score at will near the basket, and the Bobcats were just cold enough to make it appear like a competitive basketball team was on the verge of happening. But it was three layups towards the end of the third that brought Charlotte’s lead back to six, and a 12-1 lead from the Bobcats in the fourth, pushed the game back out of reach for the Nets.
Fortunately, Terrence Williams continues to be a bright spot, and as Ian Eagle speculated after the game, you have to wonder if TWill wants the season to end right now. There was one point in the first half where Williams had 13 of his team’s 27 points. On a night where Devin Harris wasn’t much of a factor outside of the third quarter, and Brook Lopez had a quiet 16 points and 8 rebounds, Williams was the best player wearing a Nets uniform last night – and with a plethora of impact swingman expected to be available in free agency and the draft this summer, the Nets are going to have to consider long and hard how they can improve their team, while still finding quality minutes for TWill, who is growing into a game changer before our very eyes.
A few more thoughts after the jump.
Quick Recap: Charlotte Bobcats 105, New Jersey Nets 95
Apr 12, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bobcats, Quick Recap
The Nets closed out the basketball-era at the Meadowlands the same way a vast majority of evenings at the Izod Center have finished this season – with a loss. The Charlotte Bobcats were able to brush off a strong third quarter by the Nets, cruising to a 105-95 victory.
- The Nets were torched by the Bobcats in the first half, giving up 59 points on 54 percent shooting to Charlotte. But the Nets actually grabbed a quick one-point lead in the third quarter, before going ice cold from the floor, giving the Bobcats breathing room to the finish line.
- Future trivia question: Who was the final player to score a basket at the Meadowlands? Terrence Williams. TWill’s late season run continued, as he scored 21 points on 10-19 shooting, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished 6 assists.
- Devin Harris heated up in the third quarter en route to 22 points on 6-18 shooting. Only 1 assist for the point guard.
- Charlotte had 7 players finish in double figures, led by Stephen Jackson with 17 points. They also had 31 assists on 43 field goals.
- With Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling hurting, and Kris Humphries leaving the game early with an injury, the Nets bench only scored 4 points, compared with 50 points for the Bobcats. That’s right, a 46-point swing.
Game 81 Preview Vs. Charlotte Bobcats
Apr 12, 2010 2009-2010 Open Thread, Game Previews, Nets vs. Bobcats
While most teams are resting starters as the playoffs quickly approach, you won’t be seeing that tonight from Coach Larry Brown. Using my memory (which has been known to fail me), I don’t really remember coach Brown sitting his starters down the stretch, and I don’t expect that now. This means the Nets are going to be involved in a battle for their final game in the Meadowlands.
While the Nets don’t really have anything to play for, the Bobcats are fighting for playoff position, and for pride. The Nets have beat this Bobcats team twice already, and I can guarantee you they don’t want it to happen a third time. The Nets have beaten some solid teams, but the Bobcats are the best team they have beaten all year, and with them coming off of some rest, I see them pushing the Bobcats to the limit…onto the lineups…
Devin Harris vs. Raymond Felton
Advantage: Devin Harris
Courtney Lee vs. Stephon Jackson
Advantage: Stephon Jackson
Terrence Williams vs. Gerald Wallace
Advantage: Gerald Wallace
Yi vs. Boris Diaw
Advantage: Boris Diaw
Brook Lopez vs. Theo Ratliff
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Bloggers Talk: Charlotte Bobcats
Apr 12, 2010 Bloggers Talk, Nets vs. Bobcats
The last time the Bobcats came to New Jersey, it was victory number one of the season. Will the Nets be able to close the Meadowlands in style with a victory over the team they’ve already picked off twice? Here to discuss his playoff-bound Charlotte Bobcats is Brett Hainline of Queen City Hoops.
NAS: The Bobcats are the only above .500 team the Nets have taken down twice this season. Is there something about the Nets that presents a bad match-up for the Bobcats, or is this totally coincidental?
Rather than cop-out and say coincidence, how about this: The Bobcats struggle with turnovers (1st in turnover rate) but make their living forcing turnovers (4th in the league in forced turnover rate), and despite the Nets being a weak defensive team, New Jersey is 19th in turnover rate and 13th in forced turnover rate – not great by any stretch, but decent. In their two losses to the Nets, the Bobcats lost the turnover battle 33-27.
NAS: What are your expectations for the Bobcats headed into the playoffs for the first time? Is their defense capable of giving a scare to the Magic in the first round?
No expectations – I am just looking forward to Charlotte getting to host playoff basketball again. This is a big step for the Bobcats winning the city back over and if they can win a game or two against the Magic, all the better. With the center-quad squad healthy again, the Bobcats have a lot of bodies to throw at Dwight Howard and the more single coverage they can use the better. Between the Cats defense, and Dwight’s occasional foul trouble, I could see Charlotte winning a couple, but not the series.
Thoughts on the Game: Nets Go Boone
Feb 17, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bobcats, Thoughts On the Game
Queen City Hoops – Rufus on Fire
On opening night of the 2009-10 season, it was an offensive rebound followed by a putback at the buzzer by Minnesota’s Damien Wilkins that set the Nets on a charted course towards NBA all-time futility. In a kind of symmetry that only seems to happen in sports, an offensive rebound last night in the hands of the Josh Boone helped to kick off the second half of the Nets’ season on a winning note, and could ultimately be the play we all look back on as a season saver for a franchise that’s at times has seemed destined to collide with a 9-73 iceberg.
The fact that the offensive rebound ended up in the hands of Boone of all people, a forgotten soul in Kiki Vandeweghe’s “youth first’ system for the past month, makes the moment all the sweeter. Boone’s NBA career by most accounts has been a series of few ups and mostly downs, so even with the team entering last night’s game with the Charlotte Bobcats at 4-48, it was difficult to make the case that Vandeweghe should even be playing the guy. But motivated by Tony Battie’s injury, and quite possibly the desire to showcase Boone for a trade deadline deal this week, Kiki called Josh’s name early last night in the Nets 103-94 victory, and was rewarded for the decision.
After Brook Lopez fouled out with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter, and the Nets clinging to a 98-92 lead, the Nets needed two things from their frontcourt – defense and rebounding. At the 1:19 mark, Courtney Lee missed a fadeaway jumper from 19-feet out, the kind of shots the Nets have been all to apt to settle for in their series of close fourth quarter contests the past month. Boone somehow ended up with the ball along the sideline, stayed inbounds, and allowed the Nets to reboot their offense with a five point lead intact. A three pointer by Jarvis Hayes with the shot clock expiring, put the Nets up eight, and sealed the game. The Nets had won their fifth game of the season, putting up 101 points against one of the best defenses in the league in Charlotte.
The Nets had their scoring shoes on early last night. Led by 10 first quarter points by both Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee, the Nets were able to put up 31 first quarter points. Unfortunately, the Nets allowed 27 points to the Bobcats, a team that is almost as hard-up to score as the Nets are.
There was a certain familiarity to this game at the onset, but where the script changed was how the way the Nets responded after their initial burst. Similar to their victory against the Los Angeles Clippers last month, the Nets were able to hold off the competition instead of folding up once the pressure starts to build (see their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last week). After the Bobcats cut the lead to one early in the second quarter, a highlight reel, one-handed dunk from just past the free throw line courtesy of Terrence Williams put the Nets back on track. When Stephen Jackson pulled a long two out of his hat to tie the game at halftime, the Nets responded by outscoring Charlotte 30-21 in the third quarter. If the Nets found a way to respond to adversity like that a little more often, they wouldn’t even be in the discussion of “worst team ever” right now.
There’s also something to be said about how efficient the Nets looked on offense when Lee-Lopez and Devin Harris were all clicking offensively. The trio combined for 54 points on 58 percent shooting. While these numbers may not blow anyone away, it’s the best the Nets have looked offensively as a team in a few weeks.
More final thoughts after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »
Quick Recap: New Jersey Nets 103, Charlotte Bobcats 94
Feb 16, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bobcats, Quick Recap
The Nets kicked off the second half of their season in style, beating the Charlotte Bobcats 103-94 on the road tonight, notching their fifth victory of the season.
- Courtney Lee, Devin Harris and Brook Lopez supplied the offense for the Nets tonight, but they probably don’t pull this off tonight without Josh Boone, who in playing his first meaningful minutes in more than a month, scored 7 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, including an offensive board with just over a minute left in the game that lead to a Jarvis Hayes three, putting the nail in Charlotte’s coffin.
- Devin Harris had a great all around game with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists.
- Brook Lopez had 16 points and 3 blocks before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
- Courtney Lee scored 10 of his team-high 21 points in the first quarter, fueling an 31-point offensive barrage for the Nets in the quarter.
- The Nets shot 51.9 percent for the game, against one of the league’s better defenses. They also outrebounded Charlotte 47-36.
- Terrence Williams (4 points) had an amazing one-handed dunk in the second quarter from just past the free throw line. Wonder if someone was trying to make a statement regarding the participants in this past weekend’s Slam Dunk Competition.
Game 53 Preview Vs. Charlotte Bobcats
Feb 16, 2010 2009-2010 Open Thread, Game Previews, Nets vs. Bobcats
So now that All-Star weekend is behind us, every Nets’ fan full attention should be on whether or not the Nets can get 6 more wins to avoid the worst record ever in the history of the NBA. Will they be able to? I am not sure, but games like these could end up being pretty good indicator.
This isn’t the same Bobcat team that the Nets beat for their first win though. The Bobcats have been playing incredibly well for the past couple of months. In fact, they are currently sitting 1 game above 500. Onto the lineups…
Devin Harris vs. Raymond Felton
The All-Star break was perfect timing for Devin Harris. He came back from injury, played very well in 4 games, then got hurt again (the collision). He returned for the last game before the break and played pretty well again, hopefully this can continue moving forward.
Advantage: Push
Courtney Lee vs. Stephon Jackson
Stephon Jackson is the guy who makes this team go. There was a noticeable difference in how the Bobcats played before he was traded and then after he was traded. Also, if he gets going and doesn’t force shots, he could have a big game tonight. Lee’s biggest responsibility won’t be on the offensive end tonight. His main objective is to keep Stephon Jackson from getting hot.
Advantage: Stephon Jackson
Jarvis Hayes vs. Gerald Wallace
Gerald Wallace is another guy who gives you trouble. In the Nets’ win, Wallace was able to grab 20 rebounds. That is just plain ridiculous, and a lot of it had to do with Wallace’s skill, but some of it had to do with CDR being undersized against a guy like Gerald Wallace at the 3. Now I am not saying Hayes will be able to keep him off the glass, he just has a better chance to do so.
Advantage: Gerald Wallace
Yi vs. Boris Diaw
Yi and Boris Diaw are the same exact player to me. They both are soft PF guys who are used to try and stretch the floor by their respective teams. Both aren’t really that good on the defensive end either. The only difference is Diaw tends to be a better passer and Yi is the better shooter. Other than that I think they are the same player.
Advantage: Push
Brook Lopez vs. Nazr Mohammed
Nazr Mohammed could give Brook some trouble. Nazr is the type of defender Brook struggles against. The bigger guy that can push him out of his spot. Hopefully this doesn’t result in him settling for outside jumpers.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Games 19 & 20 Breakdown (Also Known As The Keyon Dooling Effect)
Dec 7, 2009 Nets vs. Bobcats, Nets vs. Knicks, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
We are going to quickly get into the breakdowns today, and these are all going to be positive ones. Over the past two games the Nets have done a lot of things right offensively (Forget about the struggles against the zone. That will be getting it’s own post tomorrow). With a more aggressive Courtney Lee and a healthy Keyon Dooling and Devin Harris, the Nets have been clicking on offense for the most part (Yes the Nets struggled in the second half yesterday, but they put over 60 up in the first half). If they can keep this up, the Nets are going to pick up a few more wins very soon since this upcoming stretch has some very winnable games.
Thoughts On the Game: Nets Win the Big One
Dec 5, 2009 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bobcats, Thoughts On the Game
Queen City Hoops, Courtney Lee Interview, Kiki Vandeweghe Interview
Never has one victory, coupled with 18 losses, felt so exhilarating.
With their 97-91 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in New Jersey last night, the Nets losing streak officially ended. Yes, the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets will always be known for their record-setting 0-18 start, but with this victory, the players now have the 800 pound gorilla off their collective backs. The Kiki Vandeweghe era – which kicked off in similar winning fashion as the Lawrence Frank era in 2004 – should now be about player development and building a foundation for 2010, rather than dealing with questions from the national sports media about the team’s futility.
Yet, when you look at the box score this morning, this Nets game was very reminiscent of the team’s first 18. They only shot 39 percent from the field. They were outrebounded 51-39. They were torched by otherwise ordinary players like Stephen Jackson and Raymond Felton, who each scored 28 points, while Gerald Wallace grabbed 20 rebounds again.
But there was something different about last night’s Nets team from the moment Courtney Lee opened the game with a three-point shot. For starters, Courtney Lee actually opened the scoring with a three-pointer, something that’s been hard to come by for Lee and the rest of the Nets shooters this season.
Kiki Vandeweghe stressed in practice on Thursday that he wanted to return to a “fun” brand of basketball, and that was clearly on display at the Izod Center Friday. They couldn’t shoot, and they couldn’t rebound, but they managed to protect the ball (9 turnovers), while disrupting the Bobcats into 19 turnovers. There should be no questions about the team’s “heart” from Chris Douglas-Roberts or anybody else. The Nets were pushing the tempo offensively, recovering more quickly on their defensive rotations, and diving for loose balls. Devin Harris even ended up in the fourth row late in the 4th quarter, as the Nets clung to a lead, and a ball was trickling out-of-bounds.
Most importantly, the team took a number of right hooks from the Bobcats throughout the game and never fell. The Nets stayed well within striking distance for three quarters, and once they were able to go up by six in the fourth, Stephen Jackson hit a pair of treys to tie it. Cue the “same old Nets” attitude, right? Wrong. The Nets then went on a 7-0 run to ice the game.
Josh Boone (7 rebounds, 3 blocks) managed to lose that hangdog expression he’d been wearing for the better part of a month. He blocked Tyson Chandler and Gerald Wallace early in the 1st quarter. He also laid some hard fouls on Bobcats in the paint – earning props after the game from CDR. We’re even willing to overlook Boone’s embarrassing reverse-layup thingee he attempted in the first quarter, that didn’t come close to the rim.
Devin Harris (16 points) was able to lead the team without having a good shooting night from the field. Typically, a 2-12 from your star player is good for the “L,” but Harris did a great job finding Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee all night, en route to 8 assists. And perhaps no points were any bigger than the three free throws Devo hit in the last 90 seconds to put the Nets up 7. Harris looked energized. I hate to bring this up during a moment of elation, but it was obvious that after last year’s benching in Boston, Devin never really trusted Lawrence Frank again. Whether that’s reason to fire Frank is another story. But Harris looked motivated last night. So, his jump shot wasn’t working. There was never a moment where I could question if Devin Harris actually wanted to be out there last night. I can’t say I’ve felt that way about some of Devo’s other games this season.
Something I really loved: Keyon Dooling in his first game back logged 15 minutes and ended up with 2 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Yet it was his activity on the bench that really appeared to lift this team. On every defensive possession, Dooling whipped his towel down, cheering on his teammates. It was the kind of emotion and leadership, that’s been sorely lacking all season. Welcome back Keyon.
And then there’s Courtney Lee (27 points, 3 steals) and Brook Lopez (31 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks). Sebastian’s post earlier this week citing Courtney Lee was still putting together a better all-around season this year compared to last despite his poor shooting percentage, elicited a lot of negative response from readers. “Stop making excuses,” Lee advocates were told. Well how does 27 points on 11-16 shooting sound? Lee drained his shots from all over the floor – inside and outside. He looked like a legitimate option on offense last night – not some lost, second-year enigma who may have been overvalued by the man who acquired him – interestingly enough the same guy who was coaching his first game last night and who inserted Lee back into the starting line-up. Lee also made a key steal late in the game when he intercepted a lazy hand-off between Jackson and Boris Diaw, streaking all the way for the two-handed slam.
I’m running out of words of praise for Brook Lopez. He put up another 30+ point night, finishing with 31 on 12-22 shooting, and he was active on the boards, grabbing 14 rebounds, and being involved with countless other plays on the inside. He took one shot beyond 15-feet, and worked the post well against Chandler. This is the Brook Lopez we need to see every game going forward.
For some final thoughts on victory #1, read more after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Quick Recap: New Jersey Nets 97, Charlotte Bobcats 91
Dec 4, 2009 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bobcats, Quick Recap
And the streak is over… the Nets win. Thhhhheeeeee…. NETS WIN!
OK, so we can stop talking about 0-82, as the Nets (1-18) ended their historic losing streak and got their first win of the season in a 97-91 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats (7-11) tonight at the Izod Center in New Jersey. The Nets are now 1-0 in the Kiki Vandeweghe era.
- This was a crisp offensive game for the Nets, despite only shooting 39 percent from the game and getting outrebound 51-39. They only turned the ball over nine times, and they never had one of their “infamous” quarters that seem to kill them every game. To boot, the team was clearly hustling all game, punctuated by a spectacular, Derek Jeter-esque dive into the fourth row by Devin Harris in the fourth quarter, while trying to save a ball from going out of bounds.
- Game ball to Courtney Lee who was back in the starting lineup and scored 27 points, with 3 steals. He was hitting his jumpers early, and despite some foul trouble, he never went cold the rest of the game, shooting 11-16.
- Brook Lopez had a terrific night with 31 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks.
- Devin Harris struggled from the floor (2-12), but he finished with 16 points and 8 assists, and he also hit three huge free throws in the closing minutes to put the Nets up 7.
- Keyon Dooling and Tony Battie returned from injury for the first time this season. They scored two points between-them (both for Dooling) but they both did a lot of little things to help the team tonight, especially Dooling, who was the biggest cheerleader on the bench.
- Josh Boone looked great on defense tonight with 3 blocks.
- Stephen Jackson and Raymond Felton each scored 28 points to lead the Bobcats, who are now an answer to a trivia question.