Thoughts On The Game: Lack Of Depth Kills The Nets
Apr 8, 2010 Nets vs. Bucks, Thoughts On the Game
Remember when the Nets had 8 guys score in double digits. There was no question that was the main reason for the Nets big win against New Orleans. Well, last night, the lack of depth is what really killed the Nets. Outside of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee, nobody really did anything of note. In fact, other than those two guys, the Nets only had 1 more player in double figures. It was Yi, who finished with 11 points, but it was 2-8 shooting, and he really didn’t have a major impact. Jarvis Hayes had a rough game, since he wasn’t knocking down his shot. It is usually feast or famine with Jarvis, and last night was famine. Jarvis is a fantastic shooter, but he seems to go in those slumps where he just can’t knock anything down, and that was the case last night. Brook Lopez also really struggled. Totally wasn’t expecting that since Andrew Bogut was out, but Brook just didn’t get into a rhythm offensively. As Jon noted in the comments, part of it had to do with Devin’s hot start. The other part of it just has to do with the Nets’ offensive strategy. It just never seems like getting Brook Lopez involved is a priority, and against a team that just lost their best defender in center Andrew Bogut, it’s frustrating.
Trying to focus on the positive a little bit, it was good to see Devin Harris and Courtney Lee get it going. Now that the Nets have gotten their 1oth (and 11th) win to avoid infamy, the wins don’t really matter. You want to see the guys who are going to be with the team next year finish on a good note, and seeing Courtney and Devin play well is the start of that. Both of those guys have been through so much in terms of slumps and injuries that if they can finish the year playing well, they can have something to work off of. Something to keep them motivated. On the flip side, I am not really worried about Brook Lopez finishing the year off slow (or slower than the beginning of the year), just because he has played so strong all year and never really had to face any injuries or adversity.
Some more thoughts after the jump:
Quick Recap: Milwaukee Bucks 108, New Jersey Nets 89
Apr 7, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bucks, Quick Recap
What started as a close game for the first half turned into a runaway victory for the home team, as the New Jersey Nets fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 108-89 in Milwaukee earlier tonight.
- The Nets were a one man show offensively for most of the game, with Devin Harris leading the way early, and finishing with 25 points and 4 assists on 9-15 shooting, including 3-4 from three.
- Courtney Lee chipped in with 19 points and 6 rebounds on 8-15 shooting, including 3-5 from three.
- The rest of the Nets were ice cold, and the team was 39 percent from the field. Terrence Williams started off April with a thud, with 6 points and 4 rebounds on 2-13 shooting. Brook Lopez was 1-5 and finished with 6 points and 5 turnovers, but on a positive note, he did collect 7 assists.
- The Bucks shot 52 percent from the field and were led by John Salmons with 22 points on 10-13 shooting. Jerry Stackhouse must have woken up in the 1990s, chipping in with 18 points off the bench.
Game 78 Preview Vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Apr 7, 2010 2009-2010 Open Thread, Game Previews, Nets vs. Bucks
Before we look at tonight’s game, I just wanted to say I am feeling for the Bucks. I am a fan of Bogut (and of Coach Skiles), so I have been watching a lot of their games recently and they have been playing great. I really think that they could have done some damage in the playoffs if Bogut being injured. We would have also gotten to see a great matchup between two premier centers in Bogut and Brook.
With that being said, the Nets are coming off a bit of a disappointing result in a 10 point loss to the Wizards. However they have had 2 days off (while the Bucks are coming off of a battle against the Bulls), and the Nets actually play pretty well coming off of multiple days rest. The Bucks are a terrific defensive team, so the goal here is to not get down if you have some long stretches of scoreless basketball. The Nets also need to keep this game within 3-4 baskets. Anything more than that (even in the first quarter), and the Bucks are too good on the defensive end that they won’t let the Nets back into it. Onto the lineups…
Devin Harris vs. Brandon Jennings
Advantage: Devin Harris
Courtney Lee vs. John Salmons
Advantage: John Salmons
Jarvis Hayes vs. Carlos Delfino
Advantage: Carlos Delfino
Yi vs. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Advantage: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Brook Lopez vs. Kurt Thomas
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Thoughts on the Game: Nets Are Cooked in an Instant
Feb 11, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bucks, Thoughts On the Game
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
Hoopdata Boxscore | Bucksetball| Brew Hoop
Since the calendar turned to February, the Nets have done a solid job of keeping games close and competitive. It hasn’t exactly translated to any wins, but at least the effort was seemingly there, providing a glimmer of hope that if some things bounced right for them, they might be able to pull a few “W’s” out and avoid becoming the worst team in NBA history.
Last night was following a similar script until about the 3:30 mark in the third quarter, when an innocent enough substitution by Kiki Vandeweghe turned the game on its ear, resulting in a in 97-77 blowout loss for the Nets against the Milwaukee Bucks, mercifully ending New Jersey’s first half with a 4-48 record headed into a much-needed all-star break.
Kiki subbed in Chris Quin for Devin Harris with the Nets down 60-59 in a back-and-forth game with the Bucks. Harris was in the middle of probably his best game of the season, finishing with 27 points and 9 assists, but after missing Tuesday’s game due to injury, it’s understandable that Kiki needed to sit Devo for at least some portion of the second half. The problem was, the rest of the Nets looked like they had had enough by that point, and packed it in, getting outscored 37-18 the rest of the way, including a fourth quarter where the Bucks started the period 8-10 from the field. It was the usual array of Nets problems that were most evident during their embarrassing west coast swing in January, that reared their ugly head again. Poor rotations and help defense allowing easy buckets on the interior (the Bucks outscored the Nets 48-26 in the paint for the entire game), along with just awful, awful shot selection from the Nets down the stretch.
Don’t believe me? Let’s use a little visual aid here to demonstrate the Nets shot selection in the fourth:
Note that the two shots taken at the rim (a make by Kris Humphries with 23 seconds left and a miss by Chris Douglas-Roberts with 1:53 left) didn’t come until the game’s final two minutes. Outside of those two shots, the next closest attempt was a missed 6-footer by Kris Humphries. Every other shot attempt by the Nets in the fourth was from 10-feet out or more, including a mind-numbering 12 attempts from beyond 15-feet. The emotional side of me just wants to jump to the conclusion that these guys were going through the motions, but I guess that’s a little irrational of me to think a 48-loss team headed into the all-star break with their head coaching situation in potential flux for the second time this season would phone in the last 15 minutes of a basketball game being played in front of 1,100 people during a blizzard.
A few more thoughts after the jump.
Quick Recap: Milwaukee Bucks 97, New Jersey Nets 77
Feb 10, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bucks, Quick Recap
The Nets lost what was actually a pretty competitive game against the Milwaukee Bucks with about 3 minutes to go in the third quarter, 97-77, as the offense completely stalled in the game’s final 15 minutes. The Nets enter the all-star break at 4-48.
- If you want to take anything positive from the way this game shaked out, at least Devin Harris came back from injury and scored a season high 27 points on 9-17 shooting. He also had 9 assists and a steal.
- The problem for the Nets (of many), was that their next highest scorer was Courtney Lee with 11 points. Yi, Brook Lopez and Jarvis Hayes, had 9 points a piece, and the bench was largely ineffective again outside of Kris Humphries 7 points.
- The Bucks outscored the Nets 48-26 in the paint. Andrew Bogut led the way for Milwayukee with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Luke Ridnour continued to hound the Nets with 17 points and 8 assists.
- The blizzard-like conditions in the Northeast made a usually empty Izod Center even emptier, with an announced crowd of just over 1,000.
Game 51 Preview Vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Feb 10, 2010 2009-2010 Open Thread, Game Previews, Nets vs. Bucks
Before we talk about the game, Brook Lopez was named to the US National team from 2010-2012. He was one of 27 players selected. This is a pretty big honor, made even bigger when you realize how well he has had to perform to get those selecting the team around the stigma of the Nets. Some may not believe there is one, but I do.
This game is a winnable game for the Bucks, especially with the way the Nets have been playing as of late (competing with high quality teams like Boston and Cleveland). Nothing much else to say about this, besides the fact that there are probably going to be like 10 people at this game. I know I am not leaving the house tonight…onto the lineups (a shortened version because I need to get outside and shovel snow)!
Keyon Dooling vs. Brandon Jennings
This is a match-up where I would like to see Devin Harris in there. Devin Harris vs. Brandon Jennings, could be a whole lot of fun if you like speedy score first point guards. I think Dooling will have some trouble stopping Jennings.
Advantage: Brandon Jennings
Courtney Lee vs. Charlie Bell
Courtney Lee has been playing pretty well as of late. I think this can continue against Charlie Bell, who is a pretty nondescript player. Of course with the way things have been going lately, that just means he is going to go off for 30 something.
Advantage: Courtney Lee
Jarvis Hayes vs. Carlos Delfino
Hayes looked good against the Cavs in terms of health. Which is good, I was really worried about him after that collision.
Advantage: Push
Yi vs. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Yi is more offensive orriented, while Luc focuses more on the defensive end.
Advantage: Push
Brook Lopez vs. Andrew Bogut
This is going to be real fun. I think the mobility of Bogut on the offensive end will cause problems for Brook. However, Brook’s size will cause problems for Bogut. This is going to be a fun battle.
Advantage: Push
Bloggers Talk: Milwaukee Bucks
Feb 10, 2010 Bloggers Talk, Nets vs. Bucks
The improving Milwaukee Bucks hit the Izod Center for the last time tonight (weather permitting), so here’s Jeremy Schmidt from the TrueHoop Bucks blog, Bucksketball (say that three times fast):
NAS: You recently asked your readers their thoughts on the future direction of the Bucks. What are your personal thoughts? Do you believe the Bucks have the capacity to build towards something meaningful in the future?
Do the Bucks have the capacity to build towards something meaningful? Yes, they certainly do. Will they? That remains to be seen. Thus far, John Hammond has stuck to his plan of ridding the team of poor contracts and loading up on short-term deals while they ride out the Michael Redd and Dan Gadzuric deals. The near $30 million of expiring contracts in the summer of 2011 gives Bucks fans hope that with such wiggle room and two pieces that look solid in Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings, the Bucks can get back on track. Now if before the trade deadline Hammond swings for the fences and takes on a big contract that extends past 2011, that would be troubling. Laying out a plan for long term success is one thing, sticking with it is another. So far Hammond hasn’t done anything to lose my trust, but the NBA is a crazy place so who knows what will come next.
NAS: In your opinion, is Andrew Bogut finally evolving into an elite center?
Yes, yes, yes a hundred times yes. I’d love to stand on rooftops and let everyone know how great Bogut has been since the new year began, but my voice isn’t that strong and my market isn’t big enough for anyone to care anyway. Don’t let his good but not great full season numbers fool you, Bogut has been a terror on both ends since January 1st. What bogged down Bogut earlier this year was an abnormally low shooting percentage in December of 45 percent, but since January first he’s shot 58 percent and averaged roughly 17 and 11 while blocking more than two shots a night. Those sound like elite numbers to me. The funny thing is that Bogut’s game extends so far beyond the numbers. He takes more charges than any center in the league and controls the entire Bucks defense. On top of that his relationship with Brandon Jennings has resulted in a pick and roll combination that has an extraordinary feel for each other despite playing less than 50 games together.
NAS: For some reason, Carlos Delfino has the Nets number. Yet he seems like quite an ordinary player against the rest of the league. So what’s the deal here? Is this a fluke, or is there some level of talent there that’s not showing up consistently in the box score?
Delfino seemed to use the last Bucks-Nets game to jump start his season. He was very inconsistent for the first few months and struggled mightily with his shooting, but shortly after a strong showing against New Jersey in the start of January he went on a terror. Delfino bumped his scoring by about six points a night in January and has stayed on track in February despite not shooting as well from deep (40 percent in January, 32 in four Feb. games). Delfino has been getting extended serious minutes for the first time in his career over the past 13 games and looks to really be settling in. He has a lot of different talents and is the Bucks biggest guard/forward so the tools are there for him to be successful even if he’d never put it all together before. Will Delfino keep up his strong play for much longer? It’s tough to tell. This could be who Delfino really is and it’s possible he never showed it because consistent minutes weren’t there. It’s probably more likely that Delfino will taper off again at some point and return to his previous inconsistent form. Either way, I wouldn’t bet against him having a very strong game against the Nets.
Video Breakdown Games 34 & 35
Jan 8, 2010 Nets vs. Bucks, Nets vs. Hawks, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
Allright, this is going to be a quick one, short and sweet. We are going to be looking at defense exclusively here. In each one of these games, the Nets couldn’t stop one thing. Against the Bucks, the Nets couldn’t stop the pick and roll. Against the Hawks, the Nets couldn’t stop the three point shot. After the jump, we are going to look at some clips.
Thoughts on the Game: Nets Stop Playing After 3 Minutes, Yet I Watch All 48
Jan 6, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bucks, Thoughts On the Game
(You would think the AP would grow tired of taking the same pictures of the Nets bench)
HoopData Box Score – Bucksetball – Brew Hoop
The old adage about NBA basketball is it’s a game of runs. For the Nets last night, they got their one big run against the Milwaukee Bucks early – an 8-0 spurt in the game’s first three minutes, featuring alley-oops, transition offense and solid jump shooting. The Nets then proceeded to put up one of their bigger stinkers of the year – and for a team that’s now 3-31, that’s saying something.
The complete and utter collapse on both ends of the floor in the Nets’ loss to the Bucks started quietly enough. After falling behind early, the Bucks benched Andrew Bogut. Hakim Warrick and Brandon Jennings made a few buckets, while the Nets seemed to go cold. Yi Jianlian, who was one of the few bright spots for the Nets past the game’s opening minutes, finishing with 22 points on 7-12 shooting, got into early foul trouble and Eduardo Najera made a surprise return to the rotation. I would call it a trade showcase, but I don’t know who’s going to want him after scoring 0 points on 0-4 shooting. Not to mention a boneheaded play to end the first half when he failed to even attempt a box out on Francisco Elson, who got the offensive rebound and was then fouled on the putback, to get his first two free throws of the season. Isn’t Najera supposed to be one of those guys who does the “little things?”
What started out so promising turned into a very sloppy first quarter for the Nets as they finished with 10 turnovers, four in the closing two minutes. They went the final 4:10 without scoring a point and the Bucks continued to tack on points with layups and free throws.
In the second quarter, the Bucks bench took over. The shooting combination of Carlos Delfino (17 points, 7-11 shooting) and Luke Ridnour (11 points, 4-9 shooting) helped the Bucks push their lead into double-digits. Bogut then turned it on in the third quarter, scoring 8 points in the first three minutes, and finishing with 18 on 9-12 shooting. Still, the Bucks never had that big nail in the coffin-type quarter that usually puts a team away, so I kept thinking the Nets would be able to get back into this – they just needed to start getting some plays from Devin Harris and Brook Lopez. It never happened.
Lopez looked out of sorts all evening, which is no surprise, because he had trouble with Bogut and the Bucks when the two teams faced-off in November. While Bogut showed how a young center could overcome a rough start, Lopez only attempted 2 shots in the first half and six for the game, finishing with 11 points. He was able to get to the foul line six times in the first half, but that part of his game disappeared as well, as he only attempted two more FTs in the second half.
And what about Devin Harris? Was he even on the floor last night? Of course, I’ve been searching for the 2008-09 Devin Harris all season. He finished with 5 points on 0-4 shooting. Just doing a quick look on Basketball-Reference, it was Devin’s first game wit 0 FGs in 30+ minutes since December 10, 2007, when he was with the Dallas Mavericks.
Regardless of how well Yi Jianlian is playing, the Nets were/are a team built around Lopez and Harris, the point guard and center combination that was supposed to make this team attractive to this summer’s free agents despite the Nets overall team record. There’s obviously still plenty of time for both to get on another roll this season, but when both are simultaneously out of sorts, the Nets are going to resemble what they were tonight – the worst team in the league, and perhaps one of the worst of all time. Read the rest of this entry »
Quick Recap: Milwaukee Bucks 98, New Jersey Nets 76
Jan 5, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Bucks, Quick Recap
Just a pitiful effort for the Nets tonight, as they jumped out to a quick 8-0 start, and then completely fell apart, losing to the Bucks 98-76 to end their homestand 1-6 and to run their overall record to 3-31.
- The Nets padded their record rebounding woes, getting outrebounded for the 22nd straight game, this time 44-37.
- The Nets were off the mark all night, shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 20 percent (2-10) from three. The Bucks shot 45.6 percent for the game and were 3-14 from three.
- After his off game against Cleveland, Yi Jianlian responded with 22 points on 7-12 shooting. The “Muscle Devil” was only able to grab 2 rebounds however.
- Just an awful, awful night for Devin Harris, who scored 5 points on 0-4 shooting. According to my unofficial records, it was the first time Harris was held without a FG while playing 30+ minutes a game since December 10, 2007.
- Equally awful games for Courtney Lee (6 points, 3-12 shooting) and Brook Lopez (11 points, 2-6 shooting) who just never got into any kind of an offensive flow tonight. Meanwhile Eduardo Najera made his return to the rotation (trade bait anyone?), and looked awful, scoring 0 points on 0-4 shooting.
- The Bucks got a boost from their bench with Carlos Delfino (17 points), Hakim Warrick (13 points) and Luke Ridnour (11 points).
- Nice return from Jarvis Hayes, who had 7 points and 6 rebounds and was 1-2 from three-point range.