Thoughts On The Game: Nets Can’t Play Only 24 Minutes
Nov 28, 2009 Nets vs. Kings, Thoughts On the Game
GameFlow, Cowbell Kingdom, Sactown Royalty, Josh Boone Interview, Devin Harris Interview, Lawrence Frank Interview
It was a tale of two halves for the Nets last night. Going into the game, many were wondering what kind of effort the Nets would give. I talked about it too, but in the back of my mind, I didn’t really think it was anything to worry about. It was the Nets only chance to get a W in quite a while, so why would they come out flat. I wasn’t wrong initially, the Nets offense looked as crisp as it was going to be, and the Nets were getting looks, but they weren’t going in. That can be expected though, especially with this team. What was disappointing though was the defense, the Kings came out, just tossed the ball all around the court and ended up with easy looks which they made (they shot 60% in the first quarter, and put up 33 points). The lack of effort was noticeable, the terrific Zach Harper from CowbellKingdom said this in the Daily Dime Chat:
I don’t want to say anything about the effort of this Nets team because you guys know better than me but Lopez and CD-R seem to be the only guys with any fire tonight.
It wasn’t just the players though, Lawrence Frank made some curious decisions in the first half of this game. Lawrence Frank decided he wanted to go small (what else is new), and he did it, playing the 6-5 Trenton Hassell at the 4 for most of his 20 minutes in the first half. Now, when Lawrence Frank goes small, it doesn’t really work, and that was only amplified when you took a look at the line-up that the Kings trotted out. They had a very big front-line in Hawes/Brockman/Jason Thompson. This was the reason the Nets were killed on the boards in the first half (27 yo 11). With a very big front line there is no good reason that the only two PFs on the roster get a total of 11 minutes (they weren’t in foul trouble either). The playcalling from Lawrence Frank also left much to be desired. Brook Lopez outclassed whoever was covering him in the post that first half, and everytime he touched it, he seemed to get a bucket. The thing is, he didn’t touch it that often. Again, quoting Zach Harper from the Daily Dime (I am doing this because it is good to see an outside perspective sometimes):
Brook Lopez is having his way inside against Hawes. I’m perplexed by the Nets offense outside of him.
The second half was a completely different story for the Nets though, and dare I say it, Lawrence Frank made some nice adjustments. He came out with the starting line-up, Boone playing the 4, and stayed with it, the entire 3rd quarter (save Rafer entering for Devin a bit).
The players came out and gave a whole lot of effort as well. In the post game interview aired by YES, Devin said that the team “had an emotional halftime” so that might have had something to do with it. Devin seemed to return to form in the second half, attacking the basket and finding the lanes he was so good at finding last year, and although he missed a lot of lay-ups (those will come with more minutes), I was happy to see him getting to the line and converting. Brook also got a lot more touches in the post, and along with Josh Boone, the Nets were able to control the frontcourt. Speaking of Boone, he played very well tonight, for the first time in a long time, it looked like he actually wanted to play tonight, and it showed. If he can play like he played in the second half for the most part of the year, I will be happy with the effort. Some bullets after the jump:
Quick Recap: Sacramento Kings 109, New Jersey Nets 96
Nov 28, 2009 Nets vs. Kings, Quick Recap
Well, in the pregame thread, I said that if the Nets let the Kings get going early, they were going to lose the game. I hate to toot my own horn, especially in a loss, but that is exactly what happened. The Nets gave up 33 points in the first quarter and let them shoot 60% from the floor. The Kings remained hot for the entire game, shooting 54.9% from the floor for the entire game. They were also 50% from three, hitting big ones anytime the Nets got close.
- Looking at the stats, it shouldn’t have been as close as it was, but the Nets took care of the ball 11 turnovers while forcing 15.
- 1st half Nets were outscored by 17. They outscored the Kings by 4 in the second half, but dug themselves in a way too big of a hole.
- Brook had another big night, going for 24 and 11.
- CDR had a nice night as well, going for 21 and 8.
- In the second half, Devin Harris started to regain his All-Star form. Though he is still getting a feel for finishing in traffic (it will come), he was able to get into the lane and draw fouls. He shot only 6-22, but got to the line 17 times and that is the reason he got 25 points.
- Josh Boone played well too, going for 10 points and 7 rebounds.
- In the first half, the Kings killed the Nets on the boards out rebounding them 27-11. The reason? It might have had something to do with the Nets’ PFs logging only 11 minutes combined in the first half. Against the Kings’ large front line, Hassell was playing the PF spot. Frank stuck with the small lineup way too long, but give him credit, he did make the adjustment, and played Boone for most of the second half. The Nets responded by winning the 2nd half rebounding battle 28 to 18.
- Beno Udrih wasn’t supposed to play and I really wish he hadn’t. He came off the bench for 21 points, including three or four big shots after the Nets got the lead down to 6 a few times in the fourth.
- Courtney Lee really must not be even close to 100%. 10 minutes last game, and 3 tonight.
Game 16 Preview vs. Sacramento Kings
Nov 27, 2009 2009-2010 Open Thread, Game Previews, Nets vs. Kings
With the Lakers coming up on Sunday, the national media is going to be all over this game, because if we win, no more losing streak, but if we lose, we are breaking the record. No questions asked. If the Nets can win tonight, all of the jokes about the Nyets, being terrible, and stuff like that goes away. Even though it is the same roster and everything like that, the jokes will be gone because the Nets won’t be breaking the record.
Before we continue to talk about the game, I wanted to point you guys to a great report by Chris Sheridan on the TrueHoop blog. He takes a look at the three games the Nets should have won. Those games? The Minnesota game, the Miami game, and the Milwaukee game. You have to go over there to read the whole thing, but his comments on the Bucks’ game were interesting:
Rookie Terrence Williams was on fire, hitting his final seven shots of the first half as New Jersey went to the locker room with a 48-41 lead. But rather than stick with the hot hand, Frank told the rest of the team at halftime to feed off the example being set by Williams. Bad idea. Milwaukee opened the second half with a 15-2 run before Frank put Williams back in with 6:35 remaining in the third quarter, and the rookie shot 0-for-6 the rest of the way.
Looks like I am not the only having issues with Lawrence Frank’s rotations at times.
Anyway, back to tonight’s game. Like New Jersey, Sacramento is a young team, if you let them get going early and allow them to build a big lead and gain confidence, they can blow you out (Like they showed against New York on Wed.). However, if you keep it close, you can stay in the game and the Kings will make mistakes to allow you to win the game. The Nets have a chance to avoid infamy here, they need to come out like they did against the Blazers though, not like how they came out against the Nuggets.
Beno Udrih vs. Devin Harris:
If anything tells you about Lawrence Frank’s thought process going into this game, it’s his start of Devin Harris. Devin Harris has been slowly added to the rotation more and more, and now he is finally starting against a team that the Nets have a chance to beat. Beno Udrih is no slouch though. He originally lost the starting PG job to Tyreke Evans, but with Kevin Martin’s injury, Evans slides to the 2-spot and Udrih is starting. He is a quick guard who is at his best when he gets into the lane.
Advantage: Devin Harris
Tyreke Evans vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts:
Though I have been hyping up a Devin Harris vs. Tyreke Evans match-up (and it should happen at least a couple times during the game), the CDR vs. Evans should be just as good, if not better. This battle of of former Memphis stars will be fun because both guys like to attack the basket, so they will be going at each other the whole game.
Advantage: Push
Andres Nocioni vs. Trenton Hassell:
Nocioni is one of those guys you hate to play against, but when he is on your team, you love him. He is one of those hard-nose types who will be physical to, and most of the times through, the whistle. He uses his physical play to try and intimidate his opponents and take them out of the game mentally. Don’t let all of this fool you though, he can play. Nocioni can knock down the open three, and when he attacks the basket, he is very aggresive.
Advantage: Andres Nocioni
Jason Thompson vs. Josh Boone:
Jason Thompson is like the anti-Josh Boone. He is a tall athletic PF, who has ball skills. He can handle the ball, hit the outside shot, and attack the basket. Josh Boone can’t do any of that stuff.
Advantage: Jason Thompson
Spencer Hawes vs. Brook Lopez:
What really impressed me about Brook’s performance on Wednesday was that he had a “give me the damn ball” attitude. I have never seen that from him, and just by looking how he was posting up made me think he was trying to break the streak by himself. Spencer Hawes is a big-boy, just like Oden, but in my opinion, Oden is more skilled defensively, and if Brook comes out and plays just like he did against Oden, he could be setting another career high.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Prediction
Current Record 9-6
I have predicted the Nets would win 6 times so far this year. I have been wrong 6 times. This is the Nets best chance at getting a win for a little while, so how can I not pick them? Nets win.
This is your open thread, but I will be over at the Daily Dime most of the game, so join me over there.
A Look At Tyreke Evans’ Game
Nov 27, 2009 Nets vs. Kings, Other Teams' Stars
Zach Harper of the Kings’ TrueHoop Network blog Cowbell Kingdom made up a real good highlight mix of Tyreke Evans game against the Jazz on November 7th. This was the Kings’ first game without Kevin Martin, and he put up 32 points and 7 assists.
I have said it a bunch of times already but Evans vs. Harris (who is expected to start tonight) is going to be very entertaining.
Can the Nets Avoid Infamy Against the Kings?
Nov 27, 2009 Losing Streak, Nets vs. Kings
While NAS just recently called last week’s match-up against the New York Knicks the Nets best chance to avoid an 0-17 – or worse – start to the season, tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings also provides the organization with a glimmer of hope to avoid infamy as they face the defending champion LA Lakers on the road on Sunday and then come home to face the 11-4 Dallas Mavericks.
I personally thought the Nets matched-up better with the Knicks, which was why I was willing to go out on a limb last week and call it a got to have win last Saturday. The Knicks do very little right, but they obviously did just enough right (and got the right calls from the refs) to push the Nets losing streak onward.
As for the Kings, they are the worst defensive team the Nets have faced this season, currently 27th in the league in defensive efficiency giving up 107.6 points per 100 possessions. That’s a good thing for a team that has trouble scoring as much as the Nets do – who will likely insert all-star Devin Harris back into the starting line-up tonight. However, the Kings can score – they’re 11th in the league in offensive efficiency while the Nets toil at dead last in that category. So even if the Kings let the Nets score more than they’ve been able to do so far this season, the Nets still have to figure out a way to stop them on defense. That won’t be easy.
Fred Kerber in the New York Post today notes an important piece of coincidental history that could favor the Nets – when the Los Angeles Clippers got off to their 0-17 start in 1999-2000, a victory against the Sacramento Kings ended their losing streak. Of course, that was a Sacramento team that featured Oliver Miller and Jerome James.
Here’s what Brook Lopez thinks about the losing streak, from Kerber:
“It’s one game at a time. As good as those teams are, you’ve got to put it off,” said Brook Lopez, who is coming off his career game: a personal high 32 points and 14 rebounds (an NBA season-high 10 offensive) in the 93-83 loss to Portland, defeat No. 15, Wednesday. “Either way, you have to focus on the game you’re playing. You can’t play tonight worrying about tomorrow.”
For Nets fan looking for an injection of optimism, the Bleacher Report gives us five reasons why the Nets will win against the Kings. Some of the reasons include the aforementioned Kings’ defense, and the starting lineup return by Devin Harris, but the list also includes the Kings’ weak rebounding abilities, and the Nets “growing confidence” coming off a game where they battled the heavyweight Portland Trailblazers well into the 4th quarter before running out of gas.
Of course, the Nets have showed pluck and fight most of the season, with a few notable exceptions (hello Tuesday’s game against the Nuggets). None of this has led to a victory. And the article’s last reason doesn’t exactly inspire confidence:
THE LAKERS AND MAVERICKS ARE NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE. The first of those two games is at Staples Center. That means Friday’s game in Sacramento is pretty much New Jersey’s only chance for salvation. The Laker game is an automatic loss and the Mavs game is close.
Update: Over at the TrueHoop mother site, Chris Sheridan talks about the Nets chances for tonight, Lawrence Frank, and three games the Nets should have won this season: against Minnesota opening night, the heartbreaker against Miami, and last week’s second-half meltdown against the Bucks. I would have also added at least one of the two games against Philadelphia to Sheridan’s list, probably the home game where the Nets had three chances to tie or go-ahead and couldn’t hit a shot in the final minute.