Thoughts on the Game: Nets Botch Another Layup
Mar 18, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Sixers, Thoughts On the Game
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
A week ago, I made a plea on this site that despite whatever their record ends up being, the Nets are in no way the worst team in NBA history. After last night’s game, I might want to rescind those comments.
So is the life of a beaten down, albeit, devoted follower on the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets. A four game west coast road trip last week where the Nets lost all of those games, but were highly competitive in every single one, provided a glimmer of hope that the 9-73 mark set by the 72-73 Sixers would be safe. I was comfortable that the Nets were going to find a way to win at least three of their last 16 games, maybe even a few more, to distance themselves from any all-time records.
Then there was Tuesday night’s game against Atlanta. Sure, it was a lackluster effort for the Nets, who can’t afford to sleepwalk against anyone, but a case could be made that the Hawks are a very good team and the Nets were without Devin Harris. I don’t necessarily agree with that case – I think the Nets should be playing every game with absolute urgency – but I was willing to look past Tuesday if the Nets took care of business against a struggling Sixers team the next night. They didn’t. They looked just as flat early-on, and even after a second-half surge that was captained by Kiki Vandeweghe’s forgotten sixth man, Chris Douglas-Roberts, the Nets were never even remotely close to overtaking a team that had lost five in a row headed into Wednesday and was missing a slew of key players themselves.
At the risk of being accused of copping out of my recapping responsibilities, I must admit it’s getting harder and harder to think of new and creative ways to break down the obvious – the Nets stink. With their game against Dallas last week being an outlier, the Nets continue to fall behind early because they don’t do simple things like get back on defense and guard the perimeter. Meanwhile, on offense, the Nets settle for way too many low percentage shots and don’t take advantage of the fact that they have one of the best post-up centers in basketball on their roster. The Sixers shot more than 66 percent in the first quarter, and went on to shoot 56 percent from the game. At one point in the second quarter, the Nets had only two fast break points while the Sixers were in double-digits. Overall, the Nets were outscored 22-10 on the fast break and 52-34 on points in the paint.
Just look at the shooting percentages of some key players to get a sense for all of the settling that’s going on. Courtney Lee, 1-8; Terrence Williams 4-16; Brook Lopez 2-9. The Nets needed big games from all three of these games, and got one from none. Major props for CDR’s 23 points on 9-15, probably his best game in more than two months, but like Josh Boone’s 13 point, 20 rebound effort from Tuesday, it was all nullified by the lack of offensive and defensive support from the rest of the roster. Lopez didn’t attempt one single FG from the blocks and took jumpers on five of them. I understand that the rigors of the long season are starting to wear on Lopez, but if he can’t be even somewhat functional when he’s on the floor, then maybe Kiki needs to rest him for a game. I would have loved to see Terrence Williams to seize his opportunity after getting the starting nod, but it felt like a TWill game from November – complete with long jumpers, sloppy passes, and missed defensive assignments. Was Williams even aware that in Andre Iguodala, he was responsible for guarding the one guy on this Philly roster that can consistently kill you? Yet AI had a phenomenal game scoring 20 points and collecting 8 assists.
Within the first two minutes of the third quarter, Josh Boone received a great pass from Keyon Dooling that left him wide alone under the basket. In typical Boone fashion, he chose to attempt to bank a layup home rather than play above the rim and dunk the ball. He missed the shot. Is there a better analogy for this game? A struggling team, right for the picking. The Nets had a wide-open dunk here and blew it. Now, I’m not so certain if they’re going to get many more opportunities.
Quick Recap: Philadelphia Sixers 108, New Jersey Nets 97
Mar 17, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Sixers, Quick Recap
In a battle of two of the worst teams in basketball, the Nets showed they are the biggest losers, falling to the Philadelphia Sixers on the road 108-97.
- The Sixers had lost five in a row before tonight, and had never swept a season series from the Nets. But the Nets were more than willing to make winners out of Philly, playing lackluster defense most of the game and allowing one of the worst teams in basketball to score 108 points and shoot 56 percent from the floor. Seven Philly players scored in double digits, led by Andre Iguodala, who netted 20 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds.
- Great comeback game for Chris Douglas-Roberts, who scored 23 points on 9-15 shooting.
- Terrence Williams, in a surprise start had a shaky game, scoring 13, but going 4-16 from the field.
- Brook Lopez’s tough March continued as he scored 12 points on 2-9 shooting. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and seems to be losing his temper more than usual out there.
- The Nets were shockingly accurate from the charity stripe, going 23-24 on free throws.
- The Sixers outscored the Nets 52-34 in the pain and 22-10 on the fast break.
Game 68 Preview Vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Mar 17, 2010 2009-2010 Open Thread, Game Preview, Nets vs. Sixers
The Sixers vs. the Nets. That is going to be a whole lot of awfulness on one basketball court tonight. While most of you guys probably are going to read something about the Nets and how they compared to the 72-73 Sixers team (the one whose record the Nets are trying to avoid). Let’s focus on the Nets for a minute, though. How bad have the Nets been, well, as Matt McHale from Basketbawful points out, they are 30-70 since Devin Harris said those famous words “We knew we were going to be a playoff team” after the team’s 11-8 start last season. That’s bad…onto the lineups (quick ones today…sorry guys).
Devin Harris vs. Lou Williams
While Devin Harris didn’t play yesterday, I expect him to play tonight as this is as good a chance as any to get win #8. Lou Williams and Devin Harris are somewhat similar players. Williams isn’t a true point guard, but more of a scorer first, the same with Devin Harris. However, Devin has better point guard skills, he has better handle and better court vision which allows for his teams to get involved. I understand why the Sixers are trying to turn Lou Williams into a PG, but to me he just doesn’t have to court vision to be a good one (4.1 APG out of your starting PG isn’t any good).
Advantage: Devin Harris
Courtney Lee vs. Jrue Holiday
Courtney Lee has the size on Jrue Holiday (Holiday is 6′1″ while Lee is 6′5″), and he should be able to get off his shot with ease. This is a good thing since Lee has been shooting well as of late, so more good looks = more points.
Advantage: Courtney Lee
Trenton Hassell vs. Andre Iguodala
In my opinion, this is the only position where the Sixers have a clear cut advantage. Hassell is still starting (though with Terrence Williams playing so well, his minutes may decline), and Andre Iguodala has the athleticism just to blow by Hassell every time. It is going to be interesting to watch Iguodala go up against Terrence Williams.
Advantage: Andre Iguodala
Josh Boone vs. Elton Brand
Elton Brand was a great player, but the injuries really slowed him down.
Advantage: Push
Brook Lopez vs. Samuel Dalembert
Dalembert is a terrific defender and a shot blocker, but I think Brook Lopez can use his size to his advantage here. If he is able to get his body into Dalembert’s he can negate his length and jumping ability. Allowing him to knock down easy buckets.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Thoughts On The Game: Nets Lose Another Close One
Feb 1, 2010 Nets vs. Sixers, Thoughts On the Game
HoopData Box Score | Philadunkia | Liberty Ballers
It happened again! The Nets were able to get down three, foul, and have the Sixers miss foul shots. Again, they were unable to get a good look, as Hayes airballed a contested three. Last night marked the Nets second close loss in a row, as the Nets lost to the Sixers 83-79. Another tough loss against the Sixers (The 3 games against them have been decided by 10 points), but hey, at least we got a game-tying attempt up…right? In all seriousness, the Nets had another poor offensive stretch in the second half. The difference was the defense. Now, this could have been helped by the Sixers, who aren’t lighting up the scoreboard this year (they are in the bottom half of the league with an 103.5 Offensive Efficiency). The Nets are a team that will stall offensively once or more in a basketball game (I have written this far too many times to account). Against the Sixers, this stretch came in the third quarter. Instead of the game turning into a blow-out, the Nets were able to keep it close because they only allowed the Sixers to score 23 points. In the fourth quarter, they were able to make a game of it because they only allowed 14 points.
Despite the good defense, the Nets still lost, and now are 1-2 in their last 3 games. The close losses is a little frustrating because this is a pretty easy stretch for the team. In his game recap (which is a must-read after every game) Ben Couch talked about the team’s play:
After seven-straight double-digit losses, the Nets have begun to tighten up on defense, holding three consecutive opponents below 90 points and allowing no better than .421 shooting.
Though the offense matched the intensity against the Clippers in Wednesday’s 103-87 victory, topping 100 points and 53-percent shooting, it fizzled in the fourth quarter against Washington (13 points) and the final three quarters against Philadelphia. The droughts have left the Nets with a 1-2 record despite taking both of the losses down to the final minute.
“This was a stretch we looked at as an opportunity to win, put some wins together and unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it,” said point guard Keyon Dooling. “We started out pretty good against the Clippers but the last two we just haven’t had enough to get over the hump.”
Ben sums it up pretty nicely. The Nets have the right mentality though, they need to break up the schedule into groups of games, and look at it just like Keyon Dooling talked about. They have one more chance to get a W at home when they play Detroit Tuesday night at the IZOD. Now the Pistons are a really bad team right now, a combination of injuries and poor play make them a potential candidate for the next Nets win. We’ve been down this road before though. Some more thoughts on the game after the jump.
In his post game recap, Ben notes that Terrence Williams has now played over 15 minutes in 6 straight games. Terrence has been doing a great job of breaking down his man and creating opportunities for teammates on the perimeter by kicking the ball outside. Kiki is showing his faith in Terrence, and he isn’t disappointing. Again, quoting Ben:
After getting 26 ½ minutes against the Sixers, Terrence Williams has played at least 15 minutes in six straight games after doing so only once in the previous eight. The rookie swingman has earned the extended run by contributing across the board, and allowing his offense to come in the flow of the game, as evidenced by Sunday’s line of six points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal against only one turnover.
A two play stretch in the 2nd quarter showed flashes of brilliance from Williams. First dribbled the ball up, and nicely left it for Yi who drilled a jumper. He then brought it up and zinged a cross-court pass to Jarvis Hayes, who calmly knocked down the three. That stretch from Terrence came when Chris Quinn was on the court. Quinn has been getting some playing time and has been playing well (0-3 last night though). Quinn is a very good shooter, and he stretches the court for the Nets. The great thing about playing Quinn and Williams at the same time is that Terrence Williams can run the point on offense (which is what happened last night) and let Quinn work as the 2 where he is more effective. This doesn’t hurt the Nets though, because they cross-match Quinn and Williams defensively (Quinn guards the point/Williams guards the 2).
Quick Recap: Philadelphia Sixers 83, New Jersey Nets 79
Jan 31, 2010 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Sixers, Quick Recap
The Nets lost another close game with the Philadelphia Sixers, falling 83-79 at the Izod Center tonight.
- The Nets controlled the game for most of the first half, but Philly was able to capitalize on a 12-point third quarter by New Jersey. After two missed FTs by Elton Brand, the Nets still couldn’t get a good shot up to tie, as Jarvis Hayes forced a three that missed by a mile.
- The Nets struggled greatly in the transition game, getting outscored 25-2 on the fast break.
- Besides his last three attempt, Hayes probably had his best game of the season, scoring 18 points on 4-8 from three.
- Fighting stomach issues, Brook Lopez had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
- Yi Jianlian had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
- The Sixers only shot 36.5 percent from the field and 62.1 percent from the FT line, but they did a better job controlling the ball than the Nets, only committing 12 turnovers.
- Terrence Williams played some critical minutes down the stretch, and grabbed 11 rebounds.
- Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 14 points.
Game 46 Preview Vs. Philadelphia Sixers
Jan 31, 2010 2009-2010 Open Threads, Game Previews, Nets vs. Sixers
Before we talk about tonight’s game, I want to look at the game Wizard’s game winning play and show you how the Nets defended it. In my opinion, the play was well defended, but better (maybe luckier) offense prevailed:
As Boykins continues to dribble out the clock, Antwan Jaminson comes up and sets a screen for Earl. The reason they are setting the screen is because most teams switch screens late, and the Wizards are trying to get a big to cover the speedy Earl Boykins.
And that is exactly what happens, Kris Humphries is there to cover him. Ben Couch talked to Humphries about the play:
“In that situation, the last thing I wanted to do was get caught in the air and foul,” Humphries said. “I probably should have pushed up a little bit more and tried to get him to go more toward the basket, take a little tougher shot.”
I actually think Humphries did a very good defending Boykins. You don’t want to close out too hard on him, because if he does, he will end up dribbling right around Humphries and get himself an easier shot. Since Humphries is so tall, he basically forced Boykins to shoot over him, which is a good thing. He just made it this time.
As for tonight, the Nets are welcoming All-Star starter Allen Iverson to New Jersey. The Nets have played the Sixers twice during their season-opening losing streak, and lost both by a combined 6 points. Both games were exactly the same, the Nets down two missed a chance at winning/tying the game, then the Sixers made 1 of 2 foul shots, and then the Nets were not able to get a game tying attempt up. Hopefully tonight things will be different. Onto the lineups…
Keyon Dooling vs. Allen Iverson
Iverson has aged quite a bit, but he still shows flashes of his greatness from time to time. If Devin Harris was playing tonight, I would actually be worried he might go off, but I am confident that Dooling (the better defender than Harris) will be able to handle Iverson.
Advantage: Push
Courtney Lee vs. Jrue Holiday
Even though Jrue Holiday starts, he still plays slightly less than 16 minutes per game. In those minutes, he is only averaging 5.4 points per game. He is going to be a very good player, but it is going to take him some time to get adjusted to the league. When Holiday is covering Lee, I expect him to be aggressive and attack the basket. That is something he does very well.
Advantage: Courtney Lee
Chris Douglas-Roberts vs. Andre Iguodala
CDR is starting to get back into a rhythm a little bit. He was attacking the basket a little more, and looking for chances to get a shot up. I have been saying that I would like to see CDR be a little selfish as he tries to work out of this slump.
Advantage: Andre Iguodala
Yi vs. Elton Brand
Kris Humphries had his first bad game as a Net, but that didn’t really hurt the team since Yi was able to play pretty well during the game. I think what Kiki is going to do from here on out is play the hot hand. Whoever is playing well will be out on the court, and last game it was Yi. I did like that Kiki put in Humphries instead of Yi for that last possession.
Advantage: Elton Brand
Brook Lopez vs. Samuel Dalembert
Brook Lopez shouldn’t have any problem with Samuel Dalembert in my opinion. Dalembert is a very good shot blocker, but he doesn’t have the size to keep Brook out of his scoring spots (and that is the only time Brook seems to have trouble). Lopez has the strength to get into Dalembert’s body and negate his jumping ability. That is key when you are dealing with a very good shot blocker.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Bloggers Talk: Philadelphia Sixers
Jan 31, 2010 Bloggers Talk, Nets vs. Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers make their last trip to the Izod Center for the season tonight, so with us to give us some insights is Carey Smith, from the TrueHoop blog Philadunkia.
NAS: Since the All-Star rosters were announced, there has been some talk about the injustice of Allen Iverson being voted in as a starter. Can you find any justification for it?
I actually think al of the outcries about the injustice of Iverson starting are funny. The ASG is about who the fans want to see, not which players are the most deserving. The fans voted for Iverson, so he should get the start. I understand that his level of play this year does not warrant a starting spot in Dallas, but under the current ASG selection process, which I should add needs to be tweaked, Iverson did nothing wrong and should start. There was a very good story on hoopstvonline.com this week about Iverson’s ASG “injustice” and all the heat he has taken. I agreed with what the writer had to say, Iverson is getting roasted but some how Kevin Garnett who does not deserve to start either, has not caught any heat. http://www.hoopstvonline.com/news/iversonvkgasg.html.
NAS: There are a number of Sixers players who have been mentioned in trade buzz. What’s your sense of the truth to these rumors? Who do you think stays, and who goes?
The 76ers will absolutely make a trade, but the numerous rumors that pop up everyday are making hard to decide which players will be exiting. They’ve been shopping Sammy D and his awful contract for two years now and continue to do so. The problem for me is that Sammy is playing the best ball of his career. He has racked up 6 double-doubles this month and has become a game changer on the defensive end. Still his contract is killing us, so it’s probably best for the long run to deal him. Obviously Iguodala is rumored in several trades and I’ve heard Louis Williams and Thad Young mentioned as well. That’s kind of scary since just this past summer, those three were envisioned as the core this franchise was going to build around. If I had to bet, I’d say Williams and Dalembert go.
NAS: You’ve been highly critical of Sixers coach Eddie Jordan throughout the season. Would you like to trade him for Kiki Vandeweghe?
I’d have to disagree that we’ve been highly critical of Eddie Jordan. In fact I would have to say that lately we have been super highly critical of the job Jordan has done and deservedly so. We gave Jordan plenty of breaks at the start of the 2009-10 season because the players were learning his offensive system and the Sixers had some injuries early on to starters (Mo Speights and Louis Williams). During the initial grace period, we noticed just horrific coaching tendencies that Jordan displays and we held back from writing about them. But once everyone was back from injury and Iverson had been in the lineup for a week or two, the gloves came off and it has not been pretty. Poor substitution patterns, lack of a concern for defense, refusal to play appropriate match up games (on both ends of the floor) and the inability to define players roles are just some of the basic NBA coaching sins Jordan has committed. Still I am not sure how much of I is Jordan’s fault. I said it this summer and I’ll say it again now Jordan was the wrong choice for this team as his coaching style and X&Os do not fit the personnel.
I would trade Jordan for a bucket Gatorade, so yes I would trade Jordan for Kiki. I would then take Kiki and make him a player/coach as the Sixers sure could use his career 53% field goal shooting touch on this squad.
Video Breakdown: Games 8, 9, & 10
Nov 16, 2009 Chris Douglas-Roberts, Josh Boone, Nets vs. Heat, Nets vs. Magic, Nets vs. Sixers, Terrence Williams, Trenton Hassell, Video Breakdown, Xs and Os
So I have been a little behind in terms of breakdowns but we are catching up right here and now. We are going to be looking at some stuff from the game against Philly, @ Orlando, and @Miami. As of right now, a lot of the stuff you are going to see here is going to look like nit-picking (especially with how well the team has been playing despite being limited), but if some of the bad stuff seen here continues as people start coming back, it could be a problem. This is going to be a big one, get those reading glasses on:
Thoughts on the Game: Nets 8 Skid to 0-8
Nov 12, 2009 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Sixers, Thoughts On the Game
You would think after starting the season with eight consecutive losses these games would start to hurt less, but that’s just not the case. The Nets, who for the second straight game dressed only eight guys, are playing with so much heart right now. Unfortunately, there’s just too much talent sitting on the bench in suits, a fact that came back to haunt this team as they had three chances with less than 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter to either tie or take the lead against the Philadelphia Sixers but they couldn’t get a clutch bucket when they needed it.
Initially, the Nets had the right idea. With 21.7 seconds to go and down by 1, they got the ball to Brook Lopez who was pushed a bit out of the post by Samuel Dalembert, but was in single coverage. Lopez made a pretty spin move on Dalembert to get to the hoop but missed the shot. Replays showed that Brook was hit on the arm, but there was no call. Lopez was irate.
Despite the non-call, Lopez had another terrific game last night, and seems to be settling into quite a groove, after scuffling a bit when Devin Harris and some of the other starters first started to drop after the second game of the season. If 23 points and 14 rebounds wasn’t impressive enough, Lopez showed off his expanding repertoire of offensive moves. In a play that was aptly described by Netsbasketball on Twitter as “terrifying and amazing at the same time,” with about 3 minutes to go in the game, Lopez executed a dribble drive that would have made Devin Harris proud. Now let’s never see that move again Brook okay?
More on the game after the jump:
Quick Recap: Philadelphia 76ers 82, New Jersey Nets 79
Nov 11, 2009 2009-2010 Regular Season, Nets vs. Sixers, Quick Recap
The ragtag Nets (0-8) continued their winless streak to start the season, as they fell in another heartbreaker to the Philadelphia 76ers (4-4) 82-79 in New Jersey tonight.
- The Nets actually had three chances to tie or take the lead in the closing seconds of the game, but couldn’t capitalize, most notably on the last play of the game when Rafer Alston threw the ball to Philly on the inbounds pass on an apparent miscommunication with Bobby Simmons.
- In a questionable play, Brook Lopez looked like he got hammered by Samuel Dalembert with under 20 seconds left and the Nets down 1, but doesn’t get the call.
- In his first career start, Terrence Williams had 10 points and 12 rebounds, but missed a long-two in the closing seconds that could have tied the game.
- Brook Lopez led all Nets in scoring and rebounding, getting 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He even got to showcase his Devin Harris-esque dribble-drive in the fourth quarter.
- Trenton Hassell continues to be a pleasant surprise, chipping in with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
- Josh Boone was a spark, especially on the defensive end as he grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.
- Bobby Simmons continues to redeem himself with 11 points off the bench, though he was 1-5 from three-point land.
- On the Sixers side, Thaddeus Young had a nice bounce back game with 20 points.
- The Nets did a decent job taking care of the ball (14 turnovers) and outrebounded the Sixers 47-46, but at the end of the day they just didn’t have a single guy down the stretch who could hit the “big shot.”
- Next up on the Nets schedule is a two-game trip in Florida against the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat.