Nets’ Search Stories
Apr 16, 2010 Videos
There have been a ton of these popping up all over the internet, so I thought I would try my hand at making a search story. What better subject than the Nets season?
A little depressing, I know. So I made another one for the optimists around here:
Video Breakdown: Game 39
Jan 18, 2010 Nets vs. Pacers, Video Breakdown, Videos, Xs and Os
The Nets were outscored by 19 points (24-5 in total) during the final six minutes on Friday night? Why? Well it is because they failed to execute on both ends of the court:
The Nets’ Offense: A Closer Look
Jan 6, 2010 Offense, Video Breakdown, Videos, Xs and Os
On Sunday, Dave D’Alessandro wrote some very interesting stuff about the Nets, and their search for an offensive identity:
But one of the emerging problems is their lack of an identity at the offensive end, particularly since point guard Devin Harris has returned from injury and Kiki Vandeweghe has taken over as head coach.
It was funny though, because I was working on a post about the Nets and a few new wrinkles they had on offense. What I have been noticing is that the Nets have been running the pick and roll less and less. Even though they aren’t really good at running it, it was still their bread and butter (sounds silly I know). As they continue to shy away from the pick and roll, the Nets are starting to run some new stuff, and some of it seems to be working pretty well. After last night’s game against Milwaukee (don’t get me started), I feel like there is enough of a sample size to look at some sets that the Nets have been running, and to see which one is their new, “bread and butter” offense. A offense they can go to whenever they need a bucket, whether it be early or late.
Missed Lay-Ups Are Really Hurting The Nets
Dec 30, 2009 Advanced Statistics, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Devin Harris, Josh Boone, Rafer Alston, Videos
According to HoopData.com, the Nets attempt 30.3 lay-ups per game, a number that ranks as 4th most in the NBA. You look at just that number and you think, wow, that is pretty good, and it is. However, when you couple that with the fact that the Nets are one of the worst teams in the league at converting these lay-ups, you are just left shaking your head at all of the missed opportunities.
The Nets are second worst (tied) team in the NBA when it comes to making lay-ups. Their field goal percentage on lay-ups, as tracked by Hoopdata, is 55.4%. The league average is 60.4 percent. Looking at the Nets’ number attempts again, if they would be at just the league average, they would be instantly 3 points better (I took their attempts and determined how many they would make at the league average – it was about 17.3 – 1.5 more – or 3 points more). We have talked about how the Nets aren’t really playing good defense anymore and how they just try to outscore teams. If they are going to do that successfully, they can’t leave points on the table, especially when they are coming from lay-ups.
When looking at the individual numbers, you start to see why the team has such a low FG% at the rim. The Nets only have 4 players on their roster shooting lay-ups at a percentage over the league average. Two of them are Eduardo Najera and Sean Williams, so really the Nets only have two regulars shooting lay-ups better than league average (Yi and Trenton Hassell).
I was shocked to see Brook Lopez (58%) and Terrence Williams (48%) with such low percentages, but I am willing to dismiss both of these because one, Brook Lopez has been doing this while facing double/triple teams early in the year, and I can see this number going up. As for Terrence, most of his missed lay-ups came early in the season when he was out of control taking a large number of attempts at the rim (a lot of floaters and fade-aways). His shot selection is much better now, so you can (or at least I can) expect to see his percentage to go up. So you take those guys out, there are 4 guys you can blame for this low FG% at the rim, and they are guys you can expect to keep this number low:
Video: The Return of Yi Jianlian
Just a quick look at everything that’s been going right for Yi Jianlian, who looks like a different player since his return from injury Wednesday night.
As always, be sure to check out our Nets Are Scorching video page on YouTube, for up to date videos and other goodies.
Happy Holidays from Nets Are Scorching
Dec 25, 2009 Videos
The Nets Would Like To Wish You Happy Holidays
Sure I posted this a while ago, but it is just to good to not post again on Christmas Eve. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays everyone!
Mark has an awesome original holiday video for tomorrow, but that is going to be it until Saturday. See you then!
Home Movies: How To Beat The Cavs
Dec 15, 2009 Nets vs. Cavs, Opponent Scouts, Video Breakdown, Videos, Xs and Os
So I watched the Grizzlies-Cavs game from last week, and clipped together a video showing some tendencies the Cavs have and what the Grizzlies did to get the win:
I chose the Grizzlies’ game because what they did to beat the Cavs is what the Nets can do. They ran and used the pick and roll. The Nets have been running more, and the Brook/Devin pick and roll is tough to stop.
The Nets Would Like To Wish You Happy Holidays
Dec 11, 2009 Videos
And they do so with this awesome video:
That’s awesome. You can find it in its natural habitat here.
Home Movies: The Nets Ineffective Pick & Rolls
Dec 11, 2009 Analysis, Home Movies, Videos, Xs and Os
The Nets run the pick and roll a good amount, but they haven’t been the most effective doing it: