Brooklyn Nets: Knicks Take First Encounter In Overtime

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

Pre-Season Final

KNICKS  97

NETS       95

overtime

 

BROOKLYN NETS: What The Hell Was That?  Nets Had Eight Assists All Game! Way To Move The Ball Around Fellas.


Some say it is not how you start, it is how you finish that matters.  On Wednesday evening, it all looked the same.  The Nets needed to put together a 17-3 fourth quarter run just to get the game tied and into overtime.  Otherwise Brooklyn played from behind most of the night.  In over time, New York's Steve Novack jacked up a couple of three pointers, and that was that.  The Manhattan Knicks drew first blood against the team representing Brooklyn.


In the final tune-up for both clubs, the Knicks claim a 97-95 final, albeit unofficially.  When these two clubs meet again on November 1st, the games will start counting for real.  Between now and then however, I'm sure the Knicks would trade their two point pre-season victory over the Nets for the health of Tyson Chandler's knee.  The big guy left the game in the first quarter and did not return.  Chandler is hopeful for Opening Night.


On the bright side, there was a lot to like about how well Raymond Felton and Melo played together.  Felton had five assists.  But just like in his last stint off-Broadway, when Felton scores, the Knicks win.  Wednesday night he dropped fifteen points on Brooklyn.


Jason Kidd was rather inconsequential in twenty two minutes.  Chris Copeland led Knicks scorers with sixteen points off the bench.  Melo matched Felton with fifteen points, and was high man on the Knicks with nine rebounds.


This was Brooklyn's third pre-season loss in a row.  They end their exhibition schedule with a 3-3 record.  Coach Avery no doubt will have an interesting week of practice in store for his men.  There is much to address.  On a good note, the Nets improved their free throw shooting considerably.  They made twenty of twenty two shots, for a 90.9% shooting percentage from the line.


Brooklyn struggled from 3-point range.  They hit five of seventeen attempts.  The Knicks were better, draining twelve of twenty nine, for a 41.1 % three point percentage.


Deron Williams led all players with twenty two points.  And Andray Blatche led all players with ten rebounds.  Seven Nets players out-rebounded Brook Lopez, who had one rebound.  That is going to have to change.  Here's a cool stat.  No Nets player had more than two assists.  They had eight all game.


Way to move the ball around fellas.





Mike.BTB