Brooklyn Nets: Lack of Physical Graffiti in Flatbush

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Hawks  114

Nets        96

FINAL

Grizzlies and Hawks Paint Nets Interior

This was not the happiest way to ring in the New Year as the Duds of Flatbush trailed by nine at the half and lost by eighteen points to the Atlanta Hawks, who on Friday gained a series split with the Nets at Barclays Center.

Brooklyn's defense clearly took the holidays off, allowing the Hawks 255 points over the course of two games.  Last week's loss against the Memphis Grizzlies initially brought into question the Nets' lack of physicality and interior defense.  On Friday, the Hawks, as if by invitation, ball-handled through the lane for easy bucket after easy bucket.  

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Coach Nash emptied the entire bench.  Of the five players to play the last three minutes of the game, only Chris Chiozza walked off with a personal foul.  My point is the Nets committed only fifteen other fouls all game.  Obviously, no one wants Durant and Kyrie Irving playing in foul trouble.  But only Joe Harris earned as many as four fouls - one-quarter of all Nets whistles.  Said another way, they had better start bumping bodies and better protect the paint.  Because this just isn't about the Hawks; this has everything to do with the way the Nets were manhandled two playoffs ago by Philadelphia.  I'm not asking them to clothesline Kurt Rambis.  But sometimes, a team effort involves starters and the bench having three, four, or even five players with upwards of four personals.  If you're crafty about it, it's well worth the effort.  When you deploy fifteen bodies and seven of them walk off the court with no personal fouls in a game wherein the Nets couldn't prevent a mailbox from driving the lane, well ... you know what mean,

... or not.

Flatbush from long-range shot a mere 7/37 (18.9%) and was outscored 48-21 from the arc.  That more than accounts for Brooklyn's eighteen point margin of defeat.  The bench was largely ineffective as well.

However, shooting touch comes and goes, whereas defensive intensity must come every night.  Things really fell apart in the third quarter against Atlanta's subs.  Moreover, this is only Brooklyn's third loss of the season, but they've already revealed so much.

Lastly, if you're going to let DeAndre Jordan start over Jarrett Allen, who is getting more minutes and finishing games, then encourage Jordan to throw around his body more.

The "Centers of Attention" were effectively outplayed by Atlanta's Clint Capela, who finished 6/10 from the floor for twelve points and tied for a game-high eleven rebounds in thirty minutes.  Kyrie Irving led the Nets with eleven rebounds.  Allan and Jordan joined for thirteen points and nine rebounds (with four total fouls) in a combined forty minutes.  Atlanta outrebounded the Nets by a margin of three and did a better job of distribution and creating turnovers.

Aside from Coach Nash switching everyone out during the last minutes, five other bench regulars only scored 25 points in 88 total minutes.

But when it rains, it pours.  Getting starts, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot shot just 1/7 and 0/5 from the arc.  Meanwhile, Caris LeVert was 4/10 from the field and 0/3 from afar with three assists in 27 minutes off the bench.

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