Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Takes Opening Game at Philadelphia

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

The Dismayed City of Brotherly Love

FINAL

Nets    111

76ers  102

Home Crowd Turns on Sixers as Brooklyn Nets Negate Home Court With Game One Victory at Philadelphia.

Philly is a tough sports town, and Saturday afternoon, they let their Sixers know exactly how they felt.  They appeared less distressed about getting outplayed by the Brooklyn Nets, and far more incensed with their team's own piss poor performance.  While Brooklyn was making it rain threes, the crowd spent the better part of their afternoon likewise raining boos down upon their team.

Oh, the glory of it all.

Joel Embiid, clearly hobbled by a bad knee, nonetheless contributed 22 points, 15 rebounds (11 on the defensive boards,) and five blocks, in 24-minutes.  However, more than half (12) of his points came from the free throw line, not to mention he shot a dismal 0 for 5 while loitering behind the arc.

Jimmy Butler showed up to play.  But the same can not be fully said of a Philly team well stocked with talent.

• Just three scorers in double digits.
• Tobias Harris led the Sixers with 41 minutes but only accounted for four points.
• Ben Simmons: nine points and just three assists.
• JJ Redick: just five points on 2/7 from the field.
• They hurt themselves at the line, converting just 29 of 42 (69%) free throws, but were even more pathetic shooting 3 of 25 (12%) from three range.

The Nets on the other hand, were 24 of 26 (92%) from the free throw line, and an efficient 11 of 26 (42%) from beyond the arc.

Jarrett Allen got into early foul trouble and only logged 10 minutes.  Enter Ed Davis, whom matched Joel Embiid with a double-double of his own, scoring 12 points off the bench and securing a game high 16 rebounds (13 on the defensive end).  Spencer Dinwiddie added another 18 points in 32 minutes off the bench.  Joe Harris played up to his average with 13 points and 3 of 4 form three point range.  D'Angelo Russell led the Nets with 26 points, but Caris LeVert's 23 points off the bench proved most lethal.  In fact, the Nets bench outscored the Philly bench by a 59-26 margin.

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Lacks Big Bouncy Bodies

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

They Must Go Harder..!

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Getting Pushed Around ...

I know I'm not breaking new ground here.  But the Nets recent competition is making it painfully clear just how undersized they really are, and how much interior physicality Brooklyn really lacks.  Three-pointers, rebounding, and adhering to analytics has gotten them this far.  However, during this recent stretch against top competition Jarrett Allen is increasingly being forced into bumping with bigger bodies.  And while I mean Ed Davis no disrespect - he does have his moments - there's a reason he's with his fifth team.  If anything, Davis best exemplifies the Nets glaring need for a top tier power forward.  I fear Saturday's rematch game at Milwaukee will only serve to further confirm this.

At the same time, it's not like the Nets haven't had their opportunities.  Coach Atkinson's system is not the problem.  And D'Angelo Russell can only do so much.  Cycling back to their need for a PF, the Nets likewise need a polished closer.  And so the rebuild indeed continues regardless of what transpires over the next three games.

That said, the Nets are up against it, but remain very much in the mix.

#Nets catch a break; Magic win but T'Wolves defeat Miami Heat; Brooklyn ends day in eighth place 1/2 game ahead of Miami. #WeGoHard

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) April 6, 2019

Make that tied for seventh, one full game ahead of Miami.

Saturday's game against the Eastern Conference top seeded Milwaukee Bucks will be the first of back-to-back road games.  They follow up at Indianapolis on Sunday.  After two days off they'll host the Miami Heat in the regular season finale at Barclays Center, in a game which very likely will decide Brooklyn's playoff fate.

Brooklyn Nets: Home Sweet Home

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Road to the Playoffs

SATURDAY

CELTICS   96

NETS       110

FINAL

Brooklyn Nets: Tap your Nike sneakers together three times and repeat, "There's no place like Flatbush Avenue."

Just ask the Nets who've been away from home for nearly three weeks since hosting the Detroit Pistons.  They have the NBA schedule makers to thank for deciding it would be a good idea to dispatch Brooklyn on an uncommon seven game road journey through the league's wild Western Conference.

The Hoops of Flatbush fared just 2-5 on the trip, opening with loses at OKC, Utah, and the Clippers, but responding with winning efforts over the Sacramento Kings and the LeBron Angeles Lakers.  However, Brooklyn's run ended there as they'd endure a frustrating loss at Portland, then wrap up with a stinker in their first game back east at Philadelphia.  Their most recent loss in turn lowered their record to an even 38-38 with just six games left to play.

The Brooklyn Brigade weren't the only ones treating their team to a hero's welcome, as fans packed Barclays Center to the roof for the Nets first home game since Mar. 11.  And the team did not disappoint.  The Celtics jumped out to an early lead as the Nets appeared road worn and weary throughout the first half.  Yet they somehow sleepwalked to a one-point lead by halftime.  It should be noted the Celtics were undermanned and in the midst of a back-to-back games, having hosted the Pacers on Friday, then having to travel to Brooklyn for an early 6 p.m. start on Saturday.

With Boston's Kyrie Irving unavailable and looking on from the bench, Nets all-star D'Angelo Russell scored 20 of his game high 29-points in the third quarter, as the Nets outpaced Boston in the second half by a 61-48 margin en route to a commanding 14-point victory over the present Eastern Conference five seed.  Russell also distributed a game-high ten assists. 

Caris LeVert played a pivotal roll off the bench with 15 points and four steals in 29 minutes.  Joe Harris posted his season average 13-points, and led the floor with eight rebounds (all on the defensive end).  The Celtics put themselves in early foul trouble, and Ed Davis, Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert all made them pay, joining to shoot a combined 15/20 from the stripe.

With one more victory, the Nets can secure themselves a spot in the upcoming NBA playoffs.  However, next on their docket is three games against two of the league's best in the form of Milwaukee and Toronto.  In the meantime, the Nets presently occupy the Eastern Conference's seventh spot, one full game ahead of eighth place Miami, and 1.5 games ahead of ninth place Orlando.

Brooklyn Nets: Where Kings County Holds Sway

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Brooklyn Nets: Kings County Lays Siege ...

Sacramento - The Nets trail by 25 points to start the fourth quarter.  Brooklyn regroups, then sacks their hosts by a 45-18 margin over the game's final twelve minutes en route to a glorious last second 123-121 victory.  D'Angelo Russell usurps the local Kings with 27 points in the fourth quarter and a career high 44 points overall.  Their triumph goes down as the greatest comeback in Nets franchise history.

The Nets then advance on Los Angeles.  Joe Harris leads the siege with 26 points.  Three Brooklyn players post double-doubles.  Jarrett Allen scores 13-points with 11 rebounds.  D'Angelo Russell scores 21 points against his former team and distributes a team high 13 assists.  Off the bench, Ed Davis secures a team high 15 rebounds to go along with 14 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie proves disruptive with nine of his 19 points coming from the stripe.  In defeating the Lakers, the Nets officially eliminate them from playoff contention.  Moreover, their liege, LeBron, King James, is denied a 14th straight appearance in the NBA playoffs.

For on this day, Kings County holds sway.

Onward to Portland.  With a 45-27 record, the Trailblazers are the Western Conference four seed, just four games behind number one Denver.

With a 38-36 record, the Nets now have ten more wins than all of last season, and match their entire win total from the 2014-2015 season with eight game still to play.  They remain in seventh place of the Eastern Conference standings, a precarious 1.5 games ahead of Miami.  Orlando is presently looking in from outside the playoff picture, one game behind the Heat.

All seven of the Nets remaining opponents are in playoff contention (Portland; Philadelphia; Boston; Milwaukee [2x]; Toronto; Indiana; and Miami), with a combined 320-190 (.627) overall record.

Brooklyn Nets: Look What Flatbush Did to the Denver Nuggets, Again

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Nets win season series; 2-0

I - BKN 112; DEN 110

WEDNESDAY

Nuggets    130

NETS       135

FINAL

Brooklyn Nets 29th Victory Surpasses Last Season's Win Total.

Last Friday evening I was listening on sports radio to N.Y. Post's Brian Lewis crediting much of the Nets success this season on their defensive prioritization.  And while Kenny Atkinson maintains a grip on the greater issues at hand, Lewis says the greater impact upon the team's overall focus is most attributable to veterans DeMarre Carroll, Ed Davis, and Jared Dudley.

Although 130 points might suggest otherwise, defense was again front and center against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night at Barclays.  Their efforts helped Brooklyn amass a lead upwards of 20-points.  Which in turn permitted them to withstand and outlast Nikola Jokic's triple double (25 points; 10 assists; 14 rebounds) and Denver's fourth quarter surge in which they outscored the Nets by 16-points.

With Spencer Dinwiddie out, D'Angelo Russell is being afforded time to prove his fourth quarter worth.  He led all scorers with 27-points and tied for game high with 11 assists, while playing in a game-high 35-minutes.  Joe Harris (... he's so good!) backed up Russell with 17 points in 32 minutes.

The Nets featured six players overall scoring double-digits against Denver.  Off the bench, DeMarre Carroll contributed a double-double (18 points; 10 rebounds), while Shabazz Napier posted the Nets third double-double of the game with ten points and 11 assists.  Also playing off the bench, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson effectively sticks the dagger through Denver's heart with a dunk making it 133-125 with 25 seconds left.  Throughout the game, RHJ and the refs never did see eye to eye.  And after being called for a foul on what appeared to be a clean block, he sort of blew his top to earn a technical.

The victory not only snaps the Nets three game skid.  It's their 29th victory of the season, which on Feb. 6 surpasses last year's entire win total.  It also comes against the Western Conference's second ranked team.

That should send a little tremor throughout the NBA this evening.

But insofar as the message Wednesday night's victory sends: don't mistake their injuries as their weakness.  Underestimate the Brooklyn Nets at your own risk.

Brooklyn Nets: Caris LeVert Strides and Glides to Game Winning Basket

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS

FRIDAY

Knicks   105

Nets       107

FINAL

Brooklyn Nets: After Season Opening loss at Detroit, Flatbush opens Barclays Center with victory over cross-river rivals.

Brooklyn's home opener is a proverbial layup ...

Friday night at Barclays Center; game is tied with 15.9 second left in the fourth; Nets possession; Caris LeVert with the ball.  He dribbles to the top of the key, squares up against Tim Hardaway, then drives to the basket.  LeVert's lay-up attempt drops in with one second left on the clock.  Knicks assume possession.  After a full time out, Hardaway launches a three-point attempt from DeKalb Avenue, that misses.  And the Brooklyn Nets win their first game of the new season.

From the desk of: DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP 

Hard Knox Loss at Brooklyn 

After taking a 57-50 lead over their cross-river rival into halftime, they regress in the third, but recover in time to outscore the Knicks 33-29 in the final session.  Flatbush finishes 49.3% from the floor, and 40% from three-point range.  They overwhelm the Knicks on the glass by a 55-36 margin, and prove better at ball distribution with a 22-14 edge is assists.  However, 22 turnovers very nearly becomes Brooklyn's undoing.  The Knicks commit just three turnovers all game.

Four of five Nets starters score in double-digits.  While Rodions Kurucs' eleven points and Spencer Dinwiddie's ten both off the bench makes five players in double-digits overall.

D'Angelo Russell scores 15-points, and ties Dinwiddie for team lead with six assists.

Try as they might, the New Yorkers have no answer for Caris LeVert who leads the team with a career high 28-points (10/11 from the line).  In fact, Levert's five rebounds are more than any Knicks player.

Jarrett Allen and Enes Kanter go toe to toe as each register double-doubles.  Kanter leads the floor with 29-points, and secures ten rebounds.  Allen answers with 15-points and leads all players with eleven rebounds.  Ed Davis adds another ten boards in just 14-minutes off the bench.

All that being said, scoring was never really an issue, right?  The Nets now own a minus/one differential after two games:

• Nets - 207 points.
• Opponents - 208 points.

Just saying ...

Off to Detroit.