James Harden Clamoring For Trade to Brooklyn

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BIG THREE?

James Harden Trying to Shoehorn Himself into Nets Neighborhood

James Harden wants out of Houston and to prove his point has turned down a two-year $103 million dollar contract extension.  Instead of potentially becoming the first player in history to break the $50 million per season salary barrier, he instead requested a trade to Brooklyn.

Sure he did ...

The Houston Rockets franchise is falling apart like wet toilet paper and Harden knows it.  Former general manager Daryl Morey left the organization, coach Mike D'Antoni is no longer there, Robert Covington was recently traded and now Russell Westbrook says he wants out as well.  Besides, I guess it's easy to snub your nose at another ten million when you're already making forty million per season.  

Not that I have any experience with that ...

Harden asked for a trade to Brooklyn indeed, where he has convenience and familiarity on his side.  He is former teammates with Kevin Durant when the two played at Oklahoma City, and his former head coach is now an assistant with the Nets.  According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in recent weeks have been in frequent communication.  Woj says Durant is enthusiastic about a potential deal and that contrary to rumors, Kyrie Irving is not known to be opposed.  Woj also says the Nets and Houston Rockets have spoken.  Discussions are being characterized as nothing serious.

Wednesday is the NBA draft.  If such a deal should occur, the potential cost for acquiring James Harden is being speculated to include anyone from Spencer Dinwiddie to Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen along with a slew of draft picks.  Some pundits say it would take someone more talented like Kyrie Irving in order to facilitate any trade.

I'm opposed to all of it.  

I understand Spencer Dinwiddie's value is as a trade chip.  However, I am particularly protective of Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.  First, Allen is my favorite player.  But, mainly because Harden still has two-plus seasons left on his present contract.  He can become a free agent in 2022 if he opts out of the final year of his deal.  Then what?  Maintaining three super-max contracts on the roster is extremely prohibitive.  

I'm also completely averse to trading away draft picks.  This organization has already been there and done that.  The Nets are now on the other side of Billy King's disastrous Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade.  Waiting out the aftermath and smartly rebuilding is what laid the foundation needed to sign Durant and Irving in the first place.  

Why put yourself right back into the same hole?

I was completely geared up for Kevin Durant's return to the floor, and playing a full season together with Kyrie Irvin.  I was satisfied with that.  Otherwise, I reserve further judgment.  

Hoops of Flatbush Strike Twice

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Kellogg's Kids Clear First Hurdle in Defense of NEC Title.

Led by Raiquan Clark's game-high 21-points the (#6) Blackbirds upset (#3) Sacred Heart University at the Pitt Center on Wednesday, earning them a semifinal match-up against conference top seed St. Francis University.  Jashaun Agosto added 15-points, as did Eral Penn whom also tied for game-high with nine rebounds en route to LIU's 71-62 victory over the Pioneers.

Flatbush trailed by one at the half.  The teams would then exchange leads in the second half until Eral Penn's three-pointer at 6:32 put the Blackbirds ahead for good, and ultimately on course towards a nine point first round triumph.

The Pioneers shot just (2/19) 10% from beyond the arc, and just (23/63) 36.5% from the field.  The Blackbirds were (23/53) 43.4% from the field and a difference making (11/24) 45.8% on three-point attempts.

Meanwhile, St. Francis University dispatched the (#8) Bryant University Bulldogs by a 69-66 margin to set up Saturday's upcoming showdown against LIU at Degol Arena.

The two teams split their regular season series, with neither team defending home court:

• 1/10/2019 - SFU 74 @ LIU 67
• 2/23/2019 - LIU 69 @ SFU 66

Fairleigh Dickinson University squares off against Robert Morris in the other semifinal game.

Brooooklyn!

34-33 (.507)

#7 - Eastern Conference

Brooklyn Nets: Surviving the Approaching Ides of March.

Flatbush elevated their record back over .500 with Wednesday's 113-107 victory over Cleveland.  But with a mere 15 games left in the regular season, the Nets difficult  schedule ahead stands poised to test their staying power.  While they've managed to outlast and even outplay numerous injuries compromising the starting lineup, Kenny Atkinson for the first time in many moons features a full compliment of players again.  Just in time too ... as the Nets find themselves embroiled in a playoff chase.  That said, if we're keeping this conversation within the context of a rebuilding season, then Flatbush indeed has already exceeded expectations.  And for better or worse, what stands before them will prove an invaluable experience.

Starting with Saturday's upcoming game at Atlanta, eight of Brooklyn's next nine games are on the road, where the Nets boast a sub-par 14-17 mark.

THE IDES of MARCH

• 3/11- DETROIT
• 3/13 - @ Oklahoma City
• 3/16 - @ Utah
• 3/17 - @ LAC

They'll continue their western swing against Sacramento, LAL, and Portland, before returning east to play the Sixers at Philadelphia.  After which, the Nets wind down their regular season having to face each of the the Eastern Conference powers presently positioned ahead of them in the standings.

Nothing is ever easy in Brooklyn.

#GoHard

LIU Blackbirds: Defending NEC Champs Open Conference Tournament Versus Sacred Heart

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

QUARTERFINALS

WEDNESDAY

LIU/BROOKLYN #6

BLACKBIRDS

vs.

SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY #3

PIONEERS

It's been a rough and tumble season for the defending NEC champions.  But as they say: what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.  The resilient Blackbirds ended their regular season winners of three in a row, and four of their last five.  In so doing, they climbed back up to par, finishing the season with a 15-15 record, and 9-9 within the conference.  Last Saturday's commanding 81-65 victory in the season finale over Bryant University also improved the Blackbirds record to 8-5 at the Wellness Center, but more importantly earned them the sixth seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference tournament.

However, the Blackbirds must now take their 6-9 road record to Fairfield, Connecticut, where they'll take on #3-seed Sacred Heart University in the NEC quarterfinals this coming Wednesday.  

The teams split their season series, which each taking care of home court.

• 1/3/2019 - LIU 75 @ SHU 79
• 2/16/2019 - SHU 84 @ LIU 92

LIU's first round opponent finished a mere game behind the conference leaders, with a 13-7 conference record, and 15-16 record overall.  But like the Blackbirds, the Pioneers enter Wednesday's match-up winners of three straight, and own an impressive 10-2 record at the Pitt Center.

Fairleigh Dickinson topped the conference this season with a 12-6 conference record, and 17-13 mark overall.  St. Francis (PA) placed a tight second, matching FDU's conference record, and finishing with a 16-13 record overall.

Last season LIU finished 18-17, with a 10-8 conference record, and a 12-4 mark at home.  They went on to defeat St. Francis (BK), and Fairleigh Dickinson through two rounds of tourney play, then defeated favored Wagner to capture the 2017-2018 NEC championship - their first since capturing three straight NEC titles from 2011 through 2013, and the sixth in Blackbirds history. 

• LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds 
• SHU Pioneers
• Northeast Conference

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Open Conference Schedule With Mixed Results

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Foiled by Sacred Heart, Flatbush bows to Pioneers in Northeast Conference opener. 

NEC OPENER

LIU Brooklyn  75

SHU Pioneers  79

Raiquan Clark leads all players with 38-minutes and 28-points scored; Julian Batts leads all players with ten rebounds; even Jashaun Agosto leads the floor with seven assists; albeit all in a losing effort.  SHU's three-point shooting and 19-points from the charity line would ultimately prove the difference in this game.  LIU falls behind by fifteen midway through the first session, and trails by eighteen with five minutes left, before reducing their deficit to eight by halftime.  The Blackbirds finally knot things up in the second session on Raiquain Clark's 3-pointer at the 13:49 mark, then build a five point lead on another 3-pointer by Raul Frias with 11:01 remaining.  Sacred Heart would regroup.  In the meantime, a layup by Julian Batts would keep LIU staked to a one point lead with just 1:25 left on the clock.  But it's the Pioneers who would eventually close out the game on a 4-0 run to secure victory by a 79-75 final.

SATURDAY FINAL

LIU Blackbirds   79

SHU Pioneers     70

Brooklyn closes out their three game road trip at Rhode Island, with a 79-70 victory over the Bryant University Bulldogs on Saturday.  Julian Batts leads all scorers with an even 20-points, with Raiquan Clark adding 19-points, four boards, and a team leading three blocks.  Ty Flowers notches a double-double with ten points and a game high 12 rebounds.  The Bulldogs finish with five players scoring in double-digits, but as a team only shoot (23/58) 39.7% from the field.  Flatbush in turn oppresses Bryant with 10/23 from beyond the arc, and 21-points from the line.

The victory is Brooklyn's first against a conference opponent, and brings their overall record back up to par, including a 5-5 mark on the road.  They return home to the Ashland Place gym on Jan. 10 where they'll host the Red Flash of Saint Francis University.


NEC NOTES

• Sacred Heart and Robert Morris lead the pack early on with 2-0 records.  Central Connecticut and Mount St. Mary's bookend the conference with 0-2 records.  The rest of the field is 1-1, to date.  St. Francis/Brooklyn leads with nine overall victories, and are so far undefeated (5-0) at home.  LIU Brooklyn is the only team playing at least .500 on the road.

LIU/Brooklyn Blackbirds: Thanks Guys

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

LIU BROOKLYN BLACKBIRDS

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

2018

1984  1997  2011  2012  2013

Congratulations LIU Blackbirds on another fine season, and for winning a sixth Northeast Conference championship, and to you Derek Kellogg, for guiding them to a title in your first season as head coach.

Thank you all for the gift of bragging rights by defeating outer-Borough rival Wagner in the conference finals, and one last thanks for representing the County of Kings yet again during this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

BROOKLYN PRIDE

GO BLACKBIRDS

BROOKLYN NETS ~ LIU BLACKBIRDS

THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Brooklyn Nets: The Great Purge of Flatbush

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

It's back to the old drawing board 

as Mikhail Prohorov trashes his initial blueprint for greatness.

BROOKLYN NETS: Billy King's all-out effort to build an immediate winner instead set the Flatbush Hoops back for years to come.

There's an old saying -  Haste Makes Waste.

What did you expect?

When Bruce Ratner purchased the team, then announced his plan to move them to Brooklyn, his refusal to resign Kenyon Martin essentially became the first indication he was less interested in owning a basketball team, than he was using them as a vehicle to get his proposed downtown Atlantic Yards development realized.

The team inevitably initiated a great rebuild anyway, by first deconstructing the roster during their final years in New Jersey.

After all Ratner's legal wrangling, majority ownership of the team ponderously, if not conveniently, transferred to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov even before the concrete foundation at Barclays Center had been poured.  

The new owner's first order of business was to revamp the front office, beginning with the unceremonious purging of Rod Thorn.  The Nets in turn hired Billy King to be their next general manager.  In his defense, King was charged with not just turning the Nets into a competitive team in time for their Brooklyn debut, but to fulfill the owner's mandate of winning a championship within five years of assuming control.

Suffice to say, that hastily executed mission ended in disaster.  To date, Billy King has done more to help rebuild the Boston Celtics than he has the Nets, whom are in their fourth straight season of regression.  Presently sporting a 10-27 record, only Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Lakers have fared worse this season.

For two seasons now, I've wondered aloud why Billy King was still GM of the Nets...

I no longer have to wonder.  Owner Mikhail Prokhorov finally had enough of this futility as well, and this weekend cleaned house.

Billy King, and Coach Hollins have been relieved of their duties.

This means the Nets will finish out the regular season with their fifth head coach since moving to Brooklyn (in 2012-2013), and will most likely begin next season with their sixth coach in 5 years.

On the bright side, the Nets will gain a measure of salary cap relief next season.  Otherwise, the Nets draft has been compromised till 2020, when they finally regain control of their #1 pick again.  Till then, Boston will reap the benefits of Brooklyn's futility.

Assistant coach Tony Brown will finish out the season as interim coach, while Billy King will be retained, reassigned, and made responsible for finding his own replacement.

Brooklyn Nets: Rebuilding the Future One Bean at a Time

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Brooklyn Nets: Boston Fans Shower Appreciation Upon Billy King For Helping Rebuild Celtics.

Let's be clear, before reaching court level, reasons why the Nets find themselves in this position start at the top.

Soon after purchasing controlling interest of the team, and on the eve of the 2010 Draft Lottery, Mikhail Prokhorov confidently proclaimed - May 2010/N.Y. Daily News:

"If everything goes as planned, I expect us to be in the playoffs next season ... and (win a) championship in one year minimum and maximum in five years."

On signing potential free agents:

"The excitement is with the Nets.  We will have a desire to win that is unmatched anywhere in the league.  This will be a first class organization with all the support it needs."

He's been relatively hands off, even preoccupied at times, and has yet to profess any personal long term commitments to the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center.

Financially speaking, however, there's no arguing the man puts his money where his mouth is.  As promised, the willingness and the resources have been available.

It's his front office I've fretted since day one.  The owner didn't necessarily tell them how to win a championship, so long as his appointed executives got it done.

On that note, the Nets never did win that NBA title (within five years), obviously.  Billy King proved money alone does not buy championships - or much else for that matter.  And so he's presently working on the next course of action.  I'd offer the plan is dubious at best - after all, King's constant roster manipulations have only served to plunge Brooklyn deeper into the depths of the Eastern Conference second division.

This blog has long maintained a displeasure for the way Rod Thorn was effectively shoved out the door, and at the time thought little of Billy King being named his successor ... and think even less of the job he's done to date.

The results speak for themselves.  After winning 49 games during their inaugural season in Brooklyn, they dipped to 44 victories two seasons ago, then fell below par with only 38 wins last seasons.  Now they're off to a dismaying 3-11 start this season.

Turn your attention back towards last Friday in Boston, and let's call the night for what it was - utterly embarrassing!

No, I'm not necessarily talking about getting smoked 120-95 by the Celtics.  I'm talking about getting dumped on by the Boston "bean eaters" in attendance.  Billy King was in the house, so you can well imagine how that went over.

The Nets' general manager was treated to chorus of...

• Thank - You - Brook - lyn!
• Brook - lyn - Draft - Picks!
• Clap - clap - clap clap clap!

Thing is, had Billy King just slept in a Holiday Inn the night of July 11, 2013, perhaps the Nets could have avoided this whole mess.  Instead, he woke up on July 12 inspired to acquire Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from Boston, in exchange for five players (Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph), and a treasure of Nets draft picks:

• 2014 - #1 draft pick.
• 2016 - #1 draft pick.
• 2017 - option to swap #1 draft picks.
• 2018 - #1 draft pick.

In other words, the Nets do not have control of their first round pick until 2019.

In the meantime, one could argue Billy King is rebuilding the Boston Celtics far more effectively than he is the Brooklyn Nets.

The Cetics outscored the Nets by a combined 221-206 scored during their recent home-and-home series.

Just saying...

Brooklyn Nets: The Dud of Flatbush

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Congratulations to Kevin Garnett, 

for Managing to Escape Billy King's Borough of Misfit Toys.

BROOKLYN NETS: Billy King's Deadline Dud.  Was He Outdone By His Contemporaries?

Hail, hail, the gang's still here.

The much anticipated blowup turned into nothing more than a bottle rocket, as trading Kevin Garnett for Thaddeus Young was Billy King's lone transaction of the day.

Rumors of sending Brook Lopez to OKC in return for Reggie Jackson never panned out.  That means it's back to coming off the bench for Lopez along with Deron Williams (because Jarrett Jack is still here too).

It's hard to believe that after posting a 21-31 record to date, winning only 40% of their games, falling out of the conference standings, and particularly after listening to Coach Hollins repeated criticisms all season, that Billy King would still have that much faith left in Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez to intentionally keep them together.

I'd rather argue there were 14 other general managers busier, or just plain better than Billy King, not only during the time leading up to Thursday's 3:00pm trade deadline, but ever since his initial appointment.

The situation the Nets are left in, without control of their first round draft picks for the foreseeable future can not go under spoken.  And, now that KG is back in Minnesota, we can say with certainty that King's ill-fated trade with Boston was a complete failure, and one that will cost this team for years to come.



Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Kings of the Second Circuit

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Billy King's Borough Of Misfit Toys

BROOKLYN NETS: Dear Ownership, Forget Lionel Hollins; Billy King Is Your Problem.  He Created This Mess That Will Compromise The Team For Years to Come.

Previously: The Woes of Flatbush

I've been saying for a while now, that it was only a matter of time before either Billy King or Mikhail Prokhorov got tired of listening to Lionel Hollins openly disparage the team.

The players certainly have.  But, in their case, the truth hurts.

On the one hand, it's nice that someone in upper management is actually worried whether Hollins' message is getting through to the players.  On the other hand, upper management just doesn't get it, because they're a large part of the problem.

In fact, Coach Hollins is least of the Brooklyn Nets problems.

He became available because of the "new ownership wanted to go in a new direction" thing.  Hollins otherwise left the Memphis Grizzlies in very good shape, and left behind some very good player relationships.

Lionel Hollins leaves no question as to who's in charge of the Nets locker room.  I couldn't say that with confidence about Jason Kidd or P.J. Carlesimo.  And, I know the Nets are a defensively improved team under Hollins.  That's also something I couldn't say about P.J. Carlesimo's or Jason Kidd's time as coach.

Hollins coaches with a heavy hand, and blindfolded to the names on jerseys; just ask Brook Lopez and Deron Williams.

But, what was already an erratic offensive team has gotten astonishingly worse under Coach Hollins, and they still lack a discernible offensive system of play.

The thing is, P.J. and Kidd each coached their respective variations of this roster, and had them turned around by January.  As January 2015 draws to a close, Coach Hollins' variation of the roster has so far failed to turn things around, and are failing in increasingly miserable fashion.

At least P.J. and Kidd were able to turn bad situations around, and guide their teams to the playoffs.   Last season, Jason Kidd and the Nets even won their first playoff series as a Brooklyn franchise, but were eliminated in the second round.

The last two games for Coach Hollins and the Nets were particularly distressing, in which they were outscored by a 231-157 margin.  On Jan. 22nd, they got routed by the Los Angeles Clippers, 123-84; a 39-point discrepancy.   On Jan. 24th, they were likewise blown out by the Utah Jazz, 108-73; another 35-point discrepancy.

They are just 3-10 in January, and 18-26 for the season, and have now fallen out of the Eastern Conference top eight teams.

There are two things, however, that Carlesimo, Kidd, and Hollins, all have in common: their general manager, and that for the third straight season the roster he assembled has been woeful against teams with winning records.

Billy King has taken Mikhail Prokhorov's passionate fiscal investment into Brooklyn basketball, and has by all counts built the worst team money can buy.  The man has maxed-out the salary cap for another season after this, and has severely compromised the team's draft for the remainder of the decade.

To the dismay of a borough, the Brooklyn Nets have become nothing more than the Kings of the Second Circuit.

Instead of an intensive audit into Lionel Hollins work, who the hell is putting Billy King under the spotlight?

Lionel Hollins signed a four year deal.  What is King going to do?  Fire him?  If he does, King should follow him through the door.  There is no way he can survive his present employment and be allowed to hire what would be the team's 5TH coach in less that three full seasons?

And, with the trade deadline looming, he's on the brink of making what would be his fourth radical makeover?

No mas!

Dear ownership, look no further.  Billy King is your problem.

Save us.

Hello?  Is any one there, or have you sold the team already?



Mike

Brooklyn Nets: The Woes of Flatbush

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Outside of a Kevin Garnett headbutt, 

the Hoops have been doing little rumbling in Flatbush.

BROOKLYN NETS: Time For Hollins and the Hoops to Get Out of Town and Regroup.

With forty-one games in the books, the Brooklyn Nets are at the halfway point of the season.

If the playoffs started today, the Nets would qualify as the Eastern Conference 8th seed.  That's a small consolation though.  Along with the Miami Heat, they are presently the only two qualifiers with losing records in a very weak field.  That makes them nothing more than the best of the rest; hardly a contender.

The Nets have a 17-24 record, which in today's NBA is actually good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division; nine games behind the Toronto Raptors.

In closing out the first half of their season Saturday night against the Wizards, with less than a minute left in the game and the Nets down by only five, I saw Coach Hollins implement no particular plan, and a team playing with no particular enthusiasm, or clue.

After the game, Jarrett Jack said they were tired.  That might have been true for him, otherwise, yes, Barclays fans are getting worn down by a tired situation.

Sensing the Nets desperately needed to get out of town, the schedule makers mercifully sent Coach Hollins and the Hoops out west this week for games against the Kings, Clippers, and Jazz.

The damage, however, has been done.  Friday's victory over Washington on the front end of a home-and-home snapped their 7-game losing streak.  Saturday's loss nonetheless became their 8th loss in their last 9 games; made them 2-8 in the new year; and dropped them to 8-14 at home.

They have exactly three highlights this season; an overtime victory over the Spurs, an impressive win over the Bulls, and perhaps Friday's victory over the Wizards.  They otherwise failed to sustain, following the San Antonio victory with a 3-game losing streak, and following that Bulls victory by losing 8 of their next 10 games.

What comes next is anyone's guess.

What we do know, is that this team is a slow, plodding, nonathletic, non-rebounding mess.  They lost a ponderous game to Philadelphia earlier this month, and for a third straight season own an amateurish record against winning teams.

Through 2 1/2 seasons in Brooklyn, the Nets are 110-95, and fading.  They won 49 games in their inaugural season, then dropped to 44 victories last season.  They need to go 23-18 the rest of the way just to reach 40 wins for a 3rd straight season, and go 24-17 just to finish the season with a .500 record.

For too long now, their two franchise players have failed to stay healthy.  This season, their limited play on the floor earned them seats on Coach Hollins' bench until further notice.

Worth mentioning is that Lionel Hollins is Billy King's 4th head coach in less than three seasons, and in an indirect way, Billy King's harshest critic.  The man minces no words when criticizing King's creation to the press.  During a recent post-gamer, he said the Nets identity was that of a bad shooting team.

Lines like that leave little room for interpretation.

Gerald Wallace; Paul Pierce; Shaun Livingston; Andray Blatche; Reggie Evans; Andrei Kirilenko; Marcus Thornton just to name a few - including the present collection - it's been three seasons of revolving rosters with no end in sight.

In the process, Billy King has this team financially capped out through next season, and has compromised the draft for years to come.

Their #1 pick in this summer's draft is expected to be swapped with the Atlanta Hawks - the #1 team in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets future drafts are no less compromised.  Boston owns the Nets 2016 #1 pick, and the Clippers have a right to swap #2 picks.  In 2017, Boston holds the right to swap #1, while the Nets #2 went to Atlanta.  In 2018, Boston owns Brooklyn's #1, and their #2 is potentially lost to Philadelphia. Philly also owns their 2020 #2 pick.

You would think such circumstances would inspire ownership to get involved, if not trigger a mushroom cloud rising over Flatbush.  But, instead of lashing out at his overly expensive, woefully under performing team, and at the GM responsible for putting this mess together, Mikhail Prokhorov is reportedly bailing out on Brooklyn.

The trade deadline is one month away, and with an apparent lack of oversight, Billy King is seemingly free to continue running a muck.

Woe is Flatbush.


Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Hollins, Harden, Howard and Head-Butts

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Waiting for the other sneaker to drop?

Trade Deadline ~ February 19th

BROOKLYN NETS: The Hoops of Flatbush Rumble with Houston Rockets; Kevin Garnett Head-Butts Persona Non Grata Dwight Howard...

....but Nets still lost.

Unlike the first two seasons in Brooklyn, the new calender year hasn't yet ushered in a successful turnaround like many hoped.

After ending 2014 on a high note with a decisive victory over the Bulls, then winning their first game in January over the Magic, the Nets have since gone 0-6 to establish their longest streak since moving to Flatbush Avenue.

Their best effort during this recent stretch came against the Mavericks, that is, until they petered out in overtime.  Then of course, a pathetic loss to the moribund Sixers was an especially bitter pill to swallow.  The Pistons loss followed, which brings us to Monday night's latest meltdown.

Brooklyn scored 28 points in the 1st period, dropped to 24 points in the 2nd, and scored just 18 points in the 3rd.  They scored 29 lightly defended points in the 4th, which infers Houston's 113-99 victory was already well in hand.

Brooklyn actually scored more fast break points and more points in the paint.  Rebounds, free throw attempts, and most other pertinent game stats were relatively even.

Their demise however, came from beyond the arch.  Led by James Harden, the Rockets launched 40 three-point attempts, and connected on 40% (16) of them.  Otherwise, the Rockets took 86 shots from the field and the Nets ended with 84, but attempted 19 less three-pointers than Houston.

James Harden exploited Bojan Bogdanovic en route to a game high 30 points, and tied Brooklyn's Jarrett Jack with a game high 6 assists.

Kevin Garnett earned his 8th career ejection when his temper got the best of him early in the 1st quarter.  After getting called for non-shooting foul on Howard, Garnett gave Howard a slight shove.   Howard shoved back more authoritatively.  Garnett then threw the basketball at Howard.  When the two drew closer for a sure confrontation, Garnett head-butted Howard, and Howard landed a retaliatory slap to the neck.

After Garnett's ejection, the home crowd and Mason Plumlee took good care of Howard thereafter.   In his first trip to Brooklyn since the whole "2012 Dwight Howard to Flatbush" drama played out, the Rockets center got booed every time he touched the ball, and ended the night with just 8 points and 5 rebounds.  Mason Plumlee (one of the few bright spots on this team), meanwhile, posted his 9th double/double of the season, with a team high 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Forced into early action off the bench, Brook Lopez scored 12 points and pulled down 6 rebounds in 24 minutes.  His opponent, however, had his way against Lopez in Kevin Garnett's absence.   Houston's Donatas Motiejunas was 8/11 from the floor, with a team high 11 rebounds, and a complimentary 18 points behind Harden.

If The Coach Yells Loud Enough, The Owner Just Might Hear Him

With Lionel Hollins, owner Mikhail Prokhorov is getting the best raw analysis of his basketball enterprise without the extra added cost of paying him overtime.  Proactive and image conscious corporations pay small fortunes to outside consultants for this very type of harsh critique.

Prior to Monday's game, Coach Hollins was asked if the team is still searching for an identity.  He answered very matter of fact -  ...the team has an identity; they're a bad shooting team.

(They actually shot 46% from the field Monday night, but......)

If the truth hurts, then the Nets players should be hooked on pain medication by now.  Coach Hollins has been brutally honest in his assessment of this team throughout the season, and his words only cut deeper with each passing game.

Make no mistake, he does speak the truth.  My only question is, how long will Billy King allow his coach to openly mock (!) the team he assembled?

Because the Eastern Conference is polluted with garbage 10 teams playing .500 basketball or below, the 16-22 Nets still have a solid hold on 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, and still rank 8th in the conference.  If the conference were only slightly better, the Nets would surely be worse.

That said, the trade deadline is just over a month away.  What's a general manager to do?

Better question is, considering the present cost of this team, the salary cap hell they're in, the lack of a return on that money, and lack of draft picks, and the fact that the team is on its 4th coach in 4 years, what's an owner to do?

Think about it - Coach has basically intimated throughout the season how this team sucks, to the point where, the owner just might agree with him.



Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Somewhere between Miami and Mediocrity

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS: Flatbush Big Three; Garnett, Jack, And Plumlee; Looking To Turn Up Heat In Miami.

That wasn't the plan, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Conventional wisdom..., right?

Is it conceivable that Lionel Hollins would finish the balance of the season with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez coming off the bench?  That remains to be seen, but don't put it past him.  He's made it very clear to everyone exactly how he feels.

Then again, the trade deadline is in February, so perhaps he'll bend (if it helps Billy King seek moves).

Whatever Hollins is doing, it's starting to work.

Entering tonight's game with the Heat, the Nets seemed to have gained a measure of balance.  At 16-16, they haven't been at .500 since November 14th.  They're 8-8 at home, and 8-8 on the road.

The numbers go askew, however, when you consider their 14-3 record against sub .500 teams, and their 2-13 record against winning teams.

According to those numbers, the Nets should have a good night in Miami against the Heat, who have cooled since the departure of LeBron James.  They enter Sunday's game with a 14-20 record, and an 6-12 record at home.

The Nets have won three in a row, and six of their last seven, and are two games removed from a dominant performance against the Chicago Bulls.

The Nets should escape the heat tonight, but they're still battling mediocrity.

POST GAME: Heat Burn Nets Early; Turn Back Nets Comeback Late.

FINAL

NETS  84

Heat    88

Not so fast...!

The Nets win steak got stopped at three Sunday night by the Miami Heat.  The Boys from Flatbush fell behind 30-21 after the opening quarter, and couldn't make up the difference.

Or, you could say the Nets shooting was atrocious; your pick.

Brooklyn hoisted 86(!) shots from the field, and only connected on 34 for a 39.5% night from the field, with 24 of those attempts coming from beyond the arch.  The Heat were 31/67, for a 46.3% success from the field.

Miami was lenient in the paint.  Brooklyn scored 40 points in the paint, and only took 13 shots from the stripe.  Miami diced up the Nets with 21/28 from the line.

The Nets had five players score double digits, versus two for Miami.  Chris Bosh led all scorers with 26 points, and was followed by Dwayne Wade's 25 points.  Joe Johnson and Mason Plumlee led the Nets starters with 19 and 12 points respectively.

Off the bench, Brook Lopez scored 16 points, while Deron Williams added 13 points and led all players with 8 assists.

Mason Plumlee and Brook Lopez lost a rebound battle 12/15 to Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside, whom led all players with 10 rebounds off the bench.

The important numbers dipped under par again.

The Nets are below .500 again with a 16-17 record, and are now 8-7 on the road.  Their record falls to 14-4 against teams with below .500 records.

The Nets have a quick turnaround.  They'll fly from Miami back to NYC for a Monday night game against the Dallas Mavericks at Barclays Center.

With Sunday's convincing 109- 90 victory over the Cavaliers, the Mavs arrive on Flatbush Ave with a 25-10 record, and just 1/2 game behind 1st place Memphis in the Southwest Division.  By the way, the Mavs also feature Rajon Rondo these days, who's scoring 7 points more per game over what he scored with Boston.

Mason Plumlee averages a (per-36 minute) double/double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.



Mike.

Brooklyn Nets: January Has Usually Meant Better Days Ahead

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Nets Hoping For A Happy New Year Under Coach Hollins

BROOKLYN NETS: After Yet Another Slow Start, Flatbush Banking On A Three Year New Year's Trend.

The 2012 calender year ended with Billy King firing head coach Avery Johnson because the team was floundering at .500 under him with a 15-15 record.  The Nets then won their first game under P.J. Carlessimo and closed out December with a 16-15 record.

From January on, the Nets posted a 33-18 record to finish the 2012-13 season with a 49-33 mark.

Last season, the Nets finished the calender year with a dismal 10-21 record.  It was right around Christmas when Jason Kidd effectively fired Lawrence Frank by banishing him from the bench and practices, and relegating him to providing scouting reports.

From January on, the Nets posted a 34-17 record to finish the 2013-14 season with a 44-38 final mark.

This season, the Nets will enter their first game of January with a 15-16 record.  No one got fired this past December, but there is clearly a new alpha-male in town who takes no prisoners.

The 4th Nets head coach in the last three years has basically called the owner's money based star system to task; he demeans Billy King's roster almost nightly; and has benched the team's highest paid players in Brook Lopez and Deron Williams.

Brook Lopez enjoyed a night of redemption last Tuesday when he poured in 29-points against the Bulls in Chicago, and the Nets have won 5 of their last 6 games with Deron Williams coming off the bench.  But, Coach Hollins said that's where they'll stay for now.  The team is now riding the wave created by Jarrett Jack and Mason Plumlee instead.

After a strong start that saw Deron Williams averaging 19 points and 7 assists per game, his play has cooled off considerably, to where he now averages just 14.4 points and 6.6 assists per game.  He is also shooting a career low 39% from the field.

His name also continues to get included in trade rumors.


Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Can't Hang With The Eastern Conference's Best

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

It's Gotta be The Shoes..

BROOKLYN NETS: Losing Is One Thing; Continually Getting Run Out Of The Building Is Another...

The final score in Brooklyn's loss in Toronto's was 105-89; a 16-point disparity.

Working out way back, their game against Chicago on December 10th ended 105-80 in the Bulls favor.  On Dec 8th, the Nets lost to Cleveland by a 110-88 final.  On December 5th, they fell by a 98-75 final to Atlanta.  Against Chicago on November 30th, they lost by a 102-84 margin.

Back on November 22nd, they fell 99-87 to the San Antonio Spurs.  It was then Coach Popovich paid nothing but complimentary words to Coach Hollins' Nets.

The fact remains, in the Nets last 6 losses they've been outscored 619-503, which works out to an average of 19.2 points per game.

All 5 teams presently own winning records.

The Nets do not.  They are now 1-9 against teams playing above the .500 mark.

If you didn't watch the Nets take on the Raptors, don't worry, you've seen that act before.  They got outscored 56-44 in the paint, and by a 14-4 margin on fast-break points.

Just saying....

The Nets continue to play without Brook Lopez, who might (might!) return this weekend when the Nets host the Pistons.

In his absence, Deron Williams leads the team with 16.4 ppg, and 6.9 assists per game.



Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Bad Just Got Worse

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop

BROOKLYN NETS: Rift between Coach Hollins and Brook Lopez widening; team's downward spiral continues; and don't look now, but here comes Jason Kidd!

Joe Johnson's attempt at a preemptive kick in the ass has seemingly resulted in a major case of team indifference.

How else do you describe it?

New coach; new players; I get it.

Not really; not to this degree.

The graffiti is spray painted on the brick wall.  Three games on the west coast proved how vulnerable the plodding Nets are to small line-ups.

Three games; three losses.  They played well at times, but not well enough, and clearly not long enough.  They played in spurts; the Brooklyn Spurts.

In Phoenix, the Nets were up by as many as 19 points, and took a 63-49 lead into halftime.  Then their shooting soured; they only shot 27.5% in the 2nd half.

But in truth, the game changed on a dime when the Suns imposed their style in the second half.  The Nets still led 84-78 after three quarters, but the defense took the rest of the night off as the Nets were outscored 34-20 in the 4th quarter en route to a 112-104 defeat.

Joe Johnson manned-up with 21 points, and Kevin Garnett posted a double/double with 12 points and 10 boards.  Mirza Telotovic and Brook Lopez chipped in with 16 points each, but all Lopez could manage was 3 rebounds.

Making a Point:

• Eric Bledsoe - 18 points, 3 assists.  Isaiah Thomas - 21 points and 2 assists off the bench.
• Deron Williams - 14 points and 5 assists in 34 minutes.

The Brooklyn Spurts were at it again in Oakland against the Warriors.  They jumped out to a 36-32 1st quarter lead, but trailed 66-54 at the half.  They played to a 3rd quarter stalemate, and the Nets even outscored the Warriors 24-20 in the 4th, but the damage had already been done.

Brooklyn's lack of interior defense was all too clear, allowing Golden State 50 points in the paint, and getting outpaced on fast-break points by a 30-9 margin.

They also got out-rebounded, and trailed Golden State 30-19 in team assists.

The Nets shot a sub-par 43.8% from the floor, and suffered through 3/16 from beyond the arch.

They ultimately fell 107-99, and failed to score 100-points for only the 2nd time this season (until....)
All 5 Warriors starters scored in double digits.

For this game, Deron Williams' standard of measure came against Steph Curry.

Making a Point:

• Stephen Curry - 17 points and 5 assists in 32 minutes.
• Deron Williams - 18 points and 5 assists in 33 minutes.
• Jarrett Jack scored a team high 23 points off the Nets bench.

The city of Portland provided yet another let down.  Poor shooting that began in Phoenix, and worsened in Oakland , bottomed out against the Blazers.

The Nets only scored 15 first quarter points, and shot an abysmal 39.3% for the game.  And if you can imagine it, the Nets 3/16 three-point experience against Golden State worsened, as the Nets connected on just one of 19 attempts from beyond the arch in Portland.

They were also out-rebounded, and handed out less team assists yet again.  Adding insult to injury, Portland played minus two main cogs; LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum.

Making a Point:

Damien Lillard - 28 points and 10 assists in 38 minutes.

Deron Williams - 19 points and 6 assists in 37 minutes.

That doesn't even begin to tell the story.  When Deron Williams wasn't getting defensively switched off Lillard, the Portland point guard was lighting up Williams like a roman candle.  More, Steve Blake stepped in with another 7 assists off the bench.

You would have thought the next best place for the Nets should have been home.

But in their first home game back at Barclays Center on Monday, they encountered a quiet, apathetic crowd.  The Nets responded in kind with a lethargic effort against the LeBron-less, Wade'less, and generally undermanned Miami Heat.

On this night, all Flatbush could manage was 83 points.  Their best effort came in the 2nd quarter when they scraped together 22 points, but were held to just 19 points in the final quarter en route to a 95-83 defeat to the Heat.

How's this for a downward trend:

• 104 points versus Phoenix
• 99 points versus Golden State
• 87 points versus Portland
• 83 points versus Miami

And how's this for Making a Point:

• Mario Chalmers - 22 points and 5 assists in 34 minutes.
• Deron Williams - 14 points and 7 assists in 35 minutes.

Throughout this time, the relationship between Coach Hollins and Brook Lopez continued to deteriorate even further.

....All since Joe Johnson tried administering the team a swift kick in the ass, remember?

Next:

On Wednesday evening, Jason Kidd and his Milwaukee Bucks come to Flatbush.  This will be the first meeting between clubs since Jason Kidd was jettisoned out of Barclays for attempting a coup d'etat.

This will also be the first time these clubs meet since Mikhail Prokhorov and Kidd served and volleyed through the media.

I don't know that a Brooklyn crowd will let bygones be bygones, and give Jason Kidd a well deserved ovation for being the best Nets player of all-time.  Obviously, New Jersey isn't across the continent, but it wasn't Brooklyn Jason Kidd led to back-to-back Finals appearances.  There's the rub.  How much of Kidd's playing history gets lost on Wednesday night's crowd remains to be seen.

In Empire State fashion, however, he just might get the Benedict Arnold treatment one might argue he deserves.

Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams Facing Big Test Against Steph Curry

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Nets Suffer Deflating Loss In Phoenix

TONIGHT

Brooklyn Nets

vs.

Golden State Warriors

from

Some Left Coast Arena

BROOKLYN NETS: Adversity Has Entered The Building.

Prior to Wednesday night's final in Phoenix, I viewed Joe Johnson's criticisms as a positive; a proactive measure before things got out of hand.  He just also happened to be  right.  Many times the Nets have looked and played like five individuals on the court.

Good for Joe.  He's put in his time.  Johnson has tenure, and produces on the floor (which perhaps resonates most among fellow athletes).

His veteran team mates also backed him up in the media.  What else were they going to do?  But Kevin Garnett indeed seemed all in, and Deron Williams' was particularly succinct with his response.

After a second half meltdown, however, and a 112-102 loss in Phoenix, Joe Johnson's message might have lost resonance.

The Nets took a 63-49 lead into halftime, only to shoot 27.5% in the second half, and get outscored by a 63-41 margin.  Many long faces grew on the Nets bench after watching a 19-point lead eroded by Gerald Green and the Suns

What Wednesday's game accomplished was to reiterate what a plodding half court team the Nets remain under Billy King.  Sure, the Nets shooting iced up as if gripped by the northern vortex, but the Suns sped up the game in the second half and never looked back.

The game also provided another glimpse into the potential rift growing between Coach Hollins and Brook Lopez, who again was given a seat on the bench during key stretches of the fourth quarter.

While Hollins/Lopez is making for good theater, tonight all eyes will revert back upon Deron Williams.  The Nets were undone in Phoenix in part due to late turnovers - Williams included.   Tonight they'll take on the Golden State Warriors - no easy task.

Deron will face his biggest challenge since opposing Rajon Rondo back in the season's opener.  That night, Rondo posted a double/double with 13 points and 12 assists, while Williams scored 19 points with 8 assists.  Tonight, he'll square off against Stephen Curry, who is averaging 26 points per game this season.

Deron Williams entered the season with a chip on his shoulder for having felt written off by most.   He also believes that with two healthy ankles, no one can defend him.  So far, actions have spoken louder than words.  In a sign his duel ankle problems are indeed behind him, Deron's recent efforts earned him NBA conference player of the week honors.  He averaged 21 points and 7 assists in 4 home games at Barclays Center.



Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Beat It Kidd, Ya Bother Me

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

"Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you."

In other words - beat it Kidd, ya bother me!

BROOKLYN NETS: He's My Kinda Comrad, But A Little More Commitment Would Be Nice.

Opening night in Brooklyn saw 17,732 fans prove the Nets have earned a measure of Borough loyalty, while the team itself showed they're building staying power.

Now if Mr. Prokhorov can just reciprocate.  Not that he's done anything wrong.  I would like more assurances from him that he's committed to this team though.  To summarize, he's not actively pursuing a sale of the team, but he'll listen.  That's just being a good businessman.  But we don't necessarily have to like it.

However, what many Nets fans loved was Mr. Prokhorov basically telling Jason Kidd not to let the door hit in the ass on the way out.

Well done boss.....

The Brooklyn Nets won their 3rd straight home opener.  They defeated the depleted Oklahoma City Thunder Monday night in Barclays Center.  Tonight, they'll host the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Brook Lopez stepped on the court on Monday for the first time this season, and along with Alan Anderson scored a team high 18 points.  Mason Plumlee scored 10 and pulled down a team high 8 boards.  Deron Williams scored 17 points, played a team high 37 minutes, and distributed a game high 9 assists in the 116-85 win.

The Nets have now topped 100 points in each of their 3 games this season, averaging 107.6 points, while allowing an average of 89 ppg.

Let's see what tonight offers against the T-Wolves post Kevin Love.

TONIGHT

Minnesota Timberwolves

vs.

Brooklyn Nets

from

BARCLAYS CENTER

Flatbush Avenue

Mike

Brooklyn Nets Routed By Rebuilding Celtics in Boston

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FINAL

NETS    105

Celtics   121

BROOKLYN NETS: Defense Calls In Sick On First Day Of Work.

Wait till the first home game, right?

Uh, no!

Deron Williams' pre-season assessment with regards to playing defense must be taken at face value.   He accused the Nets of being lazy last season.

• Lazy is defined as unwilling to work or use energy.

To watch it in application, one must look no further than game one of the 2014-2015 regular season.

The early returns are now in.  Coach Hollins' efforts to improve the defense have paid off handsomely - for Boston.

In truth, the Nets looked lethargic playing against youngsters.

The (rebuilding!) Celtics jumped out to a 32-23 1st quarter lead and never looked back.  By halftime, they owned a decisive 67-41 lead over the visiting Nets, en route to a dominating 121-105 final in Boston.

While the Nets were more proficient from the free throw line, and even out-rebounded the Celts 39-35, they also turned the ball over 20 times that contributed to 25 points the other way.

Rajon Rondo and 7 other Celtics scored in double-digits.  Boston was 49/88 (55.7%) from the floor.
Rondo also broke down Brooklyn's statuesque defense with a game high 12 assists, which helped the Celts outscore Flatbush 62-40 in the paint.

Brooklyn on the other hand was 39/80 (48.9%) from the floor (which for them is actually good).  

Off the bench, Mirza Teletovic led all scorers with 20 points.  Deron Williams led all players with 39 minutes, and led the Nets with 8 assists.  He and Joe Johnson contributed 19 points each.

In his first game as a Net, Jarrett Jake played 30 minutes off the bench and scored 11 points.

Kevin Garnett was the fifth Net in double-digits, with 10 points to go along with 6 rebounds in 23 minutes time.

Next stop for the lumbering Nets is Detroit, where they'll face the Pistons Saturday night.



Mike

Brooklyn Nets: Wait Till Next Year Reprise

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Time To Hang Up The Sneakers Till Next Year.

BROOKLYN NETS: The Nets have a good jab, and an effective left hook, but they lack a straight right to put teams away.

Wasn't it a dependency on ISO (isolation basketball) that was partly, if not largely responsible for Avery Johnson and P.J. Carlesimo getting fired?

So, there was Joe Johnson isolated on LeBron James to end the game....  By itself, that might have been fine.  But, in truth, the first thing that came to my mind was - there's no plan here.  I thought that, because in the closing minutes, I felt Jason Kidd was guilty of designing some of the poorest plays coming out of time outs (I'm talking Mike Woodson poor), punctuated by a horrific in-bounds attempt.

Indeed, there was something very Knicks-like about the way Game Five ended, which explains why the Brooklyn Nets are free to make plans for summer vacation.  They had 14 assists all game - pondersous.

Did the Nets get screwed on a couple of whistles, or lack there of?  Sure.  Different calls could have fostered a different outcome.  In fact, I'd love the for the league to explain how it was that LeBron James went to the foul line more times than the entire Nets team.

The Nets nevertheless beat themselves.  The Miami Heat were begging for defeat this series, but on three occasions, Brooklyn could not close them out.   That's what makes this all so frustrating.

Once again, the Nets faded away late in the game, while Miami finished on a 13-3 run.  It was actually worse than that.  After Joe Johnson connected on a jumper at 4:48, the Nets missed on their next nine attempts.  They went through the next 4:37 before Joe Johnson connected on another three-pointer with just 0:11 left on the clock.

By then, the look on Paul Pierce's face said it all.  He was clearly hacked by LeBron James in the closing moments, but was also guilty of an 0 for 3 in the final minutes as well.

This is the way Brooklyn's second NBA playoff ends, having played a series of good games marred by horrible finishes.  For the record, it ends in a (second round) Game Five 96-94 loss to the defending champions from Miami.

Now what?

For Billy King, it may not necessarily be back to the drawing board, unlike after the Nets inaugural season in Brooklyn, but at the same time, the fix may not be that easy.

Billy King's top two salaried bipeds suffer from chronic lower appendages.  Deron Williams is going for an MRI on both ankles, and of course, there's Brook Lopez.  It was painfully obvious the Nets could have used a healthy Lopez against both the Raptors and Heat.

Paul Pierce's contract will be expiring.  Shaun Livingston also becomes a free agent this summer, and should parlay this season into a substantial increase.  Kevin Garnett and Joe Johnson aren't getting any younger either.

What became very clear in these playoffs, is that the Nets need someone who will provide a knockout blow. Collectively, the Nets have a good jab, and an effective left hook, but they lack a straight right to put teams away.

The off-season will be interesting to say the least.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Failure To Close Out Games Has Flatbush In A Bind

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS: Flatbush Needs Angry Deron Back.

Some things never change.

LeBron James' Monday night romp was no different than the way Michael Jordan used to come to town and light up the Knicks.  You knew he was going to get his points.  The objective was to shut down Scottie Pippen, and everyone else.

And, as was the case on many nights back when those Bulls visited the Garden, despite the main attraction putting on a show, this Miami Heats team, like those Bulls, have been similarly begging to lose.  But, now, as then, teams fail to step up, and suffer from poor late game execution.

In Game Four, the Nets simply failed to deliver a knockout blow.  Worse, they increasingly look discombobulated in the final rounds.  A failure to close out the Heat has now cost the Brooklyn Nets two games this series.  One more loss, and they'll have no one to blame for their elimination, but themselves.   They opted for a rope-a-dope in Game Four, and paid a price.  Now it is the Heat who are on the verge of delivering a TKO in Five.

The Nets were right there, in the middle of the ring exchanging haymakers.  But, we've seen this team suddenly go limp time, and again.  Thing is, Brooklyn took more shots from the field, converted more free throws, won the battle of the boards, distributed more assists, actually scored more points in the paint, and got more scoring from their bench.

But, you just can't let the Heat hang around.  You have to score late buckets with similar 1st quarter-like accuracy, or risk becoming undone.  That said, with roughly 4:00 left in the game, and the score locked at 92-92, that's exactly what happened.  The Ghoul of Flatbush reared its ugly head again to spook Brooklyn.

After Joe Johnson's free throws at the 3:55 mark, the Nets went 2 for their last 10 possessions, getting outscored 10-4 in the game's closing minutes.   Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Joe Johnson combined to shoot 0 for 4 from the field on the Nets final 6 possessions, while the Nets only points in the final 2:30 came on Kevin Garnett's 2 free throws, and Mirza Teletovic's layup with just 0:07 left.

Miami shot 52.9% from the field, while the Nets slumped in the 4th quarter to finish 43.6% for the night.   The Nets additionally only managed 20 points in the final quarter - their lowest output of the four sessions.

No one really expected the Nets to repeat their Game Three performance from beyond the arch.  Instead, Game Four was all about late, clutch, 2-point buckets.   The Nets even secured a series of defensive rebounds in those closing minutes, but failed to convert.  There's your game.

The Nets now face elimination for the third time in the 2013-14 playoffs.  They faced two straight elimination situations against the Toronto Raptors, and prevailed each time in games Six and Seven.  But, these are the defending NBA champions the Nets are now forced to defeat three straight times, and do it without the benefit of home court advantage.

I understand trying to slow down LeBron is a mixed bag of goods.  Over defending him will just set up the next guy's shot.  But, letting him start his drive from Calle Ocho, then allowing him to remain untouched all the way to the basket, is getting embarrassing.  I'd additionally keep a watchful eye on Chris Bosh too.  He's been slipping through the cracks and delivering big buckets.

On offense, the Nets need 10 points from Garnett, and can Deron Williams finally outplay Mario Chalmers for a change?  Deron's off-season narrative is going to be brutal as it is.  For now however, the formula is proven. When Deron plays well, the Nets win.   When he drives the lane and misses layups (or runs into three defenders without a plan, and turns the ball over), Game Four happens.

Where's the Deron Williams that got pissed off after getting torched by John Wall (back during the regular season)?  The Nets need Angry Deron back.



Mike.BTB