Brooklyn Nets: Loss To Philly Is Another Failure To Seize The Moment

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - Just A Brutal Loss To Philadelphia... 
A Win Over Sixers Would Have Closed The Atlantic Division Gap To Two Games.  Meanwhile, Out In Oakland...

........the Knicks Were Getting Hammered By The Warriors.  J.R. Smith got ejected from the game after committing a Flagrant-Two.  And Carmelo Anthony was clearly hobbling about the court with a bum knee.  To open the fourth quarter, the Knicks were down by twenty.  With ten minutes to go, they were still down by twenty.  A Nets win combined with a Knicks loss would have brought Brooklyn within 1 1/2 games of first place.

Ponderous.  I'll Update After Knicks Go Final.

FINAL
Knicks      63
Warriors  92

 

*

Deron Williams is playing his best ball since being acquired by the Nets.  For the moment, whatever treatment he recently received for his ailing ankles seems to be working wonders.  Aside from his collective game, there was his record setting nine first half three-pointers (eleven total) against the  Wizards, and 42-points for the game.  Deron followed that up with the 10,000th point of his NBA career on Monday.  Against the Sixers, Williams posted another double-double, scoring twenty-seven points and distributing thirteen assists.


But what a brutal loss!  Just brutal.  Monday night's 106-97 loss was the epitome of a let down.  Coming off three consecutive wins, and playing a bad, and worsening Philadelphia 76ers team, the expectation was to extend the win streak to four.  The New York Knicks, on consecutive days lost Carmelo Anthony for a few games to a sore knee, and Amare Stoudemire was lost till maybe May requiring knee surgery.  Oklahoma City cut the Nets some slack when they defeated the Knicks last Thursday.  As such, the Nets were within 2 1/2 games of the Atlantic Division leaders entering Monday's game.  A win over the Sixers would have brought the Brooks a half game closer before the Knicks took the floor against Golden State.  Back on February 22nd, the Nets could have pulled within a game of the Knicks, but instead bowed to Houston, then followed that game with a putrid 72-point performance at Barclays against Memphis while holding them to just 76-points.  That loss gave the Nets a 33-24 record.  It just seems when the Nets pull within two games of the Knicks, they break out in a rash.  The Nets record now stands at 37-27; fourth seed in the conference.  In the Atlantic Division, they are five back of the Knicks in the loss column, pending New York's outcome against the Warriors.


Someone explain to me how Philly managed six players scoring double-digits!  I guess we can start with Philly center Spencer Hawes, who dominated Brook Lopez down low.  He scored a Sixers' high twenty-four points and pulled down ten rebounds.  He even issued seven assists and blocked two shots.  That's a good night's work.  Brook Lopez finished with a much more quiet nineteen points and six boards.  In fifteen minutes, Andray Blatch scored nine points.


Try this.  Compared to Brooklyn, Philly's small forwards played like giants.  In twenty-six minutes, Gerald Wallace was a complete non factor.  He was 2/8 shooting, with four points and just one rebound.  He was the only Nets starter not to make it to the foul line.  Off the bench, Mirza Teletovic and Keith Bogans totalled forty-three minutes, and combined to add an equally inconsequential seven points and seven rebounds.  The fact Reggie Evans even scored nine points was a plus.  Makes me wonder if Kris Humphries has the spaldings to ask P.J. back into the rotation?  By comparison, Philly wingers Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner combined to score thirty-two points (sixteen each), and teamed up for seventeen rebounds.  Then for good measure, Dorell Wright scored another fifteen off the bench.


For the game, the Sixers shot 52% from the field.  Brooklyn shot 49%, which is good for them.  You can say the Nets lost due to spotty defense, or a poor offensive second quarter.  There is a weak case that the Sixers shot 53% on 8/15 from behind the arch, and the Nets shot 31%, on 6/19 shooting.  But we're talking a net gain of six points there.  Instead, Philadelphia hammered Brooklyn at the foul line - not that either team shot well.  Philly had eleven more attempts than Brooklyn.  The Sixers were 18/27 - 66% from the stripe, while the Nets trailed with 11/16 for 69% shooting.


The Nets have a quick turn-around.  They host New Orleans at Barclays Center Tuesday evening.




Mike.BTB

B'klyn Nets: Flatbush Fails To Claim Share Of Atlantic Division Lead

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - Houston's James Harden Provided The Insanity At Barclays Center.  Jeremy Lin Did Little.

Nets Fail To Capitalize On Knicks Loss To Toronto Raptors.

Remain One Game Out Of First Place.

 

 

FINAL

Rockets  96

NETS     86

The Nets roster remained in tact, and will move forward as they were.  Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks are still on the team which means Billy King couldn't acquire anyone at the trade deadline to help alleviate Deron Williams' burden, or pain.  The team's overall poor outside shooting went unaddressed as well.  Moving forward, P.J. said Deron Williams will be hobbled by ankle problems the rest of the season.  On Friday night, Joe Johnson was scratched due to an injured heel.


Without Joe Jo on the floor, the Nets shot 49% from the floor in the first half against LINsanity and the visiting Houston Rockets.  After two quarters, Brook Lopez was 7 of 12 with fifteen points.  Deron was 4 of 8, with ten points and four assists.  Only problem, the Rockets shot 58.1% from the field in the first half.  Jeremy Lin had five assists and Chandler Parsons led the Rockets with ten points.  Houston took an eight point, 61-53 lead into the half.


Seven and a half minutes into the third quarter, the Nets tied Houston 64-64.  At 5:38, Brook Lopez tied the game again at 68-68 with a floater in the lane.  With 3:37 left in the third quarter, P.J. called a time out with his team down by a 73-68 margin.  A turnover by Lopez was converted at the other end for a 75-71 Houston lead.  But Lopez came back and dropped a deuce to make it a 75-73 game with 2:00 left.  After Deron Williams lofted a brick, James Harden made it a five point game.  Then Deron heaved another brick, and Harden hit again, making it an 83-75 game.  It was only natural then, James Harden appropriately closed out the quarter hitting one of two shots from the line.  The buzzer sounded with the Rockets holding an 84-75 lead.


A minute into the fourth quarter, the Rockets were up by twelve.  At 10:25, Houston buried their fourteenth three-pointer of the game to cap a 15-0 run.  Houston was 58% from three point land at that point, and shooting 54.7% from within the arch.  Brooklyn's FG% was dropping, and lay at a 43.7% mark.  By 8:10, the Nets had closed within ten points.  Andray Blatche stormed the lane and dunked at 7:54 to make it an eight point game.  He then put up an air ball and came up with a steal.  Brooklyn went on a 9-0 run and closed within 92-87 with 5:00 to go.  At the other end, James Harden pushed the ball hard on Bogans, got a friendly rim, and the foul, to make it a 95-87 game.  Mirza Teletovic nailed a trey from the left corner to get the Nets within three points with 3:37 left.  Teletovic then turned on the ultra-hustle, diving and fighting for a loose ball - and got kicked in the head to boot.  In fact, he was having a fine quarter pulling down defensive rebounds and giving the Nets possessions.  Keith Bogans missed a three point attempt with 2:10 left.  But Houston's Carlos Delfino would knock one down to make it a six point game.  Then Carlos Delfino did it again with another two.  At 0:39, James Harden pushed the stake through Brooklyn's heart.  He buried a three point shot, and got the foul, putting Houston ahead by a 105-96 score.  After he made his free throw, this game ended in a 96-86 final.  The Nets lost by ten.


In the  end, it was James Harden who provided the insanity for Houston; not Jeremy Lin.  Harden finished with twenty two points; fourteen in the second half; and none bigger than his points in the closing two minutes.  Jeremy Lin was limited to nine points, and handed out a team high six assists.  Houston shot 53.2% from the field, and 52.3% from beyond the arch.  They hit 16/30 three pointers.  The Nets only hit 10/30 three point shots for 33.3%, and ended 44% from the field.


Brook Lopez finished with twenty seven points and six rebounds.  Hobbled by both ankles, Deron Williams scored fifteen points and led all players with thirteen assists.  Reggie Evans led all players with thirteen rebounds.  Mirza Teletovic had a nice night off the bench with twelve points and five important rebounds in the fourth quarter.


Friday night offered Brooklyn an opportunity to tie the Knicks for first place in the Atlantic Division.  Up in Toronto, the Knicks had their troubles.  They lost 100-98 to the Raptors.  Instead, the Nets will end the night the way they started, with no new faces on the roster, and one game behind the Knicks for first place in the Atlantic standings.



Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Pull Within One Game Of First Place

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - Sweep Home and Home from Bucks.

FIRST PLACE IS JUST A GAME AWAY

Like night and day - or in this case, from night to night, or like I said the other day - from quarter to quarter, the Brooklyn Nets were stricken for portions of the game by a bad case of poor shooting percentage, out in cold Milwaukee.  Then like flicking a switch, they turn it on.


Half way through the third quarter, the Nets were behind by ten points.  They were trailing 64-54, and shooting 33% from the floor.  Brook Lopez was only 3/13 shooting.  Deron Williams and C.J Watson were keeping things respectable.  Deron had twelve points and five assists to that point.  And C.J. Watson had eleven points off the bench.  Meanwhile, Milwaukee was launching shots with a 58% rate of success.  The Bucks were out-scoring the Nets in fast break points by a 21-6 margin, and out-scoring Brooklyn 30-16 in the paint.  The Nets were getting out-rebounded, and the Bucks handed out more assists.  For a second consecutive night, Brandon Jennings was leading all scorers.


Brooklyn made a series of defensive stops, and Crash actually scored a pair on transition during a 9-2 Brooklyn run, which closed the Nets gap to five points, in a 66-61 game and 3:40 to play in the third quarter.  At 3:07, Brandon Jennings buried his twenty sixth point of the evening making the score 71-61, and giving Milwaukee a ten point lead again.  From that point, Brandon Jennings would not score again until there were less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.  The third quarter ended with the Nets behind by a 76-68 score.


At 10:46 of the fourth quarter, Marshon Brooks nailed a big three which brought the Nets within one point.  At the 10:00 mark, Brooklyn enjoyed its first lead; 77-76; since very early in the first quarter.  A pair of Marshon Brooks free throws made the score 79-76 Nets.  The Nets shooting improved to 42% in the second half.  And the Nets started to flex themselves on the defensive boards.  By the seven minute mark, the Nets were up to 52% shooting from the floor.


After Milwaukee tied the game at 81-81 all, Kieth Bogans nailed a huge three-pointer at the 5:40 mark.  Kris Humphries soon followed with a mid-range jumper, drew a foul, and converted the three point play to put Brooklyn ahead by an 87-81 score.  The Nets had played the previous three and a half minutes with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez on the bench.  And speaking of the bench, by the 2:50 mark of the fourth quarter, they had amassed forty five on their forty seven points of the night.  As Brooklyn kept up their defensive rebounding, Andray Blatche Blatche was busy putting the Nets ahead by an 89-81 mark.


Deron returned to the floor and hit a trey at the 1:50 mark, making the score 94-83 Nets.  A couple of turnovers and lapses in defense made P.J. Carlesimo call for a time out.  With 0:32 seconds left, the Nets were still clinging to a 94-92 lead.  C.J. Watson drove the lane with 15.5 seconds left and scored two huge points for a 96-92 lead.


With 4.4 seconds left, the Nets nearly blew an in-bounds pass to Deron Williams.  The Nets maintained possession, and with 3.4 seconds left, Milwaukee fouled and sent Williams to the line.  But Deron only made one of two free throws, leaving the door open for the Bucks in what was then a 97-94 game.  Incredulously, Deron Williams was called for a questionable foul on a three point attempt.  But Milwaukee's Monta Ellis missed all three free throws, and Brooklyn rebounded the last shot to secure a three point win.


In the end, it was Milwaukee's shooters that went cold in the fourth quarter.  At one point, they were 2 of 16 from the field.  The Nets pulled themselves together, and finished shooting an even 40% for the game.  The Nets swept both games of the home and home.


Deron Williams led the Nets with twenty three points and eight assists.  He was 7/16 from the field.  C.J. Watson was big off the bench with seventeen points.  Andray Blatche posted a double-double with twelve points and twelve rebounds.  On the night after toasting the Bucks, not once, but twice, with last second shots, Joe Johnson was limited to eight points on this night.


The Nets are winners of their last four in a row.  They now sport a 33-22 record this season.  The Brooklyn Nets are now just one game behind the Knicks for first place of the Atlantic Division.  The Knicks by the way, got crushed by the Indiana Pacers by a 125-91 score.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Knots Season Series Against Knicks

From the desks of:

THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH  &  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
SHOWDOWN

 

BATTLE of the BOROUGHS - V

Nets and Knicks End Series 2-2

I - Hurricane Sandy

II - BK 96; NY 89 *

III - NY 100; BK 97

IV - NY 100; BK 86

* overtime

GAME FIVE FINAL
Brooklyn     88
Manhattan  85

GAME SUMMARY - Nineteen Turnovers Prevent Nets From Cruising To An Easier Victory.  Without Ray Felton On Floor, Carmelo Anthony Could Not Beat Brooklyn By Himself.


The Brooklyn Nets made things significantly more difficult for themselves by turning the ball over nineteen times.  Otherwise, this afternoon they rode Deron Williams' ball distribution, Kris Humphries' and Brook Lopez' strong rebounding, and Joe Johnson's clutch buckets to victory over the New York Knicks before a festive Martin Luther King Jr. Day crowd inside Madison Square Garden. The Flatbush Hoops owned a 26-24 lead after the first quarter, and took a 47-41 advantage into the break.


Even though Melo dropped his obligatory eighteen first half points, offensively the Knicks remain a team out of sync.  A compare and contrast will bare that out.  After Pablo Prigioni got wiped out on a pick and left the game, Melo was forced to play the fourth quarter as a point/forward.  But that only compounded the Knicks greater problems without Ray Felton on the floor.


First lets talk points.  After Melo's eighteen, Chris Copeland and Jason Kidd were the Knicks next high scorers with five and six points respectively.  Amare Stoudemire did not factor into the game until the second half.  For the Nets, scoring was more balanced.  Joe Johnson scored thirteen points, Brook Lopez eleven, and Kris Humphries dropped nine first half points.  Lets talk assists now.  Melo was also Knicks high man with three first half assists.  Chris Chandler and Ronnie Brewer had one apiece.  Deron Williams had seven first half assists for the Nets alone.  Now lets talk rebounds.  The Nets really excelled on the glass.  They held a 27-16 advantage after two quarters.  Twenty one of the Nets boards came on the defensive end.  And that has nothing to do with Ray Felton being injured.  Tyson Chandler led the Knicks with six first half boards.  Kris Humphries pulled down eight.  Reggie Evans and Brook Lopez pulled down five apiece.  For the Knicks, all that adds up to a six point deficit at the half.  All didn't go perfectly for Brooklyn however.  The Nets turned the ball over eleven times in the first half versus just two times by the Knicks.


Brook Lopez opened the third quarter with a jumper.  Crash Wallace then gave Brooklyn a nine point lead by nailing a three-pointer, and shortly followed with another layup to make it a 54-45 game.  Midway through the third quarter, Tyson Chandler ripped through the lane for a dunk to get the Knicks within three.  Deron Williams responded with a pair of three's.  But with 3:32 left in the quarter, J.R. Smith helped reduce a 60-55 Brooklyn lead to one point with consecutive buckets.  The Knicks completed a 10-0 run with 2:20 left, and owned a 63-60 lead.  With 0:52 on the clock, Joe Johnson hit two free throws to tie the game at sixty three all.  By this time, the Nets had committed fifteen turnovers and were paying a price for repeated miscues and losing the defensive bearing they adhered to in the first half.  A Melo three-pointer, and Amare Stoudemire's closing dunk gave the Knicks a 68-65 lead after three quarters.


To open the fourth quarter, and to the chagrin of Brooklyn fans, Marshon Brooks and Kris Humphries joined forces to execute and score on a fast break.  The Nets scored exactly zero fast break points in the first half, and only two all game.  Keith Bogans helped Flatbush regain their lead with a trey to make it a 70-68 game.  But Amare's dunk at 10:23 tied the game again at seventy all.


Fresh off two more Brooklyn turnovers (#16 and #17), J.R. Smith nailed a three pointer to give the Knicks a 75-72 lead, then headed back the other way while he mimicked spinning his still smokin' six-shooters back into their holsters.


With 8:09 left in the fourth, C.J. Watson came off Brooklyn's bench and tied the game again at 75-75 with a three.  Then Joe Johnson took over.  A three pointer at 7:20 gave Brooklyn a 78-75 lead.  After a J.R. Smith basket, another Joe Johnson three pointer gave Brooklyn an 81-77 lead.  And yet another Joe Johnson jumper gave the Nets an 83-77 lead, and completed an 11-2 Flatbush run.


The Nets continued turning over the ball until they reached number nineteen halfway through the quarter.  Brooklyn was leading 83-77 with 5:30 left in the game.  And then their scoring stopped.  A series of key blocked shots by Brook Lopez and continued tenacious rebounding kept the Nets going until the clock read 0:52 seconds, with the score reading 83-82 Nets.  After a foul, Melo completed two free throws to complete a 7-0 Knicks run, giving Manhattan an 84-83 lead again.


Later with 22.3 seconds left, Joe Johnson popped from outside again.  At the other end, Brook Lopez pulled down another huge rebound off a Melo miss.  After Deron Williams nailed two free throws, the Nets were up by an 87-84 score with 8.3 seconds to go.  P.J.Carlesimo perhaps made the call of the night in deciding to foul Jason Kidd, putting him at the line with 7.5 seconds.  Kidd hit his first shot, then fouled Deron Williams with 5.7 seconds left after the Nets guard drew the rebound and tried heading the other way off the miss.  Deron hit one of two.  After J.R. Smith's last attempt at a three pointer missed, Brooklyn walked off the MSG floor with an 88-85 victory.


Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with twenty nine points.  Next high man on the Knicks was J.R. Smith with sixteen points off the bench.  Amare Stoudemire scored fifteen mostly second half points.  Jason Kidd kicked in eleven, and Tyson Chandler contributed seven points in the Knicks losing effort.


The Knicks shot 40.5% from the floor.  That's not the Knicks main matter as the Nets shot at a 41.9% clip.  Brooklyn wound up beating the Knicks at their own game, outscoring them 36-18 from three point land.  The Nets shot 50%, hitting twelve of twenty four from behind the three-point line.  The Knicks only shot 28.6% from behind the arch, making only six of twenty one shots.


Joe Johnson was the Nets high man with twenty five points.  Deron Williams and Brook Lopez each dropped fourteen.  Off the bench, Kris Humphries kicked in eleven points, and Keith Bogans added eight.  Deron Williams led all players with twelve assists.  As a team, the Knicks totalled fourteen.  Seven assists came from Melo.


Brooklyn dominated the boards.  Brook Lopez (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Kris Humphries (11 points, 13 rebounds) are the Nets double-doubles.  For the game, Brooklyn out-rebounded Manhattan by a wide 52-37 margin.  Both teams were actually sub-par from the free throw line.


The 2012-2013 inaugural battle for the city ends in a tie.  Both teams won a game apiece.  Unless these teams meet again in the playoffs, they will not play each other again this season.  But with regard to the Atlantic Division standings, the Nets and Knicks now have an equal number of wins.  Brooklyn improved to 25-16, while the team from Manhattan sports a 25-14 record.  With Monday's win, Brooklyn moves to within one game of the first place New York Knicks.  The Nets also improved their road record to a 9-9 mark.  This was the Knicks sixth loss at Madison Square Garden.


This game marked the mid-point in Brooklyn's inaugural season.  Forty one games are in the books.  Forty one more games to go.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Defends Home Turf Against Visiting Hawks

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - Flatbush Salvages Back End Of Home-And-Home Against Atlanta.  Team Saves Face In Brooklyn.


Last Wednesday was supposed to be Joe Johnson's night in the spotlight as he was due to face his former team for the first time since being traded to the Nets.  But the Brooks showed up lethargic in Atlanta and lost by a deflating 109-95 disparity.  As it turned out, it was former Nets guard Devin Harris who had himself a rather enjoyable game with eighteen points and five assists against his former team.


In the Friday night follow up, the Nets were having to work hard in order to play with the Hawks at Barclays.  The teams were tied after the first period, and remained tied after the second period, and third period.  However, Brooklyn's first half effort was marked by turnovers that really kept Atlanta hanging around.


With just over a minute remaining in the game, the Hawks pulled down a defensive rebound and quickly went into transition.  Josh Smith received an outlet pass and fended off Brook Lopez as the two headed up court.  Once they gained the paint, Josh Smith shoved down a vicious dunk in the face of Lopez that pulled the Hawks within a point of Brooklyn, in what was now a 90-89 game.  The play punctuated a 7-0 run by the Hawks......


I then sensed the sharks beginning to circle.  There was sure to be a wave of media criticism headed the Nets way if they dropped the back end of this home-and-home series.  The knock on Flatbush during their inaugural season is them only being able to defeat sub-par teams.  And heading into Atlanta Wednesday evening, the numbers supported that growing sentiment.  The Nets were only 7-14 against teams with winning records before facing the Hawks.  After Wednesday, they had dropped to a 7-15 record.


Despite Atlanta's 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter, the final quarter was actually highlighted by a much improved defensive effort in which the Brooks limited visiting Atlanta to fifteen points.


For the game, Deron Williams led all scorers with twenty four points.  Brook Lopez dropped twenty points.  Joe Johnson improved by three points over his effort in Atlanta and scored eighteen points Friday evening at home.  Andray Blatch joined the double digit scorers club with eleven points in sixteen minutes off the bench.  Keith Bogans was Nets high man logging twenty one minutes off the bench, in which he scored eight points. Of the starters, Joe Johnson logged in a whopping forty one minutes.


Brooklyn out-rebounded Atlanta by a formidable 48-35 margin.  Reggie Evans was a monster on the glass, recording twice as many boards as Atlanta's top rebounder, Josh Smith, who pulled down nine.  Reggie Evans pulled down twenty rebounds.  Fifteen of those came on the defensive end.


Atlanta actually out-shot the Nets in all respects.  From the floor, the Hawks shot 43% versus just 40% for Brooklyn.  Both teams hit nine three-pointers.  But Atlanta came in at almost 43%, while the Brooks shot 34% from behind the arch.  And from the free throw line, the Hawks enjoyed a 71% versus 68% edge.  However, Brooklyn bested the Hawks twenty five points versus ten.


Crash Wallace was on the floor Friday.  In his first game back since bruising ribs against Phoenix, he played twenty nine minutes and scored a quiet eight points, pulled down four rebounds, and issued three assists.  He had one block and managed one steal.


Brooklyn held on Friday evening.  The Nets salvaged the back end of this home-and-home by a 94-89 final score.  The Nets are now 16-7 at Barclays.  They upped their record to 10-2 under P.J. Carlesimo.  But more importantly, they provided a response.  They rebounded, and improved their record to 8-15 against teams with winning records.  Perhaps the media sharks will remain docile, and not bite on Saturday.




Mike.BTB