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: Flatbush Taking Their Talents To South Beach

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

!Nos Vamos a Miami ~ We're Going To Miami!

Brooklyn Wins Series Over Toronto 4-3

I - BKN 94; TOR 87

II - TOR 100; BKN 95

III - BKN 102; TOR 98

IV - TOR 87; BKN 79

V - TOR 115; BKN 113

VI - BKN 97; TOR 83

VII - BKN 104; TOR 103

2013-2014

NBA PLAYOFFS

ROUND TWO

GAME ONE

BROOKLYN NETS

vs.

Miami Heat

FROM

The Rony Seikaly Green House

BROOKLYN NETS: If Paul Pierce is The Truth, then Kevin Garnett was The Difference.

In seven games against the Raptors, Garnett averaged 20 minutes, 8.4 points, and 5.4 rebounds.  The real story however, was told in games Six and Seven.

In the first five games of the series, KG averaged 17.8 minutes, 6.8 points, and 4.4 rebounds.  Those averages include a deflating Game Five, in which he was relegated (along with Paul Pierce) to the bench in the 4th quarter after playing only 12 minutes, and scoring 4 points with 2 rebounds.  Those five game averages are similar, if not quite up to par with KG's regular season averages of 20.5 minutes, 6.5 points, and 6.6 rebounds in 54 games played.

However, in games Six and Seven, KG averaged 26 minutes, 12.5 points, and 8 rebounds.  He posted double-digit points in each game, and in the series finale, posted a double-double (11 rebounds) for the only time in 7 games.  That's called showing up when it counts.

You also have to give him credit for his work at the other end of the floor.  Kevin Garnett was a defensive presence throughout the series, and helped neutralize Jonas Valanciunas, after the Raptors center went wild in Game One.  Garnett kept the overall battle of the boards honest.

Now we're really going to find out how much The Big Ticket has left in his tank.  He will turn 38-years old this month.  He missed 30 games in March with a cranky back, but, one month later, he appears free of discomfort.  Tuesday will technically only be his 62nd game of the year, and so Kevin Garnett might be fresher than he might otherwise have been.

In fact, his last two games more resemble his November production, than some old guy struggling to hold on. Last November he averaged 22.6 minutes, 6.4 points, and 8.4 rebounds a night.  It's the month when Garnett scored his season high 16 points, and brought down a season high 14 rebounds.  So maybe Garnett is indeed feeling fresher than anticipated.

Thanks to Garnett, and Paul Pierce, and Alan Anderson, Marcus Thornton, Shaun Livingston, Andray Blatche, Mirza Teletovic, Mason Plumlee, Andrei Kirilenko, and yes, Deron Williams, this year's Nets did what last year's version could not.  Billy King's team advanced to the second round.  And make no mistake, this is Billy King's team.  But, I don't think he's breathing a huge sigh of relief having escaped the f***ing Raptors alive.  There is still a mandate in place.

However, I small measure of congratulations are still in order.  Brooklyn has their first ever NBA Game Seven playoff victory.  For the Borough, and the brief story that is Brooklyn basketball, that's significant.

I know.  But, what of Joe Johnson?  Yes, where on earth would Flatbush be without Joe Johnson, who's contract was widely criticized upon his acquisition?  While he was already noted for hitting big shots since his Atlanta days, whether fairly or not, he also developed a reputation for disappearing for stretches, if not games at a time, which was not easily shaken upon his initial arrival in Brooklyn.

Last season, he was hobbled by a foot ailment, that sometimes was mistakenly viewed as recurring withdrawal on his part.  But this season, ever since Brook Lopez went down, Joe Johnson has been the undisputed leader, and the team's primary offensive weapon.  He basically had his way with Toronto, and is the primary reason why Brooklyn's 2nd NBA season will continue deeper into Spring.

Joe Cool, 32, ended the regular season averaging 32 minutes, 15.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and shot 45% from the field.  His numbers were actually slightly down from his first season in Brooklyn.

With perhaps the exception of Game Four, when Toronto threw double, and triple teams at Joe, the Raptors had no real answer, and could not stop Joe Johnson in 6 of the 7 games.  For the series, Johnson averaged 40 minutes, 21.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and shot 52% from the field.   By comparison, DeMar DeRozan shot 38%, and Kyle Lowry shot 40% from the field.

In Game Seven, Joe led the Nets with 26 points.  After getting limited to just 7 points in Game Four, he roared back in Game Five with a Nets high 32 points, albeit in a 115-113 losing effort.  In all, he scored 24+ points 4 times in the series.  He figures to draw Dwayne Wade in the next series, and should enjoy another size advantage.

For Joe Johnson's beleaguered back court mate, it's time for Deron Williams to regroup, address some issues, an prepare for LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Moving forward, he needs to limit his turnovers, which at 2.7 for the series doesn't seem like much, it's just they came at the absolute worst times.  Ideally, he needs to stay aggressive and continue driving the lane.  It's getting him to the free throw line just fine, but, that's where a preponderance of his 18 turnovers have occurred.

No one is questioning his effort, but when his shooting from the field plummets to 30% levels, his game seemingly unravels, and the Nets correspondingly suffer.  He was only 3/8 (37%) from the field in Game Seven, but 7/10 from the line, and tied with Joe Johnson with (only) 4 assists.

In games One, Three and Six victories, Deron combined to shoot 23/50 (46%) from the field, averaging 23 points, and 5 assists.  In three Nets losses, Deron was 12/34 (35%) from the field, averaging 12 points, and a slightly higher 6.6 assists, mostly due to his 9 assist performance in Game Five's loss.

My last word involves the last shot of Game Seven.  Upon receiving the in-bounds pass, Kyle Lowry had three Nets players blanketing him where ever he attempted to go.  When detoured, Garnett cause him to mishandle, and Paul Pierce ultimately closed out the game with a blocked shot.

That said, how about Jason Kidd getting a bunch of very veteran players collectively buying into playing defense, throughout the season, and through Round One no less?

The additions of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett indeed made a difference this season, and we're about to find out how much farther all these Nets can go.

With regards to 4 regular season meetings against Miami, the Nets swept the series, but, 3 of the 4 games were only decided by a single point - (just like Game Seven against the Raptors.....)

Nets Swept Season Series 4-0

I - BKN 101; MIA 100

II - BKN 104; MIA 95

III - BKN 96; MIA 95

IV - BKN 88; MIA 87

You know what I say - once is an event, twice is a coincidence, and three times starts a trend.

Defense indeed.

It's time to trade in Toronto's sweater weather, for the Heat of South Beach.

Flatbush, meet Collins Avenue - Collins Avenue, meet Flatbush.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Game Three - Jason's Kidds Narrowly Avoid Accident On Flatbush Avenue

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Flatbush Leads Series 2-1

I - BKN 94; TOR 87

II - TOR 100; BKN 95

III - BKN 102; TOR 98

IV - SUNDAY @ BKN

V - BKN @ TOR

VI - TOR @ BKN

VII - BKN @ TOR

Game Three Final:

Raptors  98

NETS   102

BROOKLYN NETS: Flatbush Hoops Blow 15 Point Lead To Make Things Uncomfortable Down The Stretch.

Everything almost went according to plan.  The crowd was good enough, and the Nets similarly played good enough to win.  To be honest though, the crowd could have been better, at least in the first quarter, and the Nets could have played better, after all, they let a 15 point lead dwindle down to one with less than a minute left in the game.  Truth be told, Toronto screwed themselves in the closing minute by hoisting a series of bricks from the free throw line.

Now, because I live here, there's every chance I might be over critical of last night's game, but, when I see guys like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett buying into their Brooklyn experience more than perhaps some of the ticket holders, well..........  there's something about last night that wreaks to me of underachievement, or lacking killer instinct.

This is a resilient borough, but I warned you apathy runs deep here.  The Brooklyn Dodgers were not called The Bums for nuthin'.  Either that, or this place still has a lot to re-learn about being a major league town again.

Be better this Sunday!

The Brooklyn Nets took a 2-1 lead in their best of seven series against the Atlantic Division winning Toronto Raptors.  Joe Johnson continued leading Brooklyn's way with 29-points, which was only one behind DeMar DeRozan's game high 30-points.  Joe was 11/17 (65%) from the field, and 6/9 from the line.  He led all players with 40 minutes.

The Nets won Game Three's points in the paint by a 42-32 spread, largely thanks to Joe Johnson, who is getting to pick his spots on the floor.  Kevin Garnett and Mason Plumlee combined on 30 minutes and could only muster 6 points, on 3/7 from the floor, and 0-2 from the line.  They only pulled down 6 rebounds and blocked one shot.

Deron Williams was 3rd on the scoring list, with 22 points, and issued a game high 8 assists.  He was 50% from the field on 7/14 shooting.  There was a point we saw the angry Deron again, which is a good thing.  He glared at a few Raptors when the game started getting physical.  That was a look missing since Deron torched Phoenix for 28 points, in the first game after John Wall lit him up for 33 points on March 15th in Washington.

Shaun Livingston's contributions however remain minimal.  Be it because of Toronto's effort, a compromised toe, or feeling ill, Livingston has yet to give Brooklyn a true back court edge the three provided together during the regular season.  Yet, he led the Nets with 6 rebounds Friday.

Brooklyn closed the rebounding gap considerably over Game Two.  This time they only got out done by a 35-29 margin.  Defensive rebounds were almost even, but Toronto pulled down 5 more offensive rebounds than did Brooklyn.

However, the Nets defensive effort is still causing an abundance of Raptors turnovers.  They also continue to keep Kyle Lowry somewhat bottled up, and finally came up with a measurable defense against Jonas Valanciunas.

Andray Blatche fueled Brooklyn off the bench with 18 minutes, 12 points and 4 rebounds.  He was 2/3 from the floor and a perfect 8/8 from the line.

The Nets must continue holding court in Flatbush.  Sunday's Game Four at Barclays Center is set up for them to take a 3-1 strangle hold on the series.  Let's see what kind of killer instinct they play with then.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Paul Pierce Detonates A Well Timed Team Improvement Device

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Welcome To F#@king Brooklyn, Aye!

Series Tied 1-1

I - BKN 94; TOR 87

II - TOR 100; BKN 95

III - FRIDAY NIGHT

GAME THREE

Toronto Raptors

vs.

BROOKLYN NETS

FROM

BARCLAYS CENTER

FLATBUSH AVENUE at ATLANTIC AVENUE

The Borough of Kings

BROOKLYN NETS: Truth Is, We Enjoy That Kind Of Chutzpah Around Here.  So, Tell What's His Face To Come Get Some.

Don't Ya Know A Gut Check When Ya Hear One?

Game One

That's what you get when faced with The Truth.  Last season, Game Two would have been followed by a chorus of excuses, rationalizations, self loathing, and soft spoken dismay.  This season, Paul Pierce issued his rather pointed assessment of Game Two, and concluded the Nets were soft.

Pierce was not just popping off at the mouth.  His words were intentionally loaded.  First and foremost, his teammates should take what he said at face value, but above all, they should take his admonishment to heart, because he was right.

Who doesn't realize his words were meant to incite specific members of this team as they head into a pair of games at Barclays Center? Pierce was flat out challenging his team to dominate on their home court this weekend. And, for those who still do not get it, Paul Pierce's mind is already on Game Five.

Pat Riley always said the most important games in a seven game series were Three an Five. Paul Pierce understands that very well, as does Kevin Garnett, and Jason Kidd.

Despite his late game failings in Game Two, the Nets accomplished a necessary split on the road largely thanks to Paul Pierce.  Had he hit a few shots down the stretch in Game Two, the Nets could very well be up 2-0 in this series.  At the same time, if the Nets had secured just a few more second chance opportunities, the whole course of Game Two changes.

Who envisioned the Nets being this inept on the glass?  That said, Paul Pierce's words should have forced his teammates to stare themselves down in the mirror.  Sometimes leadership manifests itself in forcing people to feel uncomfortable by employing a less than delicate tact.  That's why he was brought here.  So, if these Nets truly want to represent Brooklyn at its finest, they had all better toughen up.

Paul Pierce is going to be in a position to win more games for the Nets, because he's Paul Pierce. The question he is trying to eliminate is, who's coming strong with him?

*          *          *          *

DeMar DeRozan was the only player to exceed 20 points in Game Two.  In fact, he scored 17 of his game high 30 points in the fourth quarter.  Toronto out-rebounded the Nets by a whopping 52-10 margin.

The Nets could not capitalize on 20 Toronto turnovers.  Their shooting went cold at critical times of the game.  Paul Pierce was a particularly frigid 2/11 from the field, and 0/6 from beyond the arch.

Deron Williams scored 15 points, and tied with Shaun Livingston with 5 assists.  Mirza Teletovic and Mason Plumlee combined on 18 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.  Joe Johnson led the Nets with 18 points.

Toronto now enters Barclays Center where the Nets posted a 28-13 home record this season, and at one point, won 15 consecutive games on their herringbone floor.  The Raptors played respectable basketball on the road, posting a 22-19 record away from Canada this season.

Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Jason's Kidds On The Hunt For Canadian Raptors

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Kings County's 2nd NBA Regular Season Is In The Books

Nets and Raptors Split Season Series 2-2

I - BKN 102; TOR 100

II - TOR 96; BKN 80

III - TOR 104; BKN 103

IV - BKN 101; TOR 97

2013-2014

NBA PLAYOFFS - ROUND ONE

GAME ONE

BROOKLYN NETS

vs.

Toronto Raptors

FROM

The Great White North

BROOKLYN NETS: Toronto's Coach Casey Said Beware What You Ask For.  The Flatbush Hoops Playoff Hunt For Canadian Raptor Starts Now!

Here's what concerns me heading into today's Game One against the Toronto Raptors - the Nets ability to defend Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

They represent two of the Raptors top three scorers.  If Toronto's back court starts raining down from the perimeter, running up and down the floor, and generally proves too much for Brooklyn's aging legs, stubbed toes, and creaky ankles to handle, the Nets will be in for a long series.

Jason's Kidds might be better off keeping this game in the paint, securing rebounds, and imposing a physical half court affair upon the Raptors.  Controlling the tempo, utilizing their size, and getting to the line will work against Toronto, despite the Nets being accused of featuring a predictable offensive philosophy.  That's an issue for another series.  For now, this match-up is a matter of Toronto's ability to thwart Brooklyn's decided experience advantage.

Toronto's ignorance, coupled with their overall youth and athleticism, are additional wild cards to beware.  The pressure is on Brooklyn to win, not the Raptors.  Despite winning the Atlantic Division title, the Toronto Raptors are free to play unencumbered by lofty expectations.  It is the Nets who are favored to win this series.

Last season, the Nets wilted in the playoffs, because let's face it, they had no backbone.  What the Nets have now, are players who know how to close out games.  The only question is, will their bodies let them?  Nevertheless, no player on either team can match the playoff experience Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett possess.

That's exactly why GM Billy King made the move to import both veterans.  Coach Jason Kidd is also tremendously experienced (as a player that is...) at managing the closing moments of a playoff game.  The Nets should be well prepared for this aspect of play.

The Nets 5-5 record in April provided every reason why they should prevail over the Raptors, while also putting on display every reason why the Nets can just as easily lose this series in miserable fashion.  Maybe the joke is on us, and Jason Kidd did forego the final games of the season for sake of looking ahead towards the playoffs.

Deron Williams did not play in the first two games of the season series.  In the first meeting, Kyle Lowry scored 24 points, and had 5 assists.  In the second meeting of the season, Kyle Lowry was limited to 12 points and 4 assists.  However, DeMar DeRozan dropped 26 points, pulled down 7 rebounds, and had 5 assists.

In the third meeting, Deron Williams played 29 minutes off the bench.  He scored 9 points, but led the floor with 11 assists.  Kyle Lowry however, led all scorers with 31 points, while DeRozan sat out with an ankle sprain.  In the final meeting of the regular season, Deron Williams made his first start against the Raptors, and scored 18 points, with 5 assists.  Kyle Lowry scored 21 points, with 7 assists and 8 rebounds.  DeRozan scored another 14 points, but was outdone by Shaun Livingston that night, who scored 18 points.  The same will be expected from Livingston throughout the series, with the hope his sprained toe is up for the task.

There is growing concern whether Deron Williams can still push an offense up the floor with speed. He forced the action in Utah far more than he has with Brooklyn.  Ankle problems have clearly affected his style since his arrival.  These days, he most often settles for walking the ball up the floor.

Shaun Livingston might be a better option for that role, while Williams plays off the ball.  In any event, this post-season will be Deron Williams' chance to prove his naysayers wrong.  He has been experiencing increasing criticism, and is now in position to change his narrative once again.

Three is always better than two, and so, Joe Johnson stands out as someone who could break the Raptors back in crunch time.  After all , that's when he's best.  The triad of Johnson, Livingston and Deron Williams should prevail.

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said, if in fact the Nets tanked a few games in order to set up a match-up against his club, that they had better be careful of what they asked for.

On that note, let the games begin!  The Hoops of Flatbush playoff run, starts now.



Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: The Borough's 2nd NBA Regular Season Is In The Books

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Season One; 49-33

Season Two; 44-38

BROOKLYN NETS: That's A Wrap On The Second NBA Regular Season In Kings County.

The second NBA regular season of Kings County basketball is complete.  The Brooklyn Nets ended up with a 44-38 regular season record, which, considering their awful start, was quite an impressive achievement.

The early season Nets hardly lived up to the pre-season hype.  They lost their first game of the season to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and things just got worse from there.  In the month of November, the club posted a 5-11 record, and endured a pair of losing streaks, three and five games long.

Another poor 5-9 record in December seemed to be the least of the club's troubles.  Inner turmoil threatened to sabotage Jason Kidd's inaugural season as head coach.  He and assistant coach Lawrence Frank engaged in a heated exchange over philosophy, roles, and matters of control.  In effect, Coach Kidd was forced to seize his own team, and stripped Lawrence Frank of his bench role, and relieved him of his overall coaching duties.  Kidd then reassigned Frank to crunching numbers behind the scenes, and compiling scouting reports.

Compounding problems, on December 20th, center Brook Lopez played his final game of the season.  He first rolled his ankle in November.  Then, after a total of just 17 games, Lopez was ultimately felled by yet another season ending foot/ankle injury.  At the time, he was the team's leading scorer, averaging 20.7 points per game, with 6.0 rebounds.

Deron Williams also missed considerable time early in the season, as ankle issues continued to dog the point guard.  He missed 19 calender days from late November through early December, and another 2 weeks in January.  Once Deron Williams returned, he was back for good.

After Coach Kidd adjusted the starting line-up by shifting Paul Pierce to the four, and inserting Shaun Livingston into the starting line-up, the Nets started turning their season around.

Flatbush posted a 10-3 record in January, highlighted by a pair of five-game winning streaks.  In February, they came down to earth somewhat, but still posted a strong 7-5 record.  In their final game of the month, they closed within two games of .500, with a victory over Denver.

In March, they finally busted through.  On the 3rd of the month, they achieved .500 for the first time of the season with a victory over the Bulls.  In their very next game, they went over .500, with victory over the Timberwolves.  Brooklyn went on to post a pair of three game winning streaks, and one four game streak, and finished the month with a stellar 12-5 record.

Between January and March, the club posted a 29-12 record, and improved their season record to 39-33, which was a 17 game swing from their record at the end of December.

Flatbush ended the April portion of the regular season with a 5-5 record - their worst mark of the new year.  They wound up losing four of their last five games, and their last two in a row.  They additionally finished five victories shy of last year's mark.  However, most would agree, this team is far better equipped for a playoff run than last year's edition.  While many in the media accused Jason Kidd and the team of tanking their last 5 games, in order to align a first round series against Toronto, Jason Kidd merely says he was resting players, and trying to get them healthy for a playoff run.

Just be careful of the soda on the court please.

When the NBA playoffs begin this weekend, the Brooklyn Nets will be the only local team representing New York City.  Their opponent will be the Atlantic Division champs, Toronto Raptors.  Back in October, no one would have thought that.   The Knicks and Nets were pre-season favorites to win the division.  Of course, with a losing record, the Knicks failed to even qualify for the playoffs, while the Nets finished 2nd in the division standings.

At 15.8 points per game, Joe Johnson posted his lowest scoring average since his rookie season. However, his .454 shooting percentage was his 4th best mark.  Make no mistake, Joe Johnson was money this season.  He did not take those confounding nights off, that pockmark his career.  He's been present, and nothing short of clutch this season.

Deron Williams was limited to 64 games this season.  He averaged 14.3 points, and 6.1 assists per game.  Like Joe Johnson, those were Deron Williams' worst averages since his rookie season.  In his final 23 games however, Williams averaged 16 points per game, and 7 rebounds.

Shaun Livingston's play this season presents one of Billy King's largest off-season dilemmas. Somehow, the GM must find a way to retain Livingston, who, after signing for the veterans minimum, will become an unrestricted free agent.  Any player debate regarding team MVP must include him.  He played 76 games, but after Coach Kidd inserted him into the line-up, Shaun started 54 games.  In his 36-minutes per, he averaged 11.5 points, and 4.5 assists.

Paul Pierce averaged less than 30-minutes for the first time in his career.  In fact, he averaged a full 8-minutes below his career 36-minute average.  At 36-years of age, he still impacts games.  Per his 36-minute averages, he gave the Nets 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.  This season, he became only the 18th player in NBA history, to achieve 25,000 points in a career.  Paul is presently the 4th leading active scorer in the league.

Heading into the post-season, the Nets are well positioned at center with the emergence of Mason Plumlee, the return of Kevin Garnett, and with Andray Blatche leading a very strong cast off the bench, which also features Mirza Teletovic and Alan Anderson.

Billy King's 2013-14 acquisitions should not go under spoken.  As noted, Shaun Livingston became invaluable to the Nets this season.  The signing of Andrei Kirilenko, who has played steady minutes lately, is showing how effectively smart he is on the floor.  Marcus Thornton has been flat-out huge since his trade deadline acquisition, and will be coming off the bench launching back-breakers.

Perhaps more so this season than last, the Nets enjoyed a distinct home court advantage.  Arena attendance was strong, and the crowds were Brooklyn loyal and loud.  Barclays Center averaged over 17,000 per home game.   The Nets rewarded their fans with a 28-13 record, and at one point, won 15 consecutive games at home.

With a 44-38 record for the season, that means the Nets struggled on the road.  Indeed, they posted a troublesome 16-25 record away from Flatbush.

Brooklyn's second ever NBA post-season starts Saturday.





Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Welcome To (Billy) King's County

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

SUNDAY NIGHT FINAL:

Magic   88

NETS   97

Flatbush Improves Season Record To 44-36,

and 28-12 At Barclays Center.

BROOKLYN NETS: Mirza Teletovic and Mason Plumlee Lead Bench Assault Over Magic; Deron Williams Returns With 16 Points.

At present, the overriding sense of the Nets seems considerably better than it did this time last season.  That's somewhat odd considering the team will not match last year's 49 victory total, and Brook Lopez has missed most of another season, yet technically remains the team's leading average scorer.

Despite Sunday's 97-88 victory over the Magic, the next two games against the Knicks, and Cleveland should change little in the Eastern Conference standings.  Brooklyn appears settled into the 5th seed behind the Toronto Raptors, and ahead of the Washington Wizards.

The fact last year's team lost the opening round of the playoffs in seven games to the depleted Chicago Bulls escapes no one.  It was a disappointing ending to say the least.  Gerald Wallace didn't even know what his role was.

This season, Jason Kidd placed everyone exactly where they needed to be.  Except maybe for LeBron James, the Nets have certainly gained league wide attention this season with the way they've surged since January.  But on April 19th, the Nets odyssey to justify all Billy King's off-season maneuverings truly begins.  The general manager has made no secret of where he believes this team should finish.  The owner still has one year left on his championship mandate, but Billy King wants to win now.

In my more pragmatic view, this team must advance to the second round, and still perhaps may need to advance into the conference finals in order for the season to be deemed successful.

BILLY KING'S SUCCESS IS CONNECTED TO THE FOOT BONE

While the Nets are a somewhat versatile, and very deep team when healthy, if Deron Williams doesn't lead them, the Nets won't get far.

According to his 36-minute averages, Deron is averaging 16.0 points, and 7.0 assists this season. But when you start any argument with a cushion, it means you're hiding something.  As such, his regular per-game averages are not as forgiving - 14.3 points, and only 6.2 assists per game.

Observant eyes have watched Williams' game devolve over the last three seasons.  He has yet to recapture his level of play of just two seasons ago, and, his days in Utah are but a dot in the rear view mirror now.  At 29-years old, the burst in his first step is seemingly all but gone.  Ankle problems have no doubt had their effects during his time with the Nets, and he just missed another two games with a sore foot.  All told, he will have missed roughly 20 games this season.

Things may be looking up though.  Over his last 22 games, Deron Williams has averaged 33.6 minutes, 15.1 points, and 5.7 assists.  Over that stretch, he scored 20 points or more 6 times.  He had only done that 7 times in his previous 40 games spanning October through February.  While his numbers still aren't on par with his Utah days, he is nonetheless making modest improvement at the right time.

Sunday evening was Deron's first game back after missing the previous two.  He played 35 minutes against the Orlando Magic, scored 16 points, and had 5 assists.  So, at least there's been a level of consistency about him.

Out of anyone associated with the team, Deron Williams' and Billy King's reputations seem poised to suffer the most.  Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Kidd all have rings, and should be able to walk away from any potential defeat untarnished, and with relative peace of mind.

Billy King, however, failed to achieve a championship with Allen Iverson in Philadelphia, and four years ago, decided to invest max money, and make another run with Deron Williams, who in turn committed to staying in Brooklyn.

After years spent building up to this moment, failing again in Brooklyn, may be harder for him to compartmentalize.  Deron Williams is equally under the microscope, and is expected to perform like the franchise player Billy King thought he traded for.

They both bound themselves to the Borough of Brooklyn, and now both bear the majority of responsibility for winning Flatbush their first NBA title.

THIS IS NO ORDINARY FLATBUSH AVENUE BENCH

While the pressure is certainly on Deron Williams to perform, the weight of the world actually is not.  Shaun Williams is expected back in time for the playoffs, and together with Joe Johnson, Flatbush still boasts one of the more potentially formidable back courts in the league.

Mirza Teletovic led all scorers Sunday night with 20 points off the bench, and pulled down 6 rebounds.  With Teletovic and Mason Plumlee at the forwards, and Andray Blatche at center, there are very few teams in the league that can sub-in entire front courts quite like Brooklyn can.  One of the best things these guys do is get to the line.

Throw Andrei Kirilenko into the mix, while still having a quality two-threat like Marcus Thornton, and the Nets bench almost suffers from an embarrassment of riches.

Kevin Garnett is back, and played extended minutes against the Magic.  Since his return, the battle of the boards has turned back in the Nets favor.  Kevin pulled down 7 rebounds (5 defensive) in 19 minutes.  The Nets out-rebounded the Magic by a 43-31 margin.

Mason Plumlee held down the fort well in Garnett's absence, and continues to be the big man on campus.  His work along the offensive baseline has been highly productive, and his confidence is soaring.  Against the Magic, there were two instances where he was a little lackadaisical with the ball, and turned it over, but that's correctable.  Paying more attention to detail should rectify that. Otherwise, Mason pulled down a game high 11 boards with 5 coming on the offensive end, and completed another double-double with 17 points in 26 minutes off the bench.  The rookie will enter into his first NBA playoffs on the heels of playing his best ball of the season.

Two Games Left In Regular Season:

Tuesday - vs. N.Y. Knicks

Wednesday - @ Cleveland

Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Team Now Doing Billy King's Talking For Him

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS: There Are Several Reasons For The Successful Turnaround, And General Manager Billy King Is At The Heart Of Them All.

How do you like me now bitches?  For an older team who many thought were better suited for the playoffs rather than a long haul, the Nets are showing they're a pretty good regular season team after all - not to mention resilient.  In fact, Brooklyn is playing their best ball of the season, and are the hottest team in the NBA.  They own a 25-10 record in the new year, and an 8-2 mark in March.

This team was thought to be done way back when they started the first two months of the season with a troubling 5-12 record.  In the 2013 portion of the schedule, the Nets endured losing streaks of five and four games respectively, and lost back to back games on four other occasions.  They finished the old year with a worrisome 10-21 record.

At the height of these troubled times, Billy King never hid.  He was front and center, fielding any and all questions regarding the team he put together, and the coach he put in place.

In the more successful 2014 portion of their season, the Nets have endured just one three game losing streak, and instead have twice posted winning streaks of five games, one four game streak, and in Friday's game against the Boston Celtics, they will be attempting their second three game streak.

Billy King has been very quiet lately.  Right now, his team is doing the talking for him.  The Nets can point at several reasons for their successful turnaround, and Billy King is at the heart of them all.

First, the GM's choice of head coach is now justifying a rather inspired selection.  Jason Kidd was always accused of having a brilliant mind on the floor.  Now we're seeing it at work on the bench.

In what will ultimately go down as a defining moment of the season, Jason Kidd stood his ground against an old friend, and removed a source of conflict from his bench.  In hindsight, the Lawrence Frank incident was perhaps very beneficial, as it got the players focused on one person - their head coach.

With that out of the way, Jason Kidd was left to coach.  He altered the playing system twice, when a faltering situation demanded his attention.  He initially revised the plan while Deron Williams struggled with his ankles, and began moving the ball through Brook Lopez.  Brook's injury then made Coach Kidd readjust.  That's when Paul Pierce was re-positioned.  Perhaps hardest of all things to inspire, Jason Kidd also got his men to play defense.  The Nets have been on a three month rally since.

As such, Billy King's big ticket item, Deron Williams, is finally performing like the big ticket player the GM thought he signed.  Lately, he's been playing with a chip on his shoulder, and that's a good thing.  His ankle troubles (knock on the hardwood floor) are seemingly a thing of the past.  His step is confident, and getting increasingly stronger.  In fact, he just registered his first dunk of the season.

The bench depth Billy King assembled, is prevailing in their efforts to minimize numerous team injuries, like losing Brook Lopez for the season, DWill's earlier ankle troubles, Kevin Garnett's unforgiving back situation, and nagging issues affecting Andrei Kirilenko.

On that note - big man on campus - Mason Plumlee's on the job training is coming along just fine. He is getting quality minutes, and putting up representative rebounding numbers.  In the back court, Billy King's off season signing of Shaun Livingston is paying huge dividends.  In fact, Shaun has become indispensable.  I do not know how - because his potential price tag would become virtually untouchable under the Nets projected salary cap - but Mr. King needs to figure a way to retain him. I'd say he is a strong 6th Man Award candidate.

Rounding out the top reasons for the Nets turnaround, Billy King's big trade for Paul Pierce (and KG) has provided this team its backbone.  It is my observation, Paul Pierce has been the answer man, who responds when needed.  When opponents threaten, or begin to sway momentum away from the Nets, Paul Pierce answers back with buckets.

Neither least , nor last - Mr. Big Shot - Joe Johnson has hung in to grind out damn near every game this season, lest we forget, the harshest criticism previously levied against him, was that he used to disappear for games at a time.  Not so this season.  In Brook Lopez's absence, Joe Johnson leads the team in scoring.  He has been a more consistent scorer, and active participant without the ball this season.

Remember how last season such a big deal was made over the Nets beating up on scrubs, and posting a losing record against teams with records above the .500 mark?  This season, the Nets currently have a 9-12 record against the other top seven teams in the Eastern Conference.  Against the top nine Western Conference teams, the Nets own a 10-6 record.  Combined, that's a 19-18 mark.

The Indiana Pacers, by the way, swept the four game series over the Nets, and Washington so far has taken three games from the Nets with one left to play.  Meanwhile, in three meetings the Heat are yet defeat Brooklyn.

At a minimum, the Nets need to win a second round playoff series, if they want to improve upon last year's results.  Last year, they couldn't get by a depleted Chicago Bulls team.  The Nets had their chances, but in most cases, lacked a knockout punch.  Despite defeating the Miami Heat three times this season, the biggest question still facing Billy King is, can his Nets defeat the Heat in a seven games series?

Although there is another year remaining in owner's mandate to win a title within five years of his purchase date, Billy King, however, expedited the process, putting his cards on the table this season.  That was pretty bold of him - but then, everything he's done since becoming general manager of the Nets has been bold.

Billy King may yet have his day in the sun.





Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Angry Deron Williams Claws Up Bobcats Too

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Wednesday Final

Bobcats  99

NETS    104

BROOKLYN NETS - Wizards, Bobcats, and Raptors, Oh My!

The Brooklyn Nets are now the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference standings.  Entering Wednesday night's game, the 7th seeded Bobcats posed the latest threat to the Nets.  With a 104-99 victory over Charlotte at Barclays, the Nets have now created a 3.5 game cushion between them.  Sneaking in between however, lay the bothersome 6th seeded Washington Wizards.  The 8th seeded Atlanta Hawks round out the first division.

In the Atlantic Division race, the Nets have closed to within 2.5 games of the first place Toronto Raptors.

Wednesday night at Barclays, Angry Deron held an encore performance.  Still steaming over his play in Washington, Deron led all scorers with 25 points, and clawed up the Bobcats with 11 points in the final quarter.   Deron also distributed a game high 8 assists.  He was a perfect 6/6 from the charity line, 3/5 from beyond the arch, and 8/15 from the field.  His performance came on the heels of a 28 point night against the Suns.

Mason Plumlee continues to put in effective work.  Sure he's raw, but he's not getting outclassed. He chipped in 11 points and pulled down 7 rebounds.  It was actually Joe Johnson who led the Nets with 8 rebounds, and was second to Williams with 20 points.

Shaun Livingston was 3rd high score for Brooklyn with 17 points.  The more he excels, the least likely chance the Nets have of retaining him.  He is going to parlay this season with Brooklyn into handsome free agent dollars.

A big factor in Brooklyn's victory - they only turned the ball over 7 times.  The Bobcats turned it over 15 times which yielded the Nets 21 points, and they scored another 12 points off fast breaks.

Without Kevin Garnett however, team rebounding continues to be an issue.  This time, the Bobcats out-rebounded the Nets by a considerable 51-39 margin.  It doesn't seem to be slowing the Nets down much though.  During Garnett's 10 game absence, Brooklyn is 8-2 in March, and remain the hottest team of the new calender year.  This was additionally Brooklyn's 10th consecutive victory at home.

The Nets will host the Celtics on Friday before hitting the road for three games, concluding with another game against the Bobcats in Charlotte.

The Nets have 16 games left in the regular season.



Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams Rising

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

FINAL

Suns   89

Nets  105

BROOKLYN NETS: Deron Williams Takes Out His Frustrations Over Saturday's Loss On The Phoenix Suns.

This wasn't exactly Phoenix Rising.  But, Deron Williams came back home to Brooklyn with something to prove.  After conducting an introspective systems check following Sunday's failure in Washington, he became a man on a mission, and took it upon himself to extinguish the Suns Monday night at Barclays Center.

With a microphone in his face after the game, Deron Williams said, "I didn't like the way I played last game.  I got outplayed by John Wall...."

So, he took out his frustrations on Phoenix.  Williams torched the Suns for a game high 28 points, shooting a highly efficient 11/13 from the floor, and 3/5 from beyond the arch.  That translates to an 80% shooting percentage.

Deron's team mates felt the heat he was generating, and played exactly the way they needed following such a letdown against the Wizards - a game they had in hand until they all froze up midway through the final quarter.

In their first game back home, the Nets led the Phoenix Suns from beginning to end.  All five Flatbush starters scored in double-digits.  Livingston finished with 12 points, and Joe Johnson scored 19 points.  Both men tied for the team lead with 5 assists each.  Big man on campus, Mason Plumlee added a double-double, with 14 points, and a game high 11 rebounds.  Paul Pierce finished with 10 points.

Brooklyn got back on defense.  They limited the Suns to 23 points in three of the four quarters, and kept them below 90 for the game.  They now rank 8th in the league in points allowed.

The Nets improved to 7-2 in Kevin Garnett's absence., and now sport a 34-31 season record.

In the Atlantic Division standings, Brooklyn's 106-89 victory over the Suns, once again gets them to within 3 games of the 1st place Toronto Raptors who lost Monday.  The Nets remain in 6th place of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Charlotte Bobcats come to Flatbush next.  The Bobcats are currently the Eastern Conference 7th seeded team, just 2.5 games behind the Nets.  The teams will conclude their season series on March 26th.  The Bobcats defeated the Nets in their first meeting back in November.  Brooklyn then repaid the favor with a 105-89 victory in February.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Paul Pierce Lifts Flatbush Over South Beach

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

WEDNESDAY FINAL:

Brooklyn   96

Miami        95

BROOKLYN NETS: Flatbush Turning Up The Heat On The Eastern Conference; Move Into 5th Spot With Road Victory Over Miami.

Who's Doubting Jason Kidd Now?

Look what Brooklyn did to the Heat - again!  In their first clash away from Flatbush, the Nets defeated Miami for the third time in three meetings this season.  For what is now officially the hottest team in basketball, oh how sweet it was.

The Nets improved to 33-30 for the season, and 6-1 in March.  Toronto destroyed Detroit, so Brooklyn remains three games behind the Raptors for first place in the Atlantic Division.  The Nets however, improved their standing in the Eastern Conference, by moving into the fifth spot.

Once again led by Paul Pierce, the Nets gained victory Wednesday evening with another offensively strong third quarter, more hustle on defense and key stops down the stretch, with continued strong bench play, and despite Deron Williams committing yet more late game turnovers.

Whatever works, right?

Lately, we've been getting the best and worst of Deron Williams.  His turnover with 2:30 left in the 4th quarter allowed Miami to tie the game 92-92, a play which closely mirrored his late game turnover against the Raptors in Monday's game.  He then buried a huge pull-up jumper to put Brooklyn ahead 96-92 with 35.8 seconds left.  But he then missed on the Nets last possession, allowing Miami to gain possession, and call a time-out with 3.5 seconds left, and down by a point.

For the game, Deron Williams was a mere 2/8 from the field, and 1/3 from beyond the arch.  He only scored 6 points, but dished out a game high 8 assists.  Joe Johnson had a similar night, finishing the night with 8 points, on 2/10 shooting from the field, and a worse 1/6 from beyond the arch.  And, Kevin Garnett missed his seventh straight game.

Yet, the Nets prevailed.  Paul Pierce was big man on campus.  A sore shoulder has apparently enhanced his game.  He scored 17 in the third quarter, and made it rain with 5 three-pointers throughout the game.  Pierce led all scorers with 29 points,but none bigger than with less than two minutes to go, he burst through the lane for a lay-up which put Brooklyn back up by a 94-92 score.  He was resilience at its finest, and retro all night long.

The Nets out-rebounded the Heat - something they did not do against Toronto.  Wednesday's game however, boiled down to one defensive play at the very end, when Shaun Livingston deflected Miami's in-bounds pass to end the game, and preserve a 96-95 Brooklyn victory.

Shaun Livingston scored 13 points, and pulled down a team high 7 rebounds.  He and LeBron James tied with a game high 38-minutes of floor time.  Off the bench, Mirza Teletovic (or MT3), was huge with 17 points and four rebounds, and Andray Blatche scored another 11 points.

Chris Bosh was high scorer for Miami with 24 points.  Dwayne Wade scored 22 points, while LeBron James was held to 19 points, on 6/13 from the field, and was kept especially quiet in the 4th quarter.

As noted, the Nets climbed into the fifth spot of the Eastern Conference standings, one-half game ahead of the Washington Wizards, whom they face Saturday night in the nation's capital.  Washington has gotten the best of Brooklyn in two previous meetings this season.

*     *     *     *

How do people like Jason Kidd's coaching skills now?  When he and Lawrence Frank were still working together, the Nets got off to a 5-12 start.  Their beef reportedly erupted somewhere around November 4th or so, resulting from many growing differences of opinion, but their main disagreements reportedly involved defensive issues.  After the falling out, the team suffered through the rest of the month with a 4-10 record. Since Jason Kidd jettisoned Lawrence Frank from the sidelines in early December, the Nets have posted a 28-18 record.  The Nets are now 23-9 in the new year, and counting.



Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Is Generating Their Own Heat

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS: Paul Pierce's 3-Pointer At 1:14 Sticks A Claw Into Raptors.  Now It's Off To South Beach To Combat The Heat.

Toronto's Atlantic Division Lead Cut Down To Three Games

MONDAY FINAL

Toronto  97

NETS   101

I still don't know how the Spurs let that game get away, but I digress...

For as long as the Miami Heat are defending NBA champions, they are the measure of all teams.  The South Beach Cagers are next on the schedule, and perhaps the match up couldn't have come at a better time for the Hoops of Flatbush.

By gaining victory in Monday night's thriller over the division leading Toronto Raptors, the Nets improved to 5-1 in March, 22-9 in 2014, and are now two games over .500 with a 32-30 record - their best mark of the season.  More importantly, they closed to within three games of the Atlantic lead.

With Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Mason Plumlee, Andray Blatche, and Shaun Livingston on the floor, the Nets completed a 14-0 run, staking them to a 73-60 lead with 4:28 left in the 3rd quarter.  Brooklyn then went cold, while Toronto went on their own three minute long 11-0 run.  The Raptors had closed to with 73-69 with 1:17 left in the quarter.

Kevin Garnett did not play, but Paul Pierce played despite a sore shoulder, and nailed a HUGE clutch 3-pointer to give the Nets a 97-94 lead with 1:14 left in the 4th quarter.  Then following a Deron Williams turnover, the Nets flexed their defense and came up with their own turnover in the defensive end.  Toronto fouled with 0:24 left.  Livingston converted a pair of free throws to give Flatbush a 99-96 lead.  They would eventually secure a 101-97 final over Toronto.

Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston led the team with 18 points each.  Toronto's Kyle Lowry led all scorers with 21 points.  Brooklyn had five players score in double-digits.  Paul Pierce was next in with 15 points, while Joe Johnson dropped 14 points.

Kyle Lowry also led all players with 7 assists, while Deron Williams registered 5 assists to lead the Nets.

Overall, Toronto out-rebounded Brooklyn, but Mason Plumlee tied for game high with 8 boards.

The home team buried the Raptors from 3-point land.  Toronto was 49.3% shooting from the field, and only 6/23 from beyond the arch.  Brooklyn shot 48.6% from the field, and a mighty 11/20, or 55% from 3-point land.

Toronto led by one point at the half, and outscored Brooklyn in the 4th quarter by a 24-23 margin.  The Nets 3rd quarter play was the difference, in which they overcame their halftime deficit, and outscored Toronto by a 28-22 clip.

The Miami heat lead the Southeast Division with a 44-17 record, and are currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference behind Indiana.  The Nets remained in the 6th spot.  The Heat are 3-3 in March, and just ended a 3 game skid with a victory over Washington.  Prior to that, they had won 8 straight games.

The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets have two more regular season meetings, the first of which comes Wednesday night.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Evan Turner Bobs And Weaves Sixers To Overtime TKO

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

Stand And Fall

BROOKLYN NETS: Evan Turner Dribbled Through The Defense Like They Were Orange Traffic Cones.

Get ball, dribble around four trees donned in Nets jerseys, attempt a floating lay-up with time expiring, and win game. That's exactly what Philadelphia's Evan Turner did.  It was literally that simple.   So much for brotherly love.

Paul Pierce's trey put the Nets ahead 120-119 with 0:16 left in overtime.  After Tuner had an initial shot attempt blocked, Philly maintained possession with 0:06 left.  Turner received the near side inbound pass, and shake-n-baked his way around the left elbow extended, then bowed back into the paint for a lay-up, which could have easily been whistled for an offensive charge.  But no such luck - no whistle - and no time left - the buzzer sounded on Brooklyn's venture into Philadelphia. Nets lose by a 121-120 final.

Just like that, the night went, crush.

Flatbush played without the services of Joe Johnson, and Kevin Garnett.  Even without them, they still scored enough points to win, just like they did against Washington.  But just like against the  Wizards, the Nets were overwhelmed on the glass.  The Sixers outrebounded Brooklyn 49-36, which helped provide Philly with fifteen more field goal attempts than the Nets.  Offensively, it was essentially one shot and done for Brooklyn, who managed just 5 offensive rebounds, while the 76ers cleaned up with 37 defensive rebounds.

The Nets three-point shooting, and their ability to get to the line were what kept them in this game.  But their non-existent interior defense is what ultimately failed them.  More than half of Philadelphia's total points came in the paint.  To be exact, the Nets allowed 66 points in the paint, with none bigger than Evan Turner's pair to end it.  All told, Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn 102-84 from the field.

Evan Turner posted a triple-double.  He led all scorers with 29 points, and issued 10 assists, and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Coach Kidd stuck with an eight-man rotation.  Four Nets starters eclipsed 40-minutes.  Deron Williams posted his own double-double, his second straight, leading all players with 14 assists, while scoring 17 points.  Deron was only 5/12 from the field, but was the only Net to get to the free throw line with any regularity.  Alan Anderson led the Nets with 26-points, followed by 24 from Paul Pierce, who was back in a starting role this game, and also led the team with 10 rebounds.  Shaun Livingston issued 11 assists off the bench.

The loss drops the Nets to 9-17, and 4-10 away from Brooklyn.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Jason's Kidds Caught Loitering On Flatbush Avenue

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

Monday Final:

Blazers 108

NETS     98

BROOKLYN NETS:  After Passing The Ball Around Like The Globe Trotters, And Scoring 40 Points In 1st Quarter, The Ice Cold Chuckers Of Last Season Reappeared To Spoil Homecoming.

Say what you will about Monday's loss at Barclays Center, but among the choices, agree this was a vintage 2012-2013 performance.  What I heard, was the Nets ran out of gas.  What I saw, was the same crap as last season, just with a few different faces to blame.

The Nets outscored Portland 33-18 from the free throw line, and benefited from 14 Portland turnovers, while the Nets only turned the ball over 7 times.  Flatbush got marginally outrebounded for the game 46-40, but the Nets pulled down 14 offensive rebounds, while Portland managed 7 offensive boards.  Portland outperformed the Nets on the defensive boards though, by a considerable 37-26 margin.

Of course defense is always an issue.  The real problem is when Nets shooting heads south.  The Nets made 9 more attempts from the field than the Blazers did.  The Nets took 85 shots, while Portland took 76 shots.  The Blazers however, shot 53.9% from the field, while the Nets struggled mightily after the first quarter, and finished the night with a deflating 36.5% shooting percentage. Nets shooting got worse from 3-point land.  The Blazers were 8/18 (44.4%) from beyond the arch, while Brooklyn struggled to make 3/13 (23.1%)3-point attempts.

Kevin Garnett in particular, started the first quarter on fire, connecting on the Nets first five field goal attempts.  He was 6/6 for the quarter, but shot just 2/13 the rest of the game.

The Nets outscored the Blazers 40-31 in the first quarter, and allowed Portland 77 points over the final three quarters.  But all the Nets could manage were 23 points in the second, an anemic 15 points in the third, and just 20 points in the fourth quarter, en-route to a 108-98 defeat.

Perhaps fatigue did play a part.  Maybe age and injury had their affects after four games in six days?  Maybe.  This much is certain..  Early in the game, the Nets put on a clinic focusing on ball sharing.  Then midway through until the final buzzer, Brooklyn collectively seemed content to launch singular unassisted shots.  Growing up in Brooklyn, we called guys like that - chuckers.

Joe Johnson led the team with 3 assists.  That's pathetic!  Paul Pierce, Tyshawn Taylor, and Shaun Livingston only registered 2 assists each.  That's a lot of loitering on Flatbush Avenue.  While at the other end of the floor, Portland's Damian Lillard issued 9 assists, and Mo Williams had 6 assists off the bench.

Shaun Livingston did drop 23 points, and slammed down a left-handed highlight jam over Brook Lopez' brother, but his efforts are being overshadowed by continued losing.

Continued losing, and a whole lot of standing around against the Blazers may be exactly what precipitated a lengthy closed door meeting (Tweeted by Ohm Youngmisuk) after Monday's game.  Other Tweets said Kevin Garnett was the lead mouth, and screamed on everyone, to include Jason Kidd.

We'll see.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Mason Plumlee Announces His Presence With Authority

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

...only this kid isn't Nuke Laloosh.

BROOKLYN NETS: Mason Plumlee Plays Leading Role In Hollywood Against Clippers, As Pierce, Garnett, Lopez and Williams All Miss The Audition.

I said I needed more Plumlee!  Saturday night, we fans got a bunch.

At Duke, Plumlee played largely with his back to the basket.  Saturday night, the rookie played above the rim, converting on a pair of alley-oops, a slam, and a two-handed jam.

Mason played 27 minutes against the L.A. Clippers, and scored a team high 19 points, both were early career highs.  He was 7/10 from the floor, but struggled from the line, missing 7 of 12 shots.  He also pulled down six rebounds, four on the defensive glass, and had a block and a steal.

It is not a stretch to say with him on the floor, the Nets do not look as old.  But that says nothing of Saturday night.  With Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams all out of commission, Mason Plumlee joined forces with Andre Blatche, Shaun Livingston, Joe Johnson and Alan Anderson to go toe to toe with the Clippers, albeit in a losing effort.

Mason Plumlee drew Blake Griffin last night, and matched him slam for ferocious dunk.  In the end however, Blake Griffin prevailed with 30 points and 12 rebounds - a lesson learned for the youngster.



Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Drama And Intrigue Await In Hollywood Tonight Versus Clippers

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

TONIGHT

 

FLATBUSH HOOPS

vs.

Los Angeles Clippers

FROM

The Office Supply Store Chain Arena

Hollywood

BROOKLYN NETS: I Need More Mason Plumlee!

Tonight, Kevin Garnett will be conflicted between Jason Kidd's plan to manage KG's minutes during back-to-back games, and wanting to play with former coach Doc Rivers pacing the other sideline.

The plan discussed prior to the start of the season was to curtail Kevin Garnett's playing time in the second game of back to back nights.

The last time the Nets played on consecutive dates, they went into overtime on the front end, and lost to Washington.  Garnett played 24 minutes, scored four, and pulled down six rebounds.  On the back end loss to Indiana, Jason Kidd increased Garnett's minutes to 27, who scored six points and pulled down eight rebounds.  That was followed by three full days off on the schedule.

Last night against the Suns, Kevin put in 28 minutes to include overtime, scored four points, and pulled down a game high 14 rebounds.  After tonight's game against the L.A. Clippers, the Nets will travel back to Flatbush Avenue to face the Trail Blazers on Monday.  That's a quick turn-around.  So the question which begs to be asked is, how many minutes will Garnett play tonight, A) - against a serious contender, B) - against his (Pierce and Terry) former coach from Boston, and C) - considering the Nets are without Deron Williams?

Against the Clippers, you'd think it would be - all hands on deck.  On that note, Mason Plumlee is proving early on, he's bright, and can be trusted with handling increased minutes.  Tonight, he'll get thrown into the melee again, similar to the Pacers game, when he played 19 minutes.  He has  demonstrated increased comfort on the floor since then.  The Nets could stand to benefit from is youth and athleticism this evening.  If Jason Kidd limits Garnett to 17 minutes or so, I'll like to see Plumlee given an extended opportunity at establishing himself inside, and running the floor with Livingston.

Otherwise, Andray Blatche played 18 minutes against the Suns, scored seven and pulled down seven rebounds.  He'll clearly need to play a role in trying to minimize both Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in the paint.  Reggie Evans might even see an increase over his four minutes against Phoenix.

With no disrespect towards Joe Johnson, the big deal is of course, Brook Lopez.  As he was last night, Lopez must once again be the focal point of the offense tonight.  With Deron Williams down, Lopez needs to lead his team like its second best player should.  He needs to take Paul Pierce's and Garnett's lead, and carry his team - not the other way around.  Shaun Livingston will get him the ball, but the big guy must finish strong.  I know - old argument.  But since I mentioned Joe Johnson, an improved shooting percentage could take the Nets a long way.

In place of Deron Williams, Shaun Livingston faces a supreme test this evening.  The Nets well-travelled back-up to Deron Williams now finds himself in a primary role.  The L.A. Clippers lead the NBA in points scored per game, and are facilitated by Livingston's opponent this evening, guard Chris Paul, who leads the NBA with 12.8 assists per game.    Both are 28-years old.  So far this season, Livingston's Per-36 Minutes averages read: 14.3 points on 59% shooting, and 5.3 assists per. Chris Paul is averaging 20.2 points per 36-minutes.

Blake Griffin leads the Clippers with 22.1 points per game.  On the muscle end of things, DeAndre Jordan leads the Clippers with 12.9 rebounds, and nearly two blocks per game.  This team won 56 games last season, and is looking for new Head Coach Doc Rivers to guide them through the final mile this season.

The Nets are led by Brook Lopez, with 20.5 points, and 2.8 blocked shots per game.  Kevin Garnett leads with 7.8 rebounds, and before he sprained his good ankle last night, Deron Williams averaged 6.5 assists.

This is surely another early season barometer game for the 3-5 Nets, who additionally now face the adversity of being without Deron Williams.  A victory tonight would certainly ensure a heroes welcome in Barclays Center Monday evening.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Joe Johnson's Floater Blots Out The Suns In Overtime

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

Nets Gain First Road Victory Of Season

 

FRIDAY NIGHT RECAP:

Nets   100

Suns    98

overtime

BROOKLYN NETS: Deron Williams Sprains Ankle...Again!

Jason's Kidds Regroup After Deron Williams Limps Off Floor, And Play Most Inspired Basketball Game Since Defeating Miami.

Four and a half minutes into Friday night's game in Phoenix, the entire Nets season flashed before the collective eyes of Brooklyn.  Deron Williams sprained his left ankle and left the game.  By the end of the first quarter, the Nets were looking collectively slow, and discombobulated.

Then Shaun Livingston stepped in for Williams and provided an immediate spark.  Brook Lopez started to percolate as well, and Paul Pierce took control of the floor.  By halftime, the Nets had cut the Suns lead down to a 50-46 margin.  At 10:10 of the third, the Nets tied the game 50-50 on a mid-range jumper by Brook Lopez, then Mason Plumlee closed out the third quarter with an emphatic dunk to give the Nets a 73-67 lead.

With 7:00 left in the fourth, Phoenix led 82-78 again, but Brooklyn persisted and at 5:20, Joe Johnson's floater in the lane gave the Nets an 84-83 lead.

At 3:30, Shaun Livingston gave Brooklyn an 88-87 lead, while on the defensive end, Brook Lopez blocked a layup attempt, instigating a time-out by Phoenix.

With the score 90-89 Nets, Kevin Garnett gathered a loose ball and called a Brooklyn time-out while lying on the floor, but Joe Johnson missed his shot coming out of the break.  P.J. Tucker then nailed a three at the other end to give the Suns a 92-90 lead.  On the play, Brook Lopez also rolled his ankle, and limped off the court, but shortly returned seemingly free of effects.

Joe Johnson wound down the clock to 29.9 seconds, and nailed a running jumper in the lane to tie the game at ninety-two.  Phoenix failed to score at the other end, and into overtime they went.

Tied 98-98 with under a minute left in O.T., the Nets and Suns both missed opportunities to take a lead.  The Nets scrambled to recover a defensive rebound, and the ball wound up in Joe Johnson's hands.  He made his way up court looking for trailers, but smartly opted for a running jumper with no time left to win the game for Brooklyn.

Finally, the Nets first road victory of the season was achieved in Phoenix by a 100-98 final score.

After scoring just two points in the first half, Brook Lopez emerged in the second half (and overtime) to drop 25 points on the Suns, for a total of 27 on the night.  Brook led all scorers, and was the only player above 20 points.

Joe Johnson struggled mightily in the early portion of the game, shooting just 3/15 for most of three and a half quarters, but found his touch late, dropping huge buckets when it counted most.  He ended the night with 13 points and of course nailed the game winner.  Joe Jo also led the team in minutes.  Paul Pierce logged in the second most minutes for Flatbush, and despite only scoring 14 points in 41 minutes, he kept the team's heads screwed on tight, and focused.

Kevin Garnett's struggles continued from the field, shooting just 2/8 in 28 minutes, but pulled down a game high 14 rebounds, and was the only player in double-digits.

Shaun Livingston has played very well off the bench this season, and was particularly huge on this night after Deron Williams went down., scoring 18 points and issuing 7 assists, in 37 minutes.

Above all, this was a defensive victory for the Nets.  After a bad first quarter, Brooklyn kept a tight squeeze on Phoenix.  Flatbush was especially active on defense late, causing the Suns to exhaust the shot clock several times and put up forced shots.  And in overtime, it was the old guys, like Pierce and Garnett diving headlong into the hardwood after loose balls.  Kevin Garnett provided a crucial tip in the final seconds of overtime that got the ball into Joe Johnson's hands for a final shot.

The Suns Goran Dragic was a virtual one man wrecking crew, and almost single-handedly brought down the Nets.  He led all players with 46 minutes, scored 19 points and issued a game high 10 assists.  He penetrated the Nets interior seemingly at will, lured in the defense and kicked the ball out very effectively.  It was his last second shot in overtime that became Joe Johnson's game winning opportunity at the other end.


Saturday Supplemental:

X-rays of Deron Williams' ankle came up negative, but the Nets offered no estimated time of return for their point guard.




Mike.BTB