Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Punches Ticket to Playoffs

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

TUESDAY

Nets    118

Raptors 103

FINAL

Step One: Flatbush Clinches Spot in Post-Season Tourney

Sure, the Raptors have their issues, but they're the only Eastern Conference team outside the top six with a positive point differential.  But when you have eight more possessions and only shoot 39.6% from the field against the Nets, odds are you're gonna lose.  All other things being relatively equal, Flatbush was only somewhat more accurate than the Florida Raptors, which still amazingly manifests in a 13 point win.

James Harden is still out, and DeAndre Jordan was a Coach's Decision.  Otherwise, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Blake Griffin were present and accounted for.  However, this night, the supporting cast put the team on their backs and effectively carried them.  Coach Nash stuck with a tight eight-man rotation.  No player received fewer than 20 minutes.

Tyler Johnson scored ten points with three assists and three rebounds in a bench-high 27 minutes.  Playing in only his third game with Brooklyn, Mike James distributed a game-high eight assists with ten points in 21 minutes, and Blake Griffin scored a bench-high 17 points with six rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes.

While Florida's Kyle Lowry led the floor with 24 points in 37 minutes, Jeff Green led the Nets starters with 22 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes.  Good to see Joe Harris taking the team's second-most attempts.  Harris stepped it up with 16 points and was second to Mike James with six assists, and Landry Shamet added 14 points with a plus-12 for the game.

Kevin Durant made limited attempts, shooting just 5/7 from the field, including 3/4 from three and 4/4 from the line for 17 points in 33 minutes.  Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving was a dismal 3/13 from the field, including just 1/5 from behind the arc as part of a nine-point night with four assists in 39 minutes.

Brooklyn Nets: LaMarcus Aldridge Plants His Flag in Flatbush

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

THURSDAY

Hornets 89

Nets   111

FINAL

Newest Net LaMarcus Aldridge Brings Old School Artistry to the Paint

Change (verb) - 1. make (someone or something) different; alter or modify.  2. replace (something) with something else, especially something of the same kind that is newer or better; substitute one thing for (another).

Making his Nets debut, LaMarcus Aldridge, who turns 36-years old this coming summer, scored eleven points with nine rebounds and six assists.  His play in the paint was a work of art, featuring post-ups, a blocked shot, a plus-22, and two personal fouls in the prevention of easy layups, for which I am very appreciative.  Meanwhile, Nicolas Claxton played only 14 minutes, and DeAndre Jordan played none.

We've been witnessing James Harden involve and demand from DeAndre Jordan a higher level of play.  To his credit, Jordan tries keeping up and perhaps leads the team in the highest percentage shot in basketball, slam dunks.  How minutes at the center position get dispersed moving forward remains to be seen.  That being said, I cannot wait till James Harden plays together with LaMarcus Aldridge, who brings both a complementary and different dynamic to the Nets.

I don't mean to pile on Joe Harris, but I must.  Consistency for him remains an alien concept.  Thursday's performance against Charlotte effectively renders inconsequential Wednesday's 28 point effort against Houston.  Among Thursday's starting five against the Hornets, Joe played the second-most minutes but was the lone starter to not score in double-digits.  He finished 3/9 from behind the arc for nine points and distributed six assists.

Otherwise, playing without Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving took on the distributor's role with a game-high eight assists and a game-high eleven rebounds to go along with 15 points.  Spearheading Brooklyn's group effort, Jeff Green led the floor with 21 points in 31 minutes.  

Landry Shamet and Tyler Johnson were strong off the bench with 17 points and 15 points, respectively.

Brooklyn's collective defensive effort was palpable.  The Nets outscored the Hornets 32-11 in the first quarter and took a ten-point 68-48 lead into the half.  Charlotte was limited to 89 total points, as the Nets cruised to a 22 point margin of victory.

Flatbush improves to 20-6 at home and retains their first-place Eastern Conference standing by one-half game over Philadelphia.

Brooklyn Nets: Fourth Quarter Defense Is a Real Thing

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Nets lead Pacers; 2-0

I - BKN 104; IND 94

II - BKN 124; IND 115

James Harden Leads Flatbush to Sixth Straight Victory with Eleventh Triple-Double as a Member of the Nets

BROOKS CLAIM SHARE OF EASTERN CONFERENCE HIGH GROUND

We've seen this kind of first quarter out of Flatbush before, wherein Indiana jumps out to a 15 point lead.  The Nets chip away and reduce their deficit to three by halftime.  Brooklyn then normalizes and outscores the Pacers 66-54 in the second half, highlighted by a 35-24 finish in the fourth.

And there's the rub ...

This run the Nets presently are on began back on Feb. 10 against these very Indiana Pacers.  Since then, they've won 14 of 15 games.  The last time Brooklyn allowed 30 points in the fourth quarter was on Feb. 15 against Sacramento.  Afterwhich, they've now limited opponents under 30 points (25.0 point average per fourth quarter) for a twelfth straight game.  In this game, the Nets also outrebounded the Pacers by a 50-34 margin. 

In the absence of Kevin Durant (and Blake Griffin), James Harden continues carrying this team on his shoulders.  That's no slight against Kyrie Irving, who is playing very well but also didn't participate in this game.  That said, we all know who is doing what, how, why, and when.  Wednesday night James Harden registered his eleventh triple-double since arriving in Brooklyn.  He scores a game-high 40 points, his most as a Net, to go along with a game-high 15 assists and team-high 10 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the education of Jam Master DeAndre Jordan also continues.  Harden fed him five times en route to a ten-point game in 20 minutes.  DeAndre still needs help, but that's for Sean Marks to decide come trade deadline.

Joe Harris stepped it up, playing a prominent role in the game.  He was 7/11, including 5/7 from behind the arc, for 19 points in 37 minutes.

Tyler Johnson and Jeff Green led the charge off the bench with 15 points each.  Nicolas Claxton was a plus-24 with eleven points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 23 minutes.

Philadelphia finally lost in overtime against Milwaukee.  Therefore, the Nets and Sixers closeout business tied for first in the conference with identical 28-13 (.683) records.

Brooklyn Nets: James Harden Basks in the Phoenix Sun

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

TUESDAY

Nets   128

Suns   124

FINAL

James Harden Enjoys His Moonlanding Day; The Beard is Officially a Net

No Kevin Durant; no Kyrie Irving; no problem, this time.

But, yeah, James Harden leads the Nets to their largest halftime deficit comeback victory in club history.

From the opening tip, former (bitter) teammates James Harden and Chris Paul lock in a tit-for-tat.  Paul shoots 12/20 from the field, including 4/8 from behind the arc, to lead the Suns with 29 points and seven assists in 35 minutes.  However, Harden wins the battle and the war.  The Beard goes 14/22 from the field, 5/11 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 5/5 from the line for a game-high 38 points to go along with a game-high eleven assists.

The last time Flatbush was forced to play minus Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving was against the Sixers.  Harden scored 26 points and handed out ten assists in that game, but the Nets still lost by 16 points at Philadelphia.  This game was heading down a similar path.  Brooklyn gets outscored by eleven points in the first quarter, then by ten points in the second quarter for a 21-point deficit at the half.  The Suns' lead reached as high as 24 points when Chris Paul nailed a three with 1:33 left in the second quarter.  

Then starts the comeback ...

Fueled by a defensive effort perhaps inspired by a lockerroom ass-chewing on top of the one they received after the Detroit Piston flop, Brooklyn limited the Suns to 25 points in the third while closing the gap to twelve points.  The Nets still trailed 113-108 with five minutes left in the fourth.  After which James Harden took charge of the game.  But whereas Chris Paul placed everything upon himself, James Harden incorporated his mates.  The Beard assisted on a Jeff Green three, and Paul answered.  Harden then assisted on a Joe Harris three, and Chris Paul again answered.  Harden then took his turn sinking a floater, but Paul answered yet again.  On the next possession, Harden fed Jeff Green, who hit another three from the corner at 2:21 to bring the Nets within five.  At the 1:39 mark, Harden's two-pointer makes the score 124-121, Suns.  Jeff Green's layup closes the gap to one point.  Harden then nails a huge three-pointer giving the Nets a two-point lead.  With 11.3 seconds left, Harden's two free throws seal the game.  Chris Paul's last-ditch three-pointer misses the mark as is appropriately rebounded by James Harden.  Flatbush closes out the game on a 12-0 run, turning a one-time 24-point deficit into a four-point victory.

Harden's 38-points are a season-high in regulation time; he scored 44-points in Houston's opening night overtime game against Portland.  It's the seventh time this season he's achieved 30-plus points and his fourth time since joining the Nets.

These are the types of games when Joe Harris needs to step it up.  A catalyst on the defensive end; he did just that.  His three-pointer at 3:55 of the fourth quarter reduced the Suns' lead to four.  Harris finished 8/13 from the field, including 4/9 from behind the arc en route to a 22-point game.  It's the seventh time in thirty games Harris has achieved twenty or more points.  Getting the start, Tyler Johnson shoots an effective 5/8 from behind the arc on his way to a 17-point night with five rebounds in 32 minutes.

An integral part of this victory, Jeff Green was 7/14 from the field and 2/3 from the line for 18-points with a team-high eight rebounds off the bench, and Landry Shamet contributed 13-points in 28 minutes. 

The Nets are now winners of four in a row and are 3-0 on this west coast swing.

• Next Up: the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Jazzes Up The Place

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

JAZZ     96

NETS   130

FINAL

After two straight losses against the Hawks and Wizards, Flatbush gets back in the win column with Tuesday's commanding victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.  

The Nets led by eleven after the first quarter and took a nineteen point lead into the break.  Kyrie Irving, who last year played in only twenty games, took charge of this game with haste, scoring 22 of his team-high 29 points in the first half.  He was 12/19 (63%) from the field for the game, including 5/7 from the arc and no trips to the line.  Overall, the Brooks did a much better job of ball distribution (31-17) and outrebounded the Jazz by a 43-32 margin.  In the end, Flatbush came away with an overwhelming 34-point margin of victory, all minus the services of Kevin Durant, who is quarantining per COVID protocol. 

In the absence of both Durant and Spencer Dinwiddie, Coach Nash's starting five took on quite a different look.  Jeff Green, Taurean Prince, and Bruce Brown all started for the Nets.  Playing in only his fourth game and making his first start as a Nets member, newcomer Bruce Brown scored six points with five assists and six rebounds in 23 minutes.  The Taurean Prince doldrums continue; he mustered eight points, two assists, and no rebounds while playing a season-high twenty minutes.

Jarrett Allan also made his first start of the season (and it's about time).  His new role coming off the bench is a contention point for some fans (me).  However, he is getting more minutes than DeAndre Jordan, and more importantly, is finishing games.  After receiving a season-high 32 minutes, Allan rewarded his coach with 19 points, a game-high 18 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.  The game marks the first time Allan has breached thirty minutes this season.  

Meanwhile, ask, and ye shall receive!  It was after the second Hawks game when I said:

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

DeAndre Jordan against the Jazz was limited to a season-low nine minutes.  In fact, it's the first time this season Jordan has been held under fifteen minutes.  Perhaps that's because he drew five personal fouls!  I like it, and I want more of it.

On a night Caris LeVert appeared likely to start, Coach Nash kept him on the bench.  Yet, he and Kyrie Irving were the only two Nets with double-digit shot attempts.  LeVert scored 24 points with five assists in just 21 minutes.  Joe Harris scored ten points in 23 minutes also off the bench.  

The night's true beneficiary was Tyler Johnson, who played more minutes on Tuesday than he had in three previous appearances.  Entering the game, having grossed only twelve minutes of floor time, Coach Nash directed eighteen minutes his way, in which Johnson scored six points and distributed a game-high seven assists.

NEXT: Philly comes to Brooklyn.  This will be a test case in Coach Nash's in-game adjustments, as if to say going off-script.  Memphis and Atlanta, in their contests against the Nets, completely painted their interior wall to wall.  We all know Philly means physicality.  How will the Nets handle this coming off last season's playoff experience against the Sixers and this season's two recent instances wherein teams trampled through Brooklyn's inner turf?

Defending Champion Raptors Too Much for Depleted Brooklyn Nets

From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Raptors Lead Nets; 3-0

I - TOR 134; BRK 110

II - TOR 104; BRK 99

III - TOR 117; BRK 92 

IV - SUNDAY

No Shots for Jarrett Allen; No Chance For Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are a proverbial rubber band of brothers finally stretched to its limit and ready to snap.  At this point trying to remain competitive is just too much to ask from a team lacking so many key players from their once idealized line-up and rotation.  Now with Joe Harris suddenly out of action it invites Toronto to clamp down on Jarrett Allen.  I look at the score and the 25 point differential and think that doesn't happen with 20 points from Joe Harris and a better night scoring from "Mr. Double-Double" Jarret Allen and the bench.  We'd be writing a different story.  But that's not the way it happens.  Jarrett Allen secures a game high 17 rebounds, five on the offensive boards, but is limited to just four points all from the free throw line.  Caris LeVert went from averaging double-digit assists through two games to being limited to just six along with 15 points.  It also seems as if Toronto just lets Tyler Johnson score 23 points.  Garrett Temple goes a mere 2/12 and 1/9 from the arc.  Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot wasn't much better shooting 3/18 from the floor and 2/11 from the arc.  Out of 90 field goal attempts the Nets take 56.6% from the arc, and I have a problem with that.  And speaking of their 90 attempts, the Nets convert just 33.3% of the time.  The Raptors, meanwhile, are 50.5% (46/91) from the field.  The Nets are out-rebounded 48-33, which wasn't happening before.  Toronto does a better of distribution, 35-24, also something that wasn't happening before.  Coach Vaughn asks for 67-minutes from his bench.  Chris Chiozza leads the reserves with 14 points in 23 minutes, with three assists and four steals, but I can't say much else for the other six.  For the second time in three games Toronto leads wire to wire.  However, this is the first game the Nets truly get outplayed.

Brooklyn Nets: Toronto Raptors Outlast Flatbush in Game Two

From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Raptors Lead Nets; 2-0

I - TOR 134; BRK 110

II - TOR 104; BRK 99

Lesson: It's Not How You Start, It's How You Finish

If nothing else game two confirms what I said after Monday's series opener: the Brooklyn Nets did not get blown out.

They are nevertheless down two games to none.

Lose your legs and there goes your shot; the onrush of turnovers begins shortly thereafter.

That's what happens ...

Brooklyn's shot selection and execution deteriorate in the fourth, and they end up shooting 38.8% from the field with 17 turnovers.

Flatbush essentially leads all game with exception of an occasional tie here and there.  They take a 53-50 lead into the half, and lead 80-74 after three.  They still lead 85-84 with eight minutes left, then just run out of gas.  OG Anunoby converts a pair of free throws and Serge Ibaka then buries a jumper from mid-range giving the Raptors an 88-85 lead from which the Raptors never look back.

There is a matter of workload.  All five Nets starters exceed 35-minutes.  Jarrett Allen plays 41-minutes while Joe Harris and Caris LeVert each play 39-minutes.  Coach Vaughn limits bench play to Rodions Kurucs, Chris Chiozza and Tyler Johnson who join together for fifty total minutes.  Meanwhile, he Raptors utilize four bench players for a total of sixty-nine minutes.

Otherwise, I watched an inspired but tiring defensive effort.  They win the battle of the boards, 62-56,  while limiting the Raptors to 104 points - a noteworthy effort considering Toronto has very effective perimeter shooters at all positions.  The game marks the Nets second least points allowed since entering the bubble after an Aug. 11 game in which they yield just 96 points to the Wizards.

The Nets aggressiveness on the offensive end is just as noticeable.  They do a better job of ball distribution and getting to the foul line where they attempt an unheard of 27 shots from the stripe.  It marks their most attempts since entering the bubble, after averaging 23 attempts through eight seeding games and just 16 attempts in game one.  And unlike game one, they limit Toronto to under thirty attempts.  It's the seventh time in the last ten games they've limited the opposition to under thirty free throws.

Garrett Temple leads the Nets with 21 points including 5/11 from the arc.  Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen post identical double-doubles with fourteen points and a game high fifteen rebounds respectively.  Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot adds seventeen points.  Tyler Johnson shoots 5/10 from the field with twelve points in 22 minutes off the bench.

During last year's post-season against Philadelphia Caris LeVert appears in five games and starts two.  He boasts a 49.3FG%, while averaging 21.0 points (26.2 points per 36-minutes) with three assists in 28.8 average minutes.  This year is very different.  LeVert, in the absence of the team's premiere players and litany of regulars missing from the active roster, is being asked to bear the weight of this Borough upon his shoulders in his first playoff as a full time starter.  In game one he scores fifteen points and distributes a game high fifteen assists.  In game two he scores sixteen and again distributes a game high eleven assists.  However, he is shooting only 27.7% (10/36) from the field.  The still 25-year old celebrates a birthday later this month, and his future is looking brighter by the day.

In the meantime, I can only reiterate the fine effort on behalf of Brooklyn.  But in truth Toronto outlasts Flatbush down the stretch.  Depth is on Toronto's side, the Nets not so much.  And now we can add another name to the list of unavailable: Joe Harris has officially opted out of the bubble.

That said, there is still a lot worth taking away from these last two games that are not reflected in the score.  It was never about this season to begin with.  Sean Marks' grade is obviously still incomplete.
Much still remains to be determined.  No one knows it better than him.  For now what doesn't kill the Nets only makes them stronger heading into next season.  That's not being defeatist.  That's being delighted.  These learning experiences are invaluable.

#WeGoHard