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| Hey, looks like someone broke through their proverbial “rookie wall” |
Well then, looks like this Nets team embraced the spoiler role more than I gave them credit for. Tonight at a half-empty Wells Fargo Arena, our Nets shocked the (probably) playoff-bound 76ers with a tough, gritty win, capped off by a 32-point 4th quarter. The difference in this game was pretty easy to determine: 3-point shooting. Both the Nets and 76ers shot exactly the same from the field (34-81, 42 percent) but New Jersey made 38 percent (6-16) of their 3-pointers while Philly only hit 10 percent of shots behind the arc.
In surprising fashion, the Nets actually got out to a great start in this game by leading by six after 12 minutes of play. Then came the patented let-down quarter in which defense was optional and hard-to-come-by and the offense was even worse. However, the poor 2nd quarter effort was salvaged by a quick 5-point spurt (two D-Will free throws and a Gerald Green three) in the last 32 seconds of the half which cut down Philly’s lead from a game-high eight points down to three.
The 2nd half proved to be much better for the Nets. The defense improved, the offense became more efficient, and the 76ers seemed to lose the killer instinct that most teams in the heat of a playoff race have. The Nets kept inching away towards the end of the 4th and finally put the game away with a Marshon Brooks 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining. Marshon had his best game in recent memory with 22 points on 9-15 shooting to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
The rook wasn’t the only Net to play a big role in tonight’s win. One of them was, you guessed it, Gerald Green. With 23 points on 8-13 shooting (4-5 from 3-point range), the former D-Leaguer (and hopefully longtime Net) lit up the basket with an array of different shots, showcasing his incredible pure scoring ability. Kris Humphries quietly collected another double-double (18 and 13), Jordan Williams did the dirty work down low and hit most of his free throws, and even Armon Johnson played solid defense in crunch time.
Some other observations I had from the game: Another off-game from D-Will in the shooting aspect of the game. Sure he scored 11 points and nabbed 10 dimes, five boards, and four steals, but he only hit four of his 14 shot attempts. I don’t have an explanation for his shooting woes which have been frequent of late but at least he seemed to be into the game and showed intensity…Poor shooting from Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson as well. At least tonight the Nets were able to overcome Ammo’s shooting inefficiencies but normally they aren’t as his bench scoring is crucial to many Nets’ wins…It looks like Avery Johnson might be grooming Jordan Williams for a starting role in the last few games of this season because he played six more minutes than Johan Petro and Shelden Williams combined. I don’t have a problem with this because it means our young big-man gets more seasoning in games that actually count…Sundiata Gaines with a DNP-CD. Armon Johnson got his minutes tonight and he has shown to be much more controlled and defense-oriented than Sundy, which this team needs…Somewhat shockingly, Lou Williams only scored eight points tonight on 3-9 shooting. He always kills the Nets and the stars must have been aligned for him to be off against what seems like his favorite team to play.
Looking Ahead
The Nets conclude a back-to-back against the Celtics at the Prudential Center tomorrow (Saturday) night. I, unfortunately, will not be in attendance.
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