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| The Nets needed a big game from Joe Johnson tonight, and they got one |
It wasn't easy, wasn't pretty, but it was a win nonetheless. The Nets slogged through the first half in a lethargic state, looking very much like a team that had lost a thrilling, tight game against a rival the night before. They also looked like a team without its center, as its only legitimate interior threats were Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans, who played great once again. Also, the paint defense by Brooklyn was lacking in Brook Lopez' absence as the likes of Terrence Ross (a very surprising rookie, plays like Gerald Green without as good of a jumpshot), Ed Davis, and Jonas Valanciunas terrorized the Nets down low, hitting lay-up after lay-up to jump out to a 10-point lead late in the first quarter.
The second quarter wasn't much better than the first for Brooklyn, but it involved some rotational twists by Avery Johnson. First off, we saw Kris Humphries, mostly shuttled to the bench recently, get some extended run, playing more than half of the quarter after a few minutes in the first. Hump played well, notching 11 points on the game (9-10 free throws) but only two boards. Mirza Teletovic and MarShon Brooks also got some time in the quarter, but neither of them did anything of real significance on the floor. The Nets didn't gain much ground, as the Raptors kept them at arms length, holding around a 10-point cushion for most of the 12 minutes, capped off by an Aaron Gray putback at the buzzer that brought their advantage back up to eight going into half.
The first few minutes of the second half featured some more lazy play by the Nets, a team that appeared to be destined for a sixth-straight loss. All of that changed at the 7:07 mark when Joe Johnson drilled one of his four three-pointers on the night, shaving down the once seemingly-insurmountable Toronto lead to just five. Then, after a Blatche lay-up cut the deficit to four, the Nets ripped off a quick 9-2 run–behind two CJ Watson threes and one from Joe Johnson–to take control of the game and built a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way.
Brooklyn got to work on extending that advantage in the fourth quarter, increasing it up to 15 points at its peak. Despite a 9-0 spurt by the Raptors cutting the deficit to four points with less than a minute left in the game, the Nets were able to hold on and shove their losing streak back into the history books to focus on building this new winning streak. A must in the NBA is to forget about your last game and worry about the next one, because they come so rapidly in the schedule. No time to wallow in pity or regret a loss, just have to make up for it with a win.
Some other observations I had from the game: We'll start off with a ref (Courtney Kirkland) that tried to block one of Hump's free throws. Yep, I have no clue either…..Stackhouse was inactive today as Avery doesn't want him playing in both ends of a back-to-back, so Bogans took his minutes. I mentioned this yesterday, but for some reason Keith didn't see the floor at all against the Knicks even though he can guard J.R. Smith. At lest we now know it's not because of injury…..Reggie Evans: nine points, 11 boards. Andray Blatche: 14 points, nine rebounds. Not enough good things to say about these guys. Play hard every night and (almost) always play great, do their jobs, and give the Nets wonderful production. Credit Billy King for acquiring both of them…..Gerald Wallace took 11 free throws and made five. Not a typo. Against good teams that could be the difference between a win and a loss. Something that has to be worked on…..Off night for D-Will in both passing and shooting. He's entitled to one every now and then, but not as frequent as they have been this season…..MVPs for tonight: Joe Johnson and CJ. Another bunch of "Hawks" Joe as he made some of his great post drive hook shots that are automatic, drained a bunch of open threes, and hit some contested fadeaways that have become his trademark. CJ hit all four of his three-point attempts, bailing out the Nets multiple times on poor offensive possessions. Love that guy…..For the Raptors, Terrence Ross has the potential to be really good. Like, really, really good if he developed a more-consistent jumper.
Looking Ahead
The Nets look to build on tonight's triumph over the Raptors on Friday against the Pistons back at the Barclays Center.
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