Sometimes as a NBA coach, all the moves you make turn out to be the right ones. Other times, you can’t do anything right. Tonight, for Nets coach Jason Kidd, was one of those nights where nothing, other than in the latter portion of the second quarter and the beginning of the third, was one of those “not too much is working” kind of nights.
The Nets started out sluggish for yet another first quarter, and found themselves down 13-2 to begin the game and ended up down 35-22 after 12 minutes of play. The second quarter wasn’t much better, as Brooklyn saw Toronto build a 17-point lead at one point. Then, the Nets roared back with a 14-4 run to end the half with just a seven-point deficit staring them in the face.
Brooklyn continued the good play in the second half by scoring the opening eights points to make for a 22-4 run in total. The Nets were able to take their first lead of the game, although it was short-lived after a pair of DeMar DeRozan free throws handed the advantage right back to Toronto. From then on, this game turned into one that the Nets and Raptors have seen in every game they’ve played this season: a back-and-forth affair.
Every time Brooklyn threatened to pull away with a five-point lead or so, Toronto was able to answer and keep themselves right in this game. The Nets had ample opportunities to push their lead into double digits but could never get the necessary stop or make the necessary bucket. They let a young, scrappy, and determined Raptors bunch hang right with them, which ended up costing the Nets later in the game.
Tied heading into the fourth quarter after a buzzer-beating Mirza Teletovic jumper off an offensive rebound, this game was slowly taken over by Toronto as the final frame progressed. The Nets went on to score just 12 (not a typo, literally one point per fourth quarter minute) points in the last 12 minutes, going just 3-for-17 from the field. They were held scoreless, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, for the last 4:57 of the game, a mark which hasn’t been replicated in the playoffs since 1998. Just brutal.
The last Nets points came on a pair of KG free throws, after which the Raptors scored the final nine points of the game to grab a victory right out of the hands of defeat. They blew a first half 17-point lead in the matter of minutes but none of that mattered after they mounted a stellar road comeback to stun the Nets, who were a few good minutes of play away from a 3-1 series lead and near-total control of their Round 1 fate. Now, with the teams heading back to Toronto for Game 5 on Wednesday night, anything can happen.
Some other observations I had from the game: Deron Williams scored 10 points in this game, on 4-for-12 shooting (0-for-5 from three). He score eight of those points in the first quarter, so he had two total in the last three quarters. That’s just awful, and there’s no way around it. If key players such as him and Joe Johnson (who scored just seven points total tonight on 2-for-7 shooting) are going to disappear in key moments of key playoff games, then the Nets shouldn’t even bother going to Toronto and should just forfeit their series right now, cause there’s no way they take two of the final three against the Raptors if that happens again. Deron and Joe cannot combine to score just 17 points if Brooklyn has a chance to advance. No way at all….For the first time this series, the Raptors won the turnover battle, committing just 12 to the Nets’ 16. A big reason the Nets were able to win Games 1 and 3 was because they forced upwards of 19 turnovers in both contests. They didn’t do that tonight, and, unsurprisingly, they lost….The Brooklyn bench was also underwhelming tonight, as only Mirza Teletovic (5-for-9 shooting for 12 points) was able to produce a significant amount of points as a reserve. Alan Anderson and Mason Plumlee just had bad games overall while Andrei Kirilenko was great defensively, as normal, but missed the only shot he attempted. Marcus Thornton didn’t even get a minute of playing time in Game 4. That will probably change on Wednesday….Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, on the other hand, combined for 46 points, which is what the Nets should expect from Deron and Joe….Lowry and Amir Johnson were in foul trouble for much of this game, and each had five fouls for the majority of the fourth quarter. Were they went after on offense by the Nets and forced to foul out? No, not in the slightest. Brooklyn was given two great chances to take away two of Toronto’s more important players and they didn’t. Why, you might ask? You’d have to ask the Nets themselves for that answer.
Looking Ahead
After a gigantic missed opportunity, the Nets look to come back into a winning mood in Game 5 on Wednesday night in Toronto.
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