Sorry about the lack of preview for the game but I’ll make up for it with this slightly different recap format (don’t worry, it’s not permanent). The lowly and young Cleveland Cavaliers marched into the Prudential Center and, like many bad teams have done this season, beat the Nets who just didn’t seem to want to win this game. Cleveland simply obliterated the Nets on the boards by an advantage of 55-37 and just made shots when they needed to in order to win the game, which the Nets didn’t do in the slightest. Cleveland’s two significant rookies, 1st-overall Kyrie Irving and 4th-overall Tristan Thompson, combined for 53 points on 20-36 shooting, taking advantage of the usual porous Nets defense that seemed extra uninspired tonight.
Kris Humphries and Shelden Williams both got into foul trouble early on (with some questionable calls by the refs) which limited their playing time and production on the court. This led to the Nets being forced to use smaller lineups throughout the game which contributed to the Cavs’ rebounding explosion. The Nets also missed a ton of shots, makeable shots, which D-Will could be blamed for.
Deron had 28 points and eight assists but only shot 8-23 from the field and committed five turnovers. At some points, his shot selection was awful, expressed by the contested lay-up he missed at the tail-end of the 4th quarter, a shot that if it went in, could keep the Nets within two points of the Cavs lead. Of course, he missed, Cleveland rebounded, the Nets fouled, and then the game was put away at the foul line.
Gerald Green, Anthony Morrow, and Marshon Brooks all showed why they aren’t consist players as they combined for a mere 21 points on 8-28 shooting. That trio can’t do that if the Nets are to become competitive any time soon. A positive that can be gleaned from this mess of a performance is that Gerald Wallace seems to have acclimated well to his new team. The small forward was 8-14 from the field and 10-11 from the free-throw line en route to 27 points, which he added 12 rebounds to as well.
I think it’s fair to say right now that this Nets team simply can’t close out a game, one that they came back from a double-digit 1st half deficit to lead, in any which way. It’s also clear that this team doesn’t even want to win. The intensity and determination that has sneaked through the cracks in the wins against Chicago, Dallas, and the Knicks just wasn’t there tonight and looks like it will never be exhibited again, at least if the team continued this losing streak.
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