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| When he’s on, like he was tonight, Hump can do incredible things |
The losing streak is over as the Nets beat up on cure-of-all-NBA-ails Charlotte Bobcats in a game that wasn’t really in question in the 2nd half. The Nets ran out to a quick 10-3 lead to start off the game and never looked back, as Charlotte was never able to hold a lead for the duration of the game. Heck, even Shelden Williams had a double-double and grabbed eight rebounds in the 1st quarter alone. An easy and non-stressful win over the worst team in the NBA was exactly what the Nets needed to buck the trend of a bad stretch of games since the trade deadline.
There isn’t many specific details one can go over in a blow-out like this one but, to sum it up, the Nets just came out with more energy than their foes did and wanted the win more. It also helped to have a five-rebound advantage on the glass and have three players end up with double-doubles (Shelden, D-Will, Hump). The only real bright-spot for the Bobcats in this one was Byron (formerly known as B.J.) Mullens, the Ohio State product who scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes.
Regarding the Nets, there were a lot of positives to take from this game along with the usual negatives. First off, the play of Shelden Williams and Kris Humphries got the lead for the Nets from tip-off and was a huge part of the team maintaining it over the course of the game. Shelden had 10 and 11 in just 25 minutes while Hump went berserk for 20 points and 16 boards which, admittedly, came against the simply dreadful front-court of the Bobcats.
Also, Gerald Wallace, in his first Nets win, didn’t shoot the ball great (5-13) but was incredibly active on the defensive and offensive ends. Through six games with Wallace, I have observed that he is a physical freak that isn’t crazily gifted on offense but is able to get a lot of points off of put-backs, dunks, and simply being faster than everyone else. However, he is a really good defensive player who blocks some shots that frankly seem to be unblockable. Wallace is also a really good rebounder and upgrades the Nets in that aspect of the game significantly.
Finally, the Gerald Green mania has cooled down a bit since his breakout games a week or so ago. It’s clear that he deserves to be in the NBA and I want him on the Nets but I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect high-teens in points every night from Green. It is reasonable to think that he can consistently score double-figures in points and on some nights, make some ridiculous dunks that get the crowd riled up. Marshon Brooks is in a real shooting strut right now, going 3-9 from the field en route to an 11-point performance.
Some other observations I had from the game: Jordan Farmar is back from his injury and has finally taken all of Sundiata Gaines’ playing time. Thank you Basketball Gods…DeShawn Stevenson was out for the 5th-straight game tonight but instead of getting a DNP-CD, he was officially out with the flu. I know DeShawn didn’t provide much when he was on the court earlier in the season, but I feel that he should play at least six minutes a night when he’s healthy. He may not be as active as he was a few seasons ago but he can hit the occasional three and get in the head of star players when they take on the Nets. I think LeBron has some experience with that…Johan Petro didn’t even enter the game tonight. I think the Nets should get an extra win just for that…Jordan Williams is playing the solid bench minutes that he did earlier this year and he provides a solid interior presence when he’s in the game. He’s a bit undersized but he manages to grab boards and somehow turn them into points.
Deron Williams takes on his former team, the Utah Jazz, at the Prudential Center on Monday. Hopefully the Nets can carryover the intensity from last night’s game to the game against Utah. Let’s build some semblance of optimism, huh?
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