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| You wanted more Blatche? More Blatche is what you got |
The Nets just keep rolling, and it doesn't appear that anything can stop them right now. A night after destroying the Knicks at MSG on MLK Day, and five days after crushing the Hawks in London, the Nets did the same against the snakebitten and hapless Orlando Magic, who kept this one close until halftime but watched as Brooklyn just exploded in the 2nd half to roll to a 3rd-straight win and improve to 8-1 in 2014.
Brooklyn, continuing the script from the last few wins, was making shots in the opening quarter, and had an eight-point lead before an ill-advised Deron Williams pass gave All-Star candidate Arron Afflalo the easiest layup of his NBA career. Then, during the 2nd quarter, the Magic gradually cut into the Brooklyn lead and were down just four points (46-42) at halftime.
The 3rd quarter, which is now more friend than foe for the Nets, was when Paul Pierce and the Nets were able to pull away, as they held Orlando to just 3-for-20 shooting during the 12-minute span and won the frame 27-14. By the time the 4th quarter started, the game was basically already decided and the Magic had lost their 11th out of their last 12.
Some other observations I had from the game: There's really nothing negative to come from this game, as, yet again, the Nets dominated in all facets and crushed an opponent that clearly doesn't have the talent to match up with a healthy Brooklyn team…..The Nets hit 49 percent of their field goals attempts, 36 percent (10-28) from three, and 85 percent (11-13) from the free-throw line. The 3FG% may not be great, but everything else offsets the subpar percentage. It also helps when you commit eight turnovers to your opponent's 13…..Andray Blatche, in 24 minutes, led his team in scoring with 18 on 6-for-11 shooting. Most notably, though, in addition to his shimmies, three-pointer, and a vicious jam, Blatche didn't commit a single turnover tonight. A new year, a new Dray? Looks like it…..D-Will put up nine points and nine assists. Missed some open shots but hit some stepbacks that reminded me of his Jazz days, his glorious Jazz days. Deron is pretty close to 100 percent, it would appear……Mirza went 4-for-8 from three-point range, and scored 14 overall. He's been getting open shots, and he's been hitting them. Pretty good system….Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson combined for 26 points, 11-for-20 shooting, 11 rebounds, and a +45 rating. Not an offensive outburst, but effective and efficient scorer, which is all the Nets need from those two….KG hit four of his five shots, scoring eight points, and demonstrating that he can still score and hit his trademark jumpers.
Looking Ahead
The Nets have some time off, and battle with the Mavericks and a couple of former Nets on Friday at Barclays.
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