 |
| Tonight, even though they were overcome with meaningful tributes at TD Garden, KG and Pierce helped the Nets beat their former Celtics team |
It's January of 2014, so you know what that means. The Nets played a basketball game tonight, and they won it, even though it was much closer than it should have been.
Tonight's latest Brooklyn win was one tinged with sentimentality and emotion, as it was the first time Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce had returned to Boston–where they were longtime Celtics–since the June draft day blockbuster which sent them to Brooklyn. Both players received lengthy video tributes during breaks in the game, which caused the arena to resonate with cheers, not boos, and Pierce and KG to well up a little bit.
All of the pageantry surrounding just another regular season game got to the Nets early, as they let the Celtics jump out on a 8-0 run to start the game. Brooklyn would fight back though, after scoring just 11 1st-quarter points and allowing 17. The Nets won the 2nd-quarter, led by Andray Blatche, D-Will, Kirilenko and the rest of a stellar bench that made a big difference tonight. Put those things together and you end up with a one-point lead that Brooklyn took into halftime, and would never relinquish.
As they have done constantly throughout their winning stretch and streak, the Nets really took control in the 3rd quarter, going up by as much as 10 points, thanks to three 3-pointers from Alan Anderson in the frame. This momentum carried over into the 4th quarter, in which the lead was built up to 12. However, though, Brooklyn had some trouble clsoing this win out, as former Nets Gerald Wallace and Chris Johnson hit threes which helped bring the score to three points.
Then, with a chance to tie, Rajon Rondo got the ball stolen by D-Will, which led to an AK layup. The deficit went back up to eight before Boston fought back yet again, as this time the Nets needed a KG steal-and-layup to weather the storm and eventually secure a win.
Some other observations I had from the game: Not the best overall performance we've seen from the Nets in 2014, as they went just 6-for-24 (25 percent) from 3-point range and 33-for-84 (39 percent) from the field, but the fact they were able to stick it out and win a game in which shots weren't falling says a lot about this team's chemistry, strength, and toughness. Guys like Joe (2-for-7), Pierce (2-for-10), Mirza (4-for-11), and Deron (3-for-8) aren't always going to be on fire in terms of shooting, so alternative methods of winning are needed. It always helps when Andray Blatche drops in 17 points, too…..Still no Marquis Teague, and for that matter, Reggie Evans or Mason Plumlee. Kidd has tightened his rotation to a firm ten players, which clearly has been the right move. The Nets have the Raptors in town tomorrow, so it's possible one of those three players could get into the game.
Looking Ahead
The Nets, winners of five straight and 10 of 11, head home to Brooklyn tonight to face off with the Raptors at Barclays tomorrow night.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
