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| Jason Collins' (2nd stint with the Nets) debut was a successful one, as his team beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1st time since 2007. Incidentally, that was a game Collins was a member of the New Jersey Nets for. Maybe the Nets can only beat the Lakers when he plays? |
Even though the actual basketball game was overshadowed by a shining moment in American progressivity, Nets-Lakers tonight at the Staples Center was a pretty decent matchup, albeit one that Brooklyn controlled from start to finish.
Tonight was the first time in NBA, and North American major professional sports, history that an openly gay player participated in a game. Jason Collins was that player, and although his signing by the Nets and eventual appearance in their win over Los Angeles made headline news even outside of the sports world, once he entered the game, it was all basketball. He ended up playing just 11 minutes, but compiled a +8 rating in that time and was involved down the stretch as the Nets sealed off an important win that brings them within two games of .500. He also committed five fouls, which tells you what he brings to the table.
Contrary to Saturday's loss against the Golden State Warriors, the Nets started tonight's festivities with a lot of energy, looking revitalized by their new teammate. Brooklyn's lead was as big as 31-12 in the 1st frame, and even though it would be cut down to 12 by the end of the quarter, it was an advantage that the Nets would hold until regulation ended.
Collins made his debut in the 2nd quarter, in which the Nets gained four points, and played exactly how he was expected to. The Stanford product and LA native set a lot of screens, grabbed a few rebounds, and even collected a steal. What he didn't do was score, as he missed the only shot he took in the entire game: a 15-footer. That's what he did for the Nets when they were in New Jersey, and that's what he's going to do for the Nets in Brooklyn.
It wouldn't be a Nets game, though, if a lead wasn't almost squandered in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn held a commanding 63-47 advantage at halftime, but saw it cut more than in half as Los Angeles fought back to bring the score to 76-69 late in the frame. Fast forward 150 seconds, and a Chris Kaman lay-in and MarShon Brooks three put the Lakers down just six points. Thankfully for Brooklyn, Mirza Teletovic hit two of his three treys on the game at the end of the 3rd, doubling the lead right back up to 12.
The 4th quarter was much of the same, as the banged-up Lakers took advantage of a less-than-stellar attempt by the Nets to put this game away. The door was left open for LA to climb right back, and that's what Mike D'Antoni's squad did. However, even as Brooklyn led by just five points, and then four, the Nets were never really in danger of falling behind, doing what the Warriors did to them last night: keeping their opponent at arm's length. Not the easiest win, but by no means a hard one.
Some other observations I had from the game: Can we stop obsessing over Jason Collins' orientation now? Obviously, the media will say no to that simple question, but the truth is that it's clear the fact that Collins is gay doesn't affect any of his teammates, and probably none of his opponents as well. All that matters is how well he plays the game of basketball, what he's paid to do, and it would be nice if–for the rest of the season–that's what we could focus on……I think Deron Williams is at 100 percent now. After a big 20-point performance against Golden State, D-Will had his highest scoring output of the season tonight, dropping 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting (also 11-of-13 from the free throw line) and adding seven assists, five rebounds, and a career-high six steals. Whether it was a hard drive to the basket or a beautiful 20-footer from the top of the key, Deron was hitting nearly everything he shot tonight. When he didn't make a shot, it probably was because he was fouled, as evidenced by his charity stripe success. Vintage Deron, if I've ever seen it…..Paul Pierce, who along with D-Will put up game-high +12 ratings, was also highly effective at putting the biscuit in the basket against LA. Pierce hit his first five shots (three of which were 3-pointers) in the game's first seven minutes, and continued on from there, eventually scoring 25 on 9-of-17 shooting. Big games from both D-Will and Pierce offset the absences of Kevin Garnett, Shaun Livingston, and Marcus Thornton and the poor showings from Andray Blatche and Joe Johnson.
Looking Ahead
After their California doubleheader, the Nets head north to take on the hot Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
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