A silver lining of the Great Rebuild of 2013-14 was knowing that Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and the Nets could challenge the hated Heat.
But I have serious doubts about Brooklyn. Not because they lost Brook Lopez during the regular season and not because Jason Kidd still looks clueless on the sidelines. It’s because Deron Williams is playing like crap.
In the do-or-die Game 7 vs Toronto, Williams delivered 13 points and 4 assists. For the series, he averaged 16.9 ppg, 41% FG, 29% 3FG and 5.6 apg.
Pitiful numbers for a franchise player with a $100 million contract. D-Will’s mediocrity had me thinking:
Playoff Rondo >> Playoff D-Will
— Chuck M. (@RedsArmy_Chuck) May 4, 2014
Rondo’s playoff brilliance aside, Williams must elevate his play (see Paul, Chris) if the Nets are to have any shot of beating the Heat. I can’t stomach the thought of that punk Dwyane Wade riding LeBron’s coattails to another championship:
“We thought when we played them in Boston we thought we buried them,” Wade said Monday. “Then we got Ray, Doc left and we were like, yeah, here they go.”
The Big Three helped break apart the Celtics, but Garnett and Pierce aren’t extinct yet. Now in a new landing spot, they’re the ones trying to end Miami’s dominance. “That’s why it’s the perfect storm right now,” Wade said. “They had their reign on top. We was able to overcome. We’ve had our reign on top now and now they’re trying to overcome. They’re trying to get back to the championship. This is a kind of a battle, a match that you want to meet in the Eastern Conference finals when you talk about the bad blood. But there’s other bad blood out there, too. This is going to be a very challenging round. You wouldn’t want it any other way. You want to feel like you’ve earned it, towards your way trying to get to the finals. I think both teams would want this matchup.”
Elevate your game, Deron. I’m begging you. Celtics fans are begging you.
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