Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Nets (115) - Nuggets (70)

The best game of the year for this team. By far. The Nuggets are a top team in the west, with one of the NBA's top offenses and the Nets held them to 70 points, and 35% shooting. That is not a mistype, the Nets were rolling on all cylinders tonight to their largest victory in franchise history. I went to the game and it was something to watch, it is not every day that the Nuggets get beat at their own game. The Nets were running the ball at will, led by lightning quick Devin Harris who had 28 points. Tonight was one of those nights when Harris is 4 steps quicker than his opponent. He drove when he wanted, outclassed Chauncey Billups, and stopped at the foul line 17 times. He set the pace for the Nets tonight and his teammates were more than happy to follow. Anderson and Lopez continued their hot streaks as Anderson recorded his 1st career double-double (13 points, 12 boards) and Lopez just missed another one finishing with 15 points and 9 boards. The Nuggets could not find their shot all night as the Net d hampered them from all spots. This was another step for Lopez as well, in the fact that he held the athletically gifted Nene in check. This was a great game for the team and there isn't really much to elaborate on, the score says it all, this was all Nets all the time.

Nets (115) - Wizards (88)

The Nets followed up a nice win over the Bucks with a blow out win over the Wizards. This score is indicative of how the game should've turned out considering the Wizards are the worst team in the NBA and they were playing with only 8 healthy bodies, and one of the many injured was Caron Butler. While the score indicates a blow out, and it certainly was one in the second half, the Nets struggled throughout the first half and with just a few minutes left were down by 7 points to the Wiz, but then Devin Harris took over. He ignited a Nets run that put them up by 5 at the half and they never looked back from there. The Nets outscored the Wiz 35 to 18 in the 3rd quarter, effectively ending the game. The Nets got another solid team performance tonight after one last night versus the Bucks. Ryan Anderson continued his hot shooting, he really seems to be growing comfortable in the starting role, and finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Brook Lopez kept things going for the rookies recording his 3rd straight double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. The Big 2 led the way yet again however as Harris and Carter finished with 26 and 20 points respectively. Also, tonight saw the return of Sean Williams to the court for the Nets, and he made a statement immediately, coming into the game and throwing down a powerful left handed jam. On the Washington side, a player people should watch out for is Nick Young, the 2nd year guard out of USC. He has a great ability to create his own shot, and make tough shots as well. He is developing into an instant offense type of guy for the Wizards and should be an Eddie House type player in this league. Overall, this victory was a must win for the Nets and they won it convincingly, as they should have.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Nets (99) - Bucks (85)

Despite pleas from my recuperating (from shoulder surgery) father, and mother nature's best attempt to clog the roads, I made it to yesterday's game which marked the return of former Net stalwart Richard Jefferson. RJ got a warm reception during player introductions and deservedly so he was a key part of the greatest stretch of basketball in Nets history, and he was always a fan favorite because of his athleticism and his funny, opinionated personality. RJ played well in his return home tonight scoring 27 points but he was the only bright spot on a Bucks team playing with out its two top players, Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut. The Nets put a damper on RJ's return with the ultimate team effort as they had five players score in double figures. Brook Lopez followed up his 24 point, 17 rebound performance on saturday with a 22 point, 12 rebound performance tonight. He is quickly becoming a go to guy on the Nets offense. He gets to the rim and finishes with authority and is great running pick and rolls with VC or Devin. He also is starting to really attack on the boards, and is becoming a solid double double guy for this team. Another rookie wasn't far behind Lopez last night as Ryan Anderson had one of his better games of the year shooting 7 for 9 and scoring 19 points while pulling down 7 boards. It was good to see him shooting the ball from long range well because he has been struggling the last month or so and having him play well especially with Eduardo Najera now out indefinately is something the Nets need to happen. In addition, to the rookies playing well they got a solid all around performance from VC who recorded his frist triple double of the season and while he was off on his shot he impacted the game in other ways, particularly with his ability to drive and suck in the defense. While those 3 guys all contributed to the Net victory, Keyon Dooling was probably most essential for them, he hit 5 three pointers off the bench and scored 18 points, often hitting shots in huge spots. The Nets had been up by 15 then had their lead trimmed to 4 before Doolling converted a rare 4 point play to extend the lead to 8 and effecitvely end any Bucks hope for a comeback. The Nets played solid team defense holding the Bucks to 36% shooting in addition to their well rounded offensive showing. This night was supposed to be about one individual: Richard Jefferson , but it wasn't as it was about the team, and not RJ's team but his former team who used multiple contributions to pick up a big win in a game with playoff implications.