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.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Why would you force your father, after shoulder surgery, to drive with you in apparently lousy weather to see this game? Are you THAT big a fan?