Nets-Jazz

Over .500, what an accomplishment. Nobody, not even myself, the biggest optimist for the nets there is could have envisioned this. I am ecstatic over this victory, you had Vince showing he's healthy and back after leaving the Kings game with a hamstring injury, and you had Devin continuing his meteoric ascent to the level of elite NBA point guards like his counterpart, Deron Williams. Despite missing Carlos Boozer and having Andrei Kirlenko sidelined after getting injured, the Jazz are still a quality team led by Williams and their arena is known as one of the most hostile environments for visiting teams in the NBA. For the Nets to come in to utah and win by 17 is a big accomplishment. Also glad to see Stro Swift return, i dont know how much of an immediate impact he will have but it's always good to have flexibility and the more bodies that are healthy the more flexiblility the coach has with his team.

Nets-Kings

What a game, this game was made exciting when it shouldn't have been made that way. The Nets were up 17 midway through the 3rd and the Kings had nothing going then the Nets managed to blow the lead and were forced to come from 6 down with 34 seconds left, but they ended up winning so that's all you can ask for I suppose. My thoughts:

1) Devin Harris displayed his mental toughness tonight. He struggled shooting all game but when Bobby Jackson gave him space with 7 seconds left for a game tying 3 he had no hesitation to take the shot. He still had the confidence in himself to take such a big shot even after having an off night, which is a big leap foward for him. Harris also made what proved to be the winning shot in overtime on what seems to be becoming his signature: a drive to the lane, a jump stop, then pop. Great way to pull through in the end when his team needed him to.

2) Obviously seeing Vince cringe after his hamstring cramped up was not pretty, but thankfully it was just cramps and he won't miss any time. 3) Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson impressed in front of some hometown fans. Lopez is quickly proving to be a force on the low block, and someone the Nets can trust to score or draw a foul when they throw the ball to him. He finished with 20 points and 8 boards something that doesn't seem shocking any more. Anderson played well with 13 and 8 in justy 18 minutes due to foul trouble. I don't like that L-Frank stuck with yi down the stretch even though he was struggling, Anderson was shooting better than yi and also contributes in ways Yi doesn't, so Anderson should have been playing with under 2 to go in regulation and OT. 4) Keyon Dooling is thriving off the bench. Playing where he belongs as the 1st guard off the bench, Dooling continues to provide energy minutes giving the Nets some perimeter scoring and solid defense. Tonight he had 2 clutch overtime 3s for the nets just as it seemed the game would get out of reach, he nailed his shots. Overall, a somewhat impressive performance. Obviously you like the resiliency the team showed, but it never should have gotten to the point where the Nets were depending on John Salmons' missed free throws in order to win.

Nets-Lakers

Nets stayed competetive in the 1st half of this one, holding Kobe Bryant down and forcing the role players to beat them (the Lakers have the best role players in the game though). The 3rd quarter everything fell apart for them, they couldn't score, and the Lakers were just slicing through their defense. I shut it off 2 minutes into the 4th cause I couldn't watch them play listlessly any longer. Even though they were blown out, the 1st half is definately a positive of this game as they showed they can hang around with the NBA's best even if just for 1 half. The Lakers are really good also, I mean they have 3 all-star palyers in their lineup with Kobe, Andrew Bynum, and Pau Gasol, then Derek Fisher also who is just one of those solid basketball player, never spectacular but he always does what he needs to do. Also Lamar Odom is their 6th man, he would be a starter anywhere else but on the Lakers they have enough scoring and talent to bring him off the bench. Also guys like Jordan Farmar and Trevor Ariza are really developing nicely, making the Lakers a tough team to play.

Nets-Clippers

Went to last night's game and loved the performance. My observations: 1) Bobby Simmons had his best game as a Net thus far. He got the Nets going in the first quarter hitting 3 threes, and playing good defense. he also shot consistently throughout the game and played solid d on Al Thornton and Ricky Davis. If he can shoot well and provide good d like last night regularly that would be a huge plus for the Nets, huge. 2) Yi broke out of his slump and did something he really hadn't done since opening night. He played well from start to finish, and did more then just shoot. While his shooting was on Yi also played good defense including a big rejection in the 3rd quarter, and showed flashes of contributing in more way than with just his shooting ability. Playing well through the course of a whole game is something Yi has struggled with so to see him do that, was a big positive. 3) All starters scored in double figures, showing the nets had a real team effort to win the game, and showing that they have the talent to produce from 3 to 15 at a level nobody would have expected before the season. 4) Brook Lopez is a very good player, finishing with another double dobule, the rookie from Stanford is quickly making a push to remain the starting center, even after Josh Boone returns. I like this move cause I think boone would do really well as an energy guy off the bench kind of like Keyon Dooling is, cause he provides strong rebounding, and solid d which can only help the 2nd unit. 5) Marcus Camby and Baron Davis are clearly frustrated on this Clipper team, you could just see it on their faces late in the game and when they came to the bench. This season can't possibly be going the way they envisioned.

Nets-Raptors

Only got to catch the last minute and a half of overtime of this game, but that was all I needed to see to know that this was a special victory. That was one of the most exciting minute and a halves of basketball I ever watched, really great game, my observations from the box score, the last minute, and highlights: 1) I'm really happy for VC, i think he's so wrongly persecuted by everyone outside of NJ, and he really is a great player and a good person also. I love to see him thrive in that hostile environment, the boos from Toronto are somewhat deserved, but he gets booed and chewed out everywhere by fans and media alike and it's not right. He plays very hard each night, and he really does have top 10 NBA talent, I don't think you can get much better than the game tying 3, the game winning dunk and also 39 points, 9 boards, and 6 assists. He was awesome. 2) Devin Harris continues to be a great sidekick for Vince, as he was the big reason the Nets got back into the agem after being down 18, playing tough d, forcing turnovers, and scoring easy buckets. He is really justifying that Jason Kidd trade. 3) The Nets role players continue to step up. Brook Lopez is begginning to perform well on a regular basis as a 3rd scorer, and it seems like each night other role guys step up as well. Tonight Jarvis Hayes had 14 points and 6 boards while Simmons finished with 8 and 8. The continued improvement of guys 3-15 is integral to the Nets success this season and beyond.

Nets-Cavs

Went to the game on Tuesday, was exciting for the 1st half when the Nets were playing well and keeping Lebron's supporting cast in check, but the game became unbearable after halftime and i left with 5 minutes to go. My thoughts: 1) Yi epitomizes the term "streak shooter". He hit his first 2 shots of the game, then was not heard from the rest of the game as he struggled: to find his touch, on defense, and with his ball handling. He must play more consistently over the course of games, and not just play well in isolated 2-3 minute spurts. Also, Yi missing a pair of free throws when the nets were down 58-52 ultimately led the Nets further downhill, and was really their last chance to get back in the game. 2) The Nets perimeter defense is lackluster. They have trouble closing out on 3 point shooters and left the Cavs plethora of perimeter weapons open, wide open actually. Delonte West and Mo Williams led the charge after halftime helping catapult the Cavs to a 12-0 run to make it 61-52 Cavs just a few minutes into the 3rd. Also every time the Nets woul score a few points, their momentum would be killed with another Cav 3 pointer. 3) The Nets must be able to come up with other scoring option when VC is having an off night, he was 3-12 shooting, and they scored only 82 points, there's definately a correlation between those numbers. 4)Brook Lopez is emerging as a potent offensive weapon for the Nets. He has a really nice array of post moves and is very comfortable getting the ball on th blocks and taking the defender 1-on-1. This is something the Nets have lacked for as long as I've been a fan a consistent offensive player on the blocks. Overall, the game was not one of the nets better performances, they couldn't find a rhythm in the 2nd half, and weren't ready for the cavs 3 point onslaught.

Home and Home Sweep

The last 2 nights have been great ones to be Nets fans. Two big wins over an up-and-coming Hawks team that came into their home and home with the Nets 6-1 and left it 6-3. Didn't catch Friday's game, but some things i liked from the box score. Gotta love Brook Lopez's 25 and 9 performance after struggling for a few games, if he can become a consistent 3rd scorer for the Nets that would be huge. Also Harris coming back obviously gave the Nets a big lift, as he scored 30 points, had 8 assists, and pulled down 6 rebounds, with Vince adding 26. My man Ryan Anderson, playing because of an injury to Eduardo Najera once again proved he's a valuable asset for this team, scoring 15 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. This guy can flat out play, and that is exactly what he should be doing for the Nets.

Now to tonights game, got to watch this one, and was nervous when the hawks made a run to cut into the Nets lead before halftime but that 3rd quarter was something to see, my thoughts:

1) Devin Harris is playing out of his mind, finished with 33 points and 10 assists, the guy has been playing with a fire lately, a fire the nets were lakcing when he was gone. He was agressive, getting to the line 14 times, and he was on from the mid-range and long distance, an overall great performance yet again for this rising star. He sets the tempo for the entire offense, as his speed and penetration ability really are game changers for this team. His presence also takes a huge amount of pressure of VC's back because as another guy that can create his own shot at any time, defenses are less inclined to double and triple team vince, especially down the stretch.

2) Ryan Anderson continues to play exceptionally off the bench, finishing with 17 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and 5 rebounds as well. This guy is basketball savvy as Jim Spanarkel pointed out during the broadcast. He does a lot of things well for this team and is proving to be a great pickup with the 21st pick. I can't say enough about this kid's shooting ability, knack for rebounding, and overall basketball IQ.

3) Sean Williams got some playing time due to Josh Boone's injury and played well, providing some defensive energy and altering a few shots with his long arms and athelticism. Also noticed that when he goes for an offensive rebound he is always in the thick of getting the ball, his long arms and jumping ability enable him to tap the ball and keep it alive very well.

4) Hayes and Dooling again provided solid minutes in relief for the starters. Hayes shot very well in his hometown, and played solid defense on Joe Johnson. However he left the game with back spasms in the 4th quarter and if he is out for an extended period of time that's not going to be good because that means more playing time for the ineffective Bobby Simmons, and also CDR is out leaving them thin at the swing positions off the bench. Keyon gave the Nets a great spark from the end of the 1st till midway through the 2nd quarter, scoring 10 points. This is what the Nets brought him in for, to be a guy that plays in bursts and gives energy for the 2nd unit, not to be a a 35 minute a game starter which he became for that horrific 3 game stretch last week from the team.

5) Vince was unconscious in the 3rd, he was absolutely lighting it up, including 5-5 from 3, he was something to watch, when he is on he's a top 5 NBA player, and he was on tonight.