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Video: Brook Lopez dunks all over Serge Ibaka

Posted on: January 2nd, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

As Royce Young of Daily Thunder says...

Nets-Thunder: TBG Open Thread

Posted on: January 2nd, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 7 Comments

 

Durantula. (AP)

The lowdown: The 16-15 Brooklyn Nets take on the 24-6 Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 8 P.M. EST, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The Thunder are 15-2 in their last 17 games and haven't lost at home since November 14th. The Nets are 5-11 in their last 16 games, haven't won on the road since December 12th, and most recently were blown out on the road against San Antonio thanks to a five-point third quarter, the lowest in franchise history.

So this might be difficult.

Watch & Listen: The game is televised on YES Network. Ian Eagle & Mike Fratello are on the call. If you don't have TV or your television was stolen by wildebeests, it's radio broadcast on WFAN Radio. You can also listen in Spanish on WADO Radio.

Starters:
Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Reggie Evans Brook Lopez
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins

Advanced Statistics:
Brooklyn Nets: 102.6 offensive rating (12th), 104.1 defensive rating (21st), 90.34 possessions per game (29th)
Oklahoma City Thunder: 110.6 offensive rating (1st), 100.1 defensive rating (8th), 95.18 possessions per game (8th)

Nets-Thunder: 3 Things To Watch

Posted on: January 2nd, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Gerald Wallace Brooklyn Nets

Wallace is back tonight. But where does he fit?

The 16-15 Brooklyn Nets, fresh off a 104-73 drubbing at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in which they scored a franchise record-low five points in the third quarter, have the distinct honor of traveling to Oklahoma City tonight to take on the 24-6 Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are 16-2 at home, outscoring opponents by an average of 11.4 points per game in OKC, and employ Kevin Durant, who I've heard is pretty good at basketball.

In honor of tonight's matchup, here are three things to watch for in tonight's game:... MORE →

#CrashBack: Wallace in tonight, Watson GTD

Posted on: January 2nd, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 3 Comments

 

Gerald Wallace

#CRASHBACK (AP)

Gerald Wallace will return to the starting lineup after missing Monday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs, the Brooklyn Nets announced today. Wallace had been nursing a bruised right knee, and before the San Antonio game had told reporters, in apropos Crash fashion (Crashion?) he was "definitely" going to play.

The Nets may continue to roll out their small-ball lineup, pairing Wallace with Brook Lopez in the frontcourt and flanking the three with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Keith Bogans. Though overall the lineup has proven successful, it has come with mixed results on a game-by-game basis, and with the Nets facing the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight (with Kevin Durant at small forward, Serge Ibaka at power forward, and Kendrick Perkins at center), it may behoove the Nets to return to a more traditional look.

Additionally, Nets backup point guard C.J. Watson is a game-time decision, also nursing a bruised right knee. backup shooting guard, inventor of palindromes, and infomercial addict Jerry Stackhouse will sit out to rest a sore right hamstring.

Jay-z spends a quarter-mil on champagne, Prokhorov loses almost 400 times that on the market: Nets shootaround

Posted on: January 2nd, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Some Nets news and notes from around the web:... MORE →

Jerry Stackhouse Is A Sucker For No One, Except Infomercial Salesmen

Posted on: January 2nd, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Hidden in a nice profile of Jerry Stackhouse by Roy Ward:... MORE →

Has D-Will overworked himself? He thinks so

Posted on: January 1st, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 2 Comments

 

Deron WilliamsDeron Williams hasn't taken much time off since joining the Brooklyn Nets in February 2011. During last year's NBA lockout, Williams was the highest-profile player to make the leap overseas, joining Turkish basketball club Besiktas in Istanbul for fifteen games. He's had wrist surgery, and various ailments have kept him out of 12 games over the past two seasons.

Williams has dealt with various physical, emotional, and mental struggles since joining Brooklyn, and according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Williams believes that his lack of resting time has contributed to his struggles:

GM Billy King said on the radio Sunday that Williams might be burnt out from playing consecutive summers overseas (in the Turkish league and Olympics). Williams, who has been dealing with nagging injuries – including a bum ankle and wrist — essentially agreed.

“I didn’t take any time off. After last season, I never stopped working out. After the Olympics, the day I got back I worked out the next morning,” Williams said. “I thought it was the best thing to do, and now looking back, it probably would have been smarter to take some time off and get a little bit of rest, especially on my legs, and my ankles in general.

“I took a lot of pounding over the last year because even though we had a shortened season, I was over in Istanbul, so I haven’t had a break since before then. I felt like I could handle it, and at the time I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to get out of shape. I wanted to just keep going.”

Read More: Stefan Bondy, New York Daily News -- Deron Williams’ struggles continue as Brooklyn Nets get blown out, 104-73, by San Antonio Spurs

A Star Is Scorned: Fans Give D-Will F+

Posted on: January 1st, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Check out the results from your grades of the Brooklyn Nets' 104-73 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, where Deron Williams gets his worst marks yet.

Shout out to everyone that graded Gerald Wallace as the team's MVP, despite (nay, because of) the fact that he sat out with a bruised right knee.

Spurs 104, Nets 73: Advanced Box Score Reaction

Posted on: January 1st, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Check out the box score from last night's debacle here.

Some quick reactions:

  • The advanced box doesn't come with quarter-by-quarter analysis, so let's just remind everyone: the Nets scored five points in the third quarter. 5. Cinco. Fünf. 五. They scored as many points as I could probably score in an NBA quarter if an NBA team ever decided that they needed someone cool that wasn't a great basketball player as their 12th man to keep the chemistry together and then said "aw, screw it, let him get his" and let me do nothing but shoot threes for a quarter and then surprise everyone with my dead-mark accuracy and where was I? Oh, right. The Nets shot 2-20 in the third quarter (both field goals from Deron Williams) and earned a new franchise record low for points in a quarter. Hell of a way to ring in the New Year.

  • Brook Lopez scored 35 points against Cleveland. The Nets starters scored 35 points combined against San Antonio.

  • The Spurs assisted on 25 of their 43 field goals and it felt like way more. San Antonio's ball movement was something to marvel at: hitting the right man at the right time, more often at the rim than not. They created space with on- and off-ball screens, Tim Duncan picked up three assists almost immediately, and everyone but Danny Green & DeJuan Blair notched an assist. Want to talk about a successful system? Look no further than last night's opponent.

  • MarShon Brooks led the Nets in scoring, mostly because of his isolations in garbage time. I got nothin'.

Ever Wonder What A Shot Chart For The Worst Quarter In Franchise History Looks Like?

Posted on: December 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Wonder no more... MORE →

THE NETS ARE BAD AND THEY SHOULD FEEL BAD: Spurs 104, Nets 73

Posted on: December 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 1 Comment

 


Deron Williams POINT GUARD

After opening the game with an encouraging three-pointer off a nice pick/handoff play with Brook Lopez, Williams didn't score again in the half as Tony Parker tore him and his backups limb from scoring-point-guard limb. Scored both of the team's two field goals in the third quarter, but good heavens did he look awful versus Parker. -35 does it justice.

Joe Johnson SHOOTING GUARD

Looked like he was getting into a rhythm in the second quarter. Didn't score in the second half.

Kris Humphries POWER FORWARD

Played his first minutes since December 19th and had some good moments; hit a nice hook shot out of a spin move in the post and drew a foul on a dunk attempt. Not the reason the Nets got blown out, but wasn't exactly a catalyst for good.

Brook Lopez CENTER

I spent all morning praising your defense and this is how you repay me!? Scored well enough to buoy his numbers, but what terrible execution defending screens and the pick-and-roll. Actually played isolation & post-ups decently, but got shredded whenever two guys moved in different directions.

Andray Blatche POWER FORWARD

Bad Blatche.

Keith Bogans SHOOTING GUARD

(Intentionally left blank)

MarShon Brooks SHOOTING GUARD

Had his best game and did most of his damage in garbage time.

Reggie Evans POWER FORWARD

WHY IN THE WORLD IS REGGIE EVANS SHOOTING MIDRANGE JUMPERS WHEN THE NETS ARE GETTING BLOWN OUT I JUST DON'T GET IT HAPPY NEW YEAR I GUESS


Nets-Spurs: Open Thread

Posted on: December 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Happy New Year! Grade the Game at any time!

Tonight: The 16-14 Brooklyn Nets take on the 24-8 San Antonio Spurs at 7 P.M. EST, at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Nets have won two straight against the Charlotte Bobcats and Cleveland Cavaliers at home, while the Spurs are on a five-game winning streak with an average margin of victory of 18.8 points per game.

Broadcast: The game is broadcast on YES Network. Ian Eagle & Mike Fratello are on the call. The game will be radio broadcast on WFAN 660 AM, with Chris Carrino & Tim Capstraw, and in Spanish on WADO.

Injury report: Starting forward Gerald Wallace is out with a bruised right knee. Kris Humphries is active, but will come off the bench if at all -- he has yet to practice since incurring a mild abdominal strain last week.

Projected Starters:
Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Keith Bogans, Reggie Evans, Brook Lopez
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter

Advanced Statistics:
Brooklyn Nets: 103.3 offensive rating (10th), 103.7 defensive rating (21st), 90.37 possessions per game (29th)
San Antonio Spurs: 107.2 offensive rating (5th), 98.8 defensive rating (5th), 97.16 possessions per game (2nd)

Go Nets!