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Brook Lopez listed as PROBABLE tonight vs. Detroit

Posted on: December 14th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

After missing seven straight games with a mild right foot sprain, Brook Lopez may finally be coming back to the starting lineup. Lopez is probable for tonight's contest vs. the Detroit Pistons in Detroit. The Nets have missed Lopez dearly on both ends of the floor -- while Blatche has filled in admirably (he & Lopez rank 9th & 10th in the NBA in PER, respectively), he's a downgrade both offensively and defensively, and the hole left behind Blatche is far bigger.

According to Coach Avery Johnson, if Lopez does return tonight he likely won't play more than 24 minutes.

The Nets have been 2-5 and sad since Lopez's injury. In a winnable game like Detroit, his presence would be a welcome change.

Nets Power Rankings, Week 3: I Am A Grump

Posted on: December 14th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

In week 3 of my NY Mag Power Rankings, the Nets' recent skid has turned me into a grumpypants, which I hope you can tell from who I rank first overall:... MORE →

Nets Domain Goes Somewhere New: Whoever Owns It Has Weird Ways of Trolling

Posted on: December 14th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Whoever the mystery owner of the Nets.com domain is is having entirely too much fun with it now.... MORE →

Nets 94, Raptors 88: Box Score Reaction

Posted on: December 13th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 2 Comments

 

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

Some immediate takeaways:

  • Only four Nets had a plus-minus greater than the game's actual six-point outcome: Joe Johnson (+12), Reggie Evans (+10), C.J. Watson (+9), and Kris Humphries (+7). I wouldn't disagree that they were the four best players for the Nets on the floor last night, though you could make an argument that #BlatcheMob was in full effect.

  • 5-16 shooting for Deron is just depressingly standard at this point.

  • 14:24 of playing time for Keith Bogans, who has a 4.0 PER and a .439 effective field goal percentage this season. 5:39 of playing time for MarShon Brooks, who has a 20.7 PER and a .595 effective field goal percentage this season.

  • To give you an idea of how porous the Nets' interior defense of Blatche & Evans was, combine Jonas Valanciunas and Ed Davis. EdNas ValanciDavis shot 17-19 from the floor en route to 39 points and 16 rebounds. The Nets still miss Brook Lopez -- for his defense.

Nets 94, Raptors 88: Nets Beat Pesky Referee Defense

Posted on: December 12th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 2 Comments

 


Deron Williams POINT GUARD

Another off night for the man who proclaimed that he hasn't had a good game yet.

Joe Johnson SHOOTING GUARD

Made up for a rough first half with a scorching second. Like night and day. It's amazing how much better of a shooter he is when he's not pump-faking or waiting to see what the defense looks like. Joe's 6'7" and normally guarded by guys three inches his junior. If you have a sliver of space, rise and fire and don't think a damn thing about it.

Gerald Wallace SMALL FORWARD

You Got To Make Your Free Throws.

Kris Humphries POWER FORWARD

WAS INVOLVED IN THE GREATEST GIF OF THE YEAR. Didn't have another eight-minute night but still struggled to get in a rhythm. Got caught for a three-second call and lost some easy passes off his hands. The good: had some solid defensive moments cutting off lanes to the basket that Blatche didn't (or couldn't), and did draw an awful lot of fouls inside.

Andray Blatche POWER FORWARD

Struggled scoring early and had numerous issues defensing Valanciunas. Not a bonehead or bad night, just not as good as he's bee. With one exception: THE FOURTH QUARTER REVERSE THROWDOWN. You can't stop the Blatche. Especially if you're a Toronto Raptor.

Reggie Evans POWER FORWARD

An oddly enigmatic game from Evans. Picked up boards and did a little scoring off dishes inside, but got torched defensively. He's just not long enough to contend with youthful springs like Ed Davis or Jonas Valanciunas, and other than one possession when he picked Valanciunas's pocket in the post, got taken to school by the youngsters.

C.J. Watson POINT GUARD

Was the beneficiary of some wonderful ball movement and got some open threes. The difference from tonight is that he knocked them down. Wonderful to watch, in a way he hasn't been since... well, since opening night against Toronto.


VIDEO: So A Ref Just Tried To Block Kris Humphries’ Free Throw

Posted on: December 12th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 2 Comments

 

Nets-Raptors referee Courtney Kirkland does the weirdest thing I've ever seen a referee do. Just watch:

THE GREATEST GIF EVER!

Apparently there were subs trying to come into the game, which is why Kirkland (forevermore known as #SkyKirkland) tried to stuff Hump. Sure, that makes sense. It's not like there's anything hanging around your neck that you can use to get the attention of basketball players.

h/t Will R. for the video

Nets-Raptors: Pregame Primer

Posted on: December 12th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 3 Comments

 

Grade the players at any time!

DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors Brooklyn Nets

Contain, Maintain. (AP/Frank Franklin II)

Game Info: The Toronto Raptors (4-18) take on the Brooklyn Nets (11-9) tonight at 7:00 P.M., at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The game will be televised on YES Network and nationally on ESPN. Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel have the call on YES. WFAN has the radio call, WADO has the Spanish radio call.

OUT: Brook Lopez for the Nets. About half of Toronto; they're only suiting ninw players. Notable outs: Amir Johnson was suspended by the NBA for one game for tossing his mouthpiece at a referee. Kyle Lowry has a sore right triceps. Andrea Bargnani has a bruised right elbow. Landry Fields had right elbow surgery. I could go on. There are a lot of Raptors out.

Last time: The Nets beat the Raptors 107-100 in THE FIRST GAME EVER AT Barclays Center on November 3rd. The Brooklyn Chant started that night. It was okay.

Starters: ... MORE →

The Battle To Be Less Sad: Previewing Nets-Raptors

Posted on: December 12th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Brooklyn Nets Deron Williams

Some dashing dishing. (AP/Frank Franklin II)

It's been a long time since a Brooklyn Nets victory. Six games, to be exact. It's similarly been a long time since the Nets have played a team they had a distinct, unwavering advantage over, that they should smack the snot out of while only breaking just enough sweat to exude the skills required by a professional basketball player.

Enter the 4-18 Toronto Raptors, who the Nets play tonight at 7 P.M. in Toronto. The Raptors, perpetually on Disney's Tower of Terror, are 1-11 in their last ten games, have the worst defense in the league, a bottom-5 offense, and they're suiting eight players tonight. So the Nets have a shot.

Joining me to talk about the NBA's sleepy basset hound Raptors is Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic, the Toronto Raptors ESPN TrueHoop Affiliate fame. Give him a follow for an opposing view on tonight's contest. I ask him three questions on the Raptors, he counters with three on the Brooklyn Nets and one exclamation about inventor of palindromes Jerry Stackhouse.

Onward!

Blake Murphy on the Toronto Raptors

 
Devin: Man, the Raptors are sad. What's happening right now?

Blake:... MORE →

November 26th Nets-Knicks the “Game of the Season”

Posted on: December 12th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Rob Mahoney of S.I.'s The Point Forward gives out his "alternative awards" for the first quarter of the season, and lists the November 26th game between Brooklyn Nets & New York Knicks, in which the Nets emerged the victors 96-89 in overtime, as his early favorite for game of the year. An excerpt:

Neither team was necessarily at its best, but the playoff atmosphere, competitive margin and split crowd helped to turn this into one of the high points of the season.

Mahoney's assessment is spot-on -- the game was amazingly competitive, the crowd was into the game from both sides like no Nets-Knicks game before, and it featured star performances from the game's best players. The only game that could have beaten it excitement-wise happened last night.

Read more: The Point Forward -- Handing out alternative awards for the first quarter of the 2012-13 season

Knicks 100, Nets 97: Box Score Reaction

Posted on: December 12th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 5 Comments

 

Check out the box score from last night's 100-97 Knicks victory over the Nets here.

Three things of note:
1) 45. Duh. Carmelo Anthony dropped 45 points on 24 shots in 44 minutes. Last time these two teams played, he dropped 35 points on 24 shots in 50 minutes. I would say that the Nets contained 'Melo on the 26th -- he scored in bunches, but not particularly efficiently and below his per-minute season average. Last night was proof positive that the only thing that can stop 'Melo consistently is 'Melo. After a rough first few minutes where Anthony forced off-balance jumpers and awkward drives, he quickly got into a rhythm and began dominating.

Another weird thought: Melo dropped 35 on November 26th and the Nets won by 7. Melo dropped 45 Tuesday night and the Knicks won by 3. HE IS THE DIFFERENCE!

2) -6. Even in this loss, it's worth noting that the Nets lost because of their perimeter defense and New York's perimeter scoring, not because of what happened on the interior. Blatche and Evans did an admirable job on Tyson Chandler (who finished with a -6 plus-minus on the night); even scoring straight through him at some points. The Chandler-led Knicks were known for their defense, but it was the offense last night that made the difference.

3) 8:15. Kris Humphries played just eight minutes and 15 seconds last night. Woof.

Jason Kidd Should’ve Been Called For An Offensive Foul On His Game-Winning Shot

Posted on: December 11th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

The last few minutes of this Brooklyn Nets-New York Knicks game get more and more confusing, the closer you look.

Andray Blatche's questionable offensive interference call. Raymond Felton's foot seemingly out of bounds right before Jason Kidd's game-sealing three. And now another point of controversy: the three itself, where Jason Kidd broke a rule the NBA is looking to make a "point of emphasis" this year.... MORE →

Knicks 100, Nets 97: YES Post Game Plus

Posted on: December 11th, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments