Spencer Hawes had a career night and I hate it. (AP)

To recap this annoyingly bad 106-97 Brooklyn Nets loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, I'm going "The Difference" style: one bullet point for each point difference in the margin:

  • Brooklyn Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo was asked after the game why Gerald Wallace sat the entire fourth quarter, even though Wallace is the best player the Nets have to guard 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, who always gives the Nets problems. Carlesimo responded by complimenting 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday, saying he was the one that was giving them trouble in the fourth and that he (Carlesimo) went with the players that he felt would give the Nets the best chance to win. Holiday did not score a field goal in the fourth quarter, while Young had 7 points and 4 rebounds in the full 12 minutes. Well then.
  • An addendum to that last bullet point: the Brooklyn Nets, who have struggled for years with stretch/athletic/hybrid 4's like Young (Young specifically was a name former coach Avery Johnson pointed out numerous times as a "Nets killer"), may have had their best chance stopping Young by playing Wallace at the 4. They didn't do that even for one second all game.... MORE →
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    Photo gallery from tonight's 106-97 Brooklyn Nets loss to the Philadelphia 76ers:

     

    Warm-Ups

    The Game Starts Now... MORE →

    Rep Your Nets 3.11.13

    Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by nicolesweet No Comments

     

     


    Deron Williams POINT GUARD

    Can't pin this loss on Williams -- he was as bad defensively as everyone else, but a sublime offensive performance that saw Williams attacking the rim even more, hitting threes, finding teammates for open shots (particularly in the first quarter)... He can't do it alone, but for a moment, he gave it a shot.

    Joe Johnson SHOOTING GUARD

    Hit two threes in the first quarter but was mostly quiet until the fourth (outside of one ridiculous post-up fadeaway in the third quarter), when he took over for a brief stretch of possessions to help keep the game close. Hit a big 3 late, but followed it up with two misses, including a 28-foot ill-advised brick. Incredibly efficient offensive game, but his impact only went so far.

    Gerald Wallace SMALL FORWARD

    I've criticized Wallace's inability to score before, and tonight was no exception, but sat the whole fourth quarter while the Sixers rained baskets and I'm not sure why.

    Brook Lopez CENTER

    Hit jumpers early, including two nutso fadeaways, but had trouble keeping up with Spencer Hawes -- Spencer Hawes! -- running the floor and the pick-and-roll. Defensive abhorrence aside, after a 7-9 first quarter, Lopez got just four more field goal attempts. It's a problem.

    Keith Bogans SHOOTING GUARD

    Yeah, not his best night.

    Reggie Evans POWER FORWARD

    On back-to-back plays, Reggie Evans scored with his left hand off a spin move and hit a sixteen-foot jumper. That should give you an idea of how relatively absurd tonight's Reggie Evans show was. And it wasn't all good; Evans's night was marred by careless turnovers, poor shot selection (which is most shots for Evans), and a terrible play near the end of the game where he goaltended a Spencer Hawes shot after freezing at the top of the key that Hawes was fouled on, leading to a pointless and-one. It may be time for the "glue Kris Humphries to the bench" experiment to end.


     

    Grade the Game At Any Time!

    Tonight: After beating two bad teams (Charlotte, Washington) and one good team (Atlanta), the 37-26 Brooklyn Nets are in Philadelphia tonight to take on another bad team, the 23-39 Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers, who have lost four straight and 11 of their last 12, weren't supposed to be bottoming out in the Eastern Conference, but a continuous series of mishaps surrounding their alleged franchise center Andrew Bynum have kept him off the floor all season and Philadelphia scrambling to score, defend, and win.

    The BK Game Streak: Today marks game 11 of "The BK Game Streak," where you can build a streak of wins along the betting line over the course of the season. Three prizes will be awarded at the end of the year, with first prize a $200 Amazon Gift Card. Log in with Facebook to get started, vote in the box above, and good luck!

    Watch & Listen: Tonight's game is broadcast on YES Network. Ian "The Birdman" Eagle and Jim "Jimmy Sparkles" Spanarkel are on the call. The game is radio simulcast on WFAN, and in Spanish on WADO.

    More on tonight's game, including injuries and stats, after the jump... MORE →

     

    MarShon Brooks (AP)

    Brooklyn Nets interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo recently shortened the Nets rotation to ten players, in an effort to give Nets forward Mirza Teletovic more playing time. (P.S.: "Shortening the rotation to ten" is code for "benching Kris Humphries.") Carlesimo also noted that guard MarShon Brooks was "absolutely" a part of that ten-man rotation, but after seeing less than four minutes in garbage time in a blowout victory against the Atlanta Hawks, that didn't seem to be the case.

    However, Carlesimo stressed that tonight would probably look different for Brooks:

    "It was matchups," Carlesimo said of sitting Brooks. "It's just a question of what the matchups are like. I think tonight will be different. It'll depend on who they start, too, but tonight it'll probably be different."

    "I'd still like MarShon to get some playing time, in a perfect world. It's really more still looking at individuals and figuring out who's going to be in the rotation and who's going to be out."

    Brooks has averaged just 7.5 minutes per game in five March games, after averaging 11.6 minutes per game in his 50 previous games.

    Read More: ESPN -- P.J. hopes to play Brooks more in Philly

     

    Dorell Wright, Mirza Teletovic

    Mirza Teletovic & the Nets try to shut down Philly tonight. (AP)

    Two teams racing in opposite directions clash tonight in Philadelphia, as the 37-26 Brooklyn Nets (who have won three straight) take on the 23-38 Philadelphia 76ers (who have lost 11 of their last 12). The Sixers have been in complete freefall for some time now, hitting rock bottom on February 26th with a 98-84 loss to the Orlando Magic that culminated in a reckless and feckless press conference from Sixers coach Doug Collins. Add in that it doesn't appear that Andrew Bynum will play for the Sixers at all this season, and suffice it to say that the year hasn't gone as planned for the Sixers.

    Joining me to talk about Sixers basketball is the talented and affable Tom Sunnengren, of ESPN's TrueHoop 76ers Affiliate blog Hoop76. To give you an idea of how the Sixers season has gone so far, read the tone of Tom's answers, then consider that Tom never met a smile or happy thought he didn't like.

    And, as always: The BK Game Streak is up. Get to playin'.

    Onward!

    Devin: The Nets won the first two matchups between these two teams and the Sixers are in complete freefall, losing 11 of their last 12 games. What would have to go right for Philly to sneak their first win over Brooklyn this year?

    Tom Sunnengren, Hoop76:... MORE →

     


    h/t Max Weisberg

    Tonight at 6:00 P.M., former Brooklyn Nets coach Avery Johnson is speaking at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. The topic of discussion? "The Business of Basketball."

    The Nets, ironically enough, are in Philadelphia tonight taking on the 76ers.

    Do you live near there? Do you not have tickets to the Nets game? Bored and want to see what Avery Johnson has to say? Let us know.

     

    Reggie Evans, celebrating his final free throws. (AP)

    Unless you've been completely disconnected from the NBA these last few days while circumnavigating the globe, you've probably heard that Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams set an NBA record for most three-pointers in a half with nine Friday night in a 95-78 victory over the Washington Wizards. After hitting his first seven attempts -- including six before the game's first timeout -- Williams eventually settled with 11 total three-point makes on the night, just one short of the NBA record for threes in a game.

    But Brooklyn Nets forward Reggie Evans joined a much weirder, statistically odd group of players that night.... MORE →