Check out the advanced box score from last night’s 101-100 Brooklyn Nets upset victory over the Miami Heat here.
5 final thoughts:
- Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez were the only starters that didn’t record an assist, but if that’s because the offense is finding them for the open shot like it was last night, you’re not going to see any complaints here. Combined, the two finished with 32 points on 15 field goal attempts and 12 free throws. Great outing for Bro Johnspez.
- In what’s now 56 career matchups in the regular season and playoffs, Paul Pierce & LeBron James have each won 28 games against the other. One of the better rivalries in sports got just a little better last night.
- One underrated aspect of last night’s win: the Nets grabbed almost 90% of all available defensive rebounds, limiting the Heat to just four offensive rebounds in 93 possessions. The Nets ended up taking one more field goal, two more three-pointers, and three more free throws in a one-point game. Every possession counts.
- At one point, LeBron James was 4-11 from the field. He made seven of his last eight shots. Before the fourth quarter, Miami shot just 43.8% from the field. It may be easier to stop Niagara Falls then a locked-in James, but the Nets almost led a 14-point lead dissipate in the closing seconds.
- I’ll end on this note. The Nets’ effective field goal percentage last night was .544, roughly as good as the league-best Heat last season (.552). 41 of the team’s 68 field goal attempts were either within five feet or from three-point range, and they scored 54 of their 101 points from those two areas. They poured another 27 in from the free throw line. Against one of the league’s best defenses, the Nets performed like the league’s best offense. They play the Orlando Magic, who ranked 25th in the NBA in points allowed per possession last season, tomorrow. If Williams is truly 100% and the team plays a locked-in game to climb over .500, we may see some records set.
