Started to hit shots in garbage time. He had to eventually, right?
Started to take over the offense in the third quarter and snuck behind the defense for a few layups. Some smart passing within the offense to find open teammates.
What feels like a now-standard Livingston game and it’s incredible and awesome that we have a standard good Shaun Livingston game.
Had a huge size advantage over Lou Williams for a stretch in the second quarter, and the Nets went to it early and often. Kidd often says that the guy you go to isn’t always the guy that takes the shot, but he’s the guy that forces the defense to make a decision. That’s what happened with Kirilenko: he didn’t take many shots, but he forced the defense out of rhythm, allowing the Nets to swing the ball around and find shots, or Kevin Garnett to get open in the lane for a slam. Some swarming defense
Garnett continued his 2014 roll of dominance: hitting mid-range jumpers with ease and creating looks for others out of the high post. Also, BIG BEN:
The Nets didn’t have a great defensive showing and my inkling is that Garnett got pulled out of the lane a lot to defend shooters, so hard to blame him.
Struggled out of the gate but caught fire late in the third quarter, keying it with a four-point play. Hit two more three-pointers in the half and shot 4-6 overall from deep.
Got off to a red-hot start, hitting 6 of his first 8 shots in the en route to a 15-point first quarter and 26-points first half. Had two buzzer-beating three-pointers, because one would be cheap. The Hawks began doubling Johnson in the second, and he made the smart plays, getting the ball out of his hands once the defense over-committed and more often than not creating an open shot. His teammates didn’t hit many of those open looks (though he did hit a fan with one), and he only scored three points in the second, but Paul Pierce, Alan Anderson, and Mirza Teletovic carried the load. A flawless offensive game from Joe Cool. Someone buy him $10,000 worth of champagne.
One of Blatche’s best all-around two-way games in his Nets career: hitting stepbacks and reverse layups, finding teammates with whizzing passes in the paint, and controlling the glass. Or, as Ian Eagle said, “All the Blatcheness! The positive kind!” Nailed it.
Did you see that crossover!?
Did you see that high floater!?
Outside of an airballed hook shot I barely remember seeing him in the first half. He then did what the Nets signed him to do in the second half: hit three-pointers
