Jerry Kane – The Brooklyn Game

Lopez

Nets

Nets wrap up March against the Pistons

By Jerry Kane

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Nets

Nets return home against Knicks on Biggie night

By Jerry Kane

Atkinson

Nets

Nets riding high before showdown against the Atlanta Hawks

By Jerry Kane

Hollis-Jefferson, Kaminsky

Nets

The Power Struggle: Hollis-Jefferson vs. Booker

By Jerry Kane

Durant

Nets

Well, this is going to happen, right? Nets against Warriors is inevitable

By Jerry Kane

Raptors

Before the Super Bowl, catch the Nets in a divisional matinee against the Raptors

By Jerry Kane

Atkinson

Nets

Nets-Raptors: Can it get any worse?

By Jerry Kane

1. Joe Johnson (3 seasons, 231 games) Joe Johnson has been close to very good, and for the Brooklyn Nets, that’s enough to be the best. Throughout injuries and moping and 141 wins and low-impact playoff runs and four coaches and general disappointment, Joe has been the main reason that it’s not that bad here. While his stats have been as pedestrian as his name—15.5 points on 43% shooting, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.7 steals per game—he has been the closest thing to a superstar the Brooklyn Nets have had for the most cumulative minutes. Deron Williams had a few games, Brook Lopez had a few games, Paul Pierce had his moments, Andray Blatche a few quarters. But Joe Johnson looked the part more often than anyone else. He was the most important player in the Brooklyn Nets' only playoff series win to date, where he beat up on Toronto's young wings like an older brother dominating pool basketball on a summer afternoon. He had the stretch of games in January 2014, starting with the OKC nail-biter that kickstarted Jason Kidd’s redemption run and prevented that second season from becoming too much of a disaster. In general, preventing the Nets from completely falling off has been Joe Jesus' main role. And for the most part, he's succeeded. The Brooklyn Nets are the Large Hadron Collider. I’m not sure what their purpose is, but the people involved claim they are important, and catastrophe always seems imminent. But Joe has been standing by, making sure every decimal point is in the right spot and everyone is wearing their safety goggles. Joe also hit a bunch of clutch shots after arriving in Brooklyn, cementing himself as the guy who kept getting the ball at the end of games. This is surely an anachronistic way to measure achievement (and a fairly nihilistic long-term strategy on the court), but it also says something positive about how the team has perceived Joe's talent and nerves. The guy who keeps getting asked to take the most important shots at the end of games is some sort of superlative, whatever that may be. While not the most advanced way of thinking, this gives Joe some "I know it when I see it" level of superstardom. And with the Brooklyn Nets' lack of actual superstardom, degrees matter. Spiritually, Joe Johnson has been the Nets true mascot—even before the Nets shipped the BrooklyKnight off to the big practice gymnasium in the sky. Coming to the Nets, Joe was couched in a stratospheric contract, six All-Star appearances and the promise of being the second half of a blue chip backcourt. This pedigree positioned him as a gaudy piece of Brooklyn's business model, but Joe ain’t gaudy. Despite his garish contract and any brash claims made by the Nets, Joe has been nothing but an efficient, consistent, blue-collar employee of the Brooklyn franchise. And this has been enough to make him the best player in Brooklyn franchise history. -Andrew Gnerre

Nets

Joe Johnson returns to Brooklyn, will receive video tribute tonight

By Jerry Kane

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Nets

Happy Birthday, Kenyon Martin!

By Jerry Kane

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Nets

Nets must face James, Irving, and Love before Christmastime traditions

By Jerry Kane

Lin

Nets

Jeremy Lin returns as Nets battle James Harden and the Houston Rockets

By Jerry Kane

Caris LeVert

Nets

Nets take on Wizards, Caris LeVert to make his NBA debut

By Jerry Kane

Plumlee

Nets

Nets look to avoid freefall against Crabbe, Plumlee, and the Trail Blazers

By Jerry Kane

Kemba Walker

Nets

The Lin-less Nets try to plug the hole at point guard against the Hornets

By Jerry Kane

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