In his first few minutes as a Brooklyn Nets player in the home of the Brooklyn Nets, Terry buried back-to-back threes, hounded Ray Allen for an entire defensive possession and ruined Miami’s play set, and led a Barclays-wide “BROOK-LYNNNN” chant.
I said before the season that Jason Terry would do everything C.J. Watson does, just funnier. YUP. Fan favorite already.
His battles with LeBron James may get old one day, but they sure as hell haven’t yet. The two went back and forth in the fourth quarter as the Nets looked to maintain their lead, punctuated by a big block by Pierce on James around the five-minute mark and two game-clinching free throws by Pierce with seven seconds left.
Also put up big numbers in a crucial third-quarter run, scoring at will regardless of defensive presence.
Only played short stints, but looked impressive, affecting the game on both ends of the floor. Played well off Deron Williams in a couple of possessions, including one dunk in the fourth quarter. I’m going to say this a lot this season, but he sees plays before they happen in ways no one else on the court can. One question: why didn’t he guard LeBron James in the first half?
Game-changer defensively and looks incredibly comfortable in his role as a creator from the high post and team chatterbox.
Do want to highlight one play: In the first quarter, Garnett lobbed a perfectly timed and angled pass over a defense that was playing in front of Brook Lopez, precisely to stop that kind of play, into Lopez’s outstretched fingertips. Lopez rolled the ball in for a layup.
Underrated pickup of the offseason. Heady offensive play, great defense for possessions against Dwyane Wade, and good shot selection. It doesn’t hurt that his shot is just flat-out beautiful.
Looked solid even on a minutes restriction, though he did miss what could have been a game-clinching free throw with 18 seconds left. But you can see his chemistry with Andrei Kirilenko, and he’s able to find Joe Johnson much easier with the added spacing provided by Garnett and Pierce. If he’s 100% by Sunday, this Nets offense is going to be incredible.
This is my favorite Joe Johnson. spotting up, not overtaking the offense, but occasionally isolating a bad defender like Ray Allen.
Did not appear to be a particularly imposing force tonight and still played well. Worth noting that the Nets sat him for most of crunch time as a defensive switch, choosing instead to play a speed lineup with Kevin Garnett at the 5. Mostly a matchup decision, and Lopez did have five fouls, so it makes sense.
Planet Blatche exists in a universe devoid of reason and fundamentals. There is one resident. You may never understand. I sure as hell don’t.
