Tom Barrise is coaching the team again tonight, with Kiki taking over Friday. A lot of people are saying that this is happening because Kiki doesn’t want to be affiliated with the record, but he already is, I mean, he is the one who built this team. So why is Barrise coaching tonight then? Well, usually when teams scout, they scout a few games in advance. My guess is that Lawrence Frank already had a gameplan implemented for this game, and they are just using Barrise to execute that gameplan. Also, it gives Del Harris time to get familiar with the team. I mean a few days ago, he was the GM on the D-League’s new Frisco team (who still doesn’t have a name), so I am guessing he didn’t go out of his way to watch the Nets. I don’t know if he is going to be on the bench tonight, but he is going to be watching, taking notes, and trying to figure out who to play where. Anyway, here are the lineups:
Devin Harris vs. Jason Kidd:
Last year Devin went off for 41 against the Mavericks. A lot of people were talking about him wanting revenge, and that was the motivation. I just think it is a poor match-up for Kidd. I mean Kidd is still a great passing point guard, but he is up there in age, and isn’t as fast as he used to be. Devin Harris’ strength is Jason Kidd’s weakness.
Advantage: Devin Harris
CDR vs. Rodrigue Beaubois
Chris Douglas-Roberts struggled last game. I don’t know if it was that he was going against Kobe, or if it was him just burning out after falling behind early. I wouldn’t be too worried though, and at 6-0, Rodrigue Beaubois CDR has the clear height advantage. Look for him to have a real bounce-back game tonight.
Advantage: CDR
Trenton Hassell vs. Shawn Marion
I don’t think Courtney Lee is going to get the start tonight, so we are going to see Hassell at the 3. As for Shawn Marion, it took him a little while to get going this year, but he has scored 12+ points in each of his last four games. Look for that to continue.
Advantage: Shawn Marion
Josh Boone vs. Dirk Nowitzki
I already talked about Dirk at length today, but I did want to add something. Josh Boone is going to get the start more than likely, but I still think Sean Williams is the best option against him. Granted, Sean Williams is probably going to foul out in like 5 minutes, but boy is that going to be a tough 5 minutes for Dirk.
Advantage: Dirk Nowitzki
Brook Lopez vs. Erick Dampier
I think that Dampier is going to give Brook some trouble tonight. Dampier is a physical player who uses that to his advantage. Dampier is going to push Brook out of the post and force him to catch it farther out. Expect to see a good number of jumpers from Brook tonight.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Prediction
Current Record: 10-7
After tonight you can refer to the Nets as the “record-breaking New Jersey Nets.” Whenever someone who doesn’t watch basketball ask you, “what record?” Just ignore them.
