Alright, we are now starting the second half of the season, and hopefully the Nets will be able to outperform the first half (shouldn’t be hard, but we are talking about the Nets). In my opinion the Warriors are like a watered down version of the Suns, they run up and down the court a lot, don’t play that much defense, and they like to shoot threes. That’s all I really got, so onto the matchups!
Devin Harris vs. Stephen Curry
Steph Curry is doing an admirable job playing the point guard even though that isn’t his natural position. He sets up his teammates, and if you don’t watch out, he can get to the hole on you. You need to be careful though with Curry, because sometimes he doesn’t bring the ball up, and when that happens, it is usually a set-play to get Curry an open three. If he does get open, he’s knocking it down, so the Nets need to watch out for that. Despite the perceived lack of speed, he is still getting a good number of steals defensively, but I do think that Devin Harris will be able to get in the lane and hopefully be successful tonight.
Advantage: Push
Courtney Lee vs. Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis has been putting up a lot of points, but something that really hasn’t been talked about is the number of shots he’s taken. Over his last three games he has taken 98 shots. That is over 30+ shots a game…you know how we talk about Yi shooting too much? Monta shots about 10-15 more shots than Yi…that’s a lot. Sure, he has put up 30+ each of the last three games, but 98 shots in three games…damn…
Advantage: Monta Ellis
Chris Douglas Roberts vs. Devin George
Devin George has been forced to play because of the injuries the Warriors have suffered this year. A lot of these guys have been logging 40+ minutes, so maybe their will be a fatigue factor? Anyway, if CDR chooses to be aggressive, he could have a big game. George isn’t as quick as he was like 5 years ago, so CDR should be able to get to the basket consistently.
Advantage: CDR
Yi vs. Corey Maggette
This is going to be a real tough match-up for Yi. The Warriors love playing small, and Maggette at the 4 is crazy to think about, but it works. Especially on the offensive end. Maggette is a good enough scorer that he forces teams to go small to match-up with him. If teams don’t Maggette can drop 30+ on you. Expect to see some Hassell/Hayes at the 4, and don’t be surprised to see limited playing time for Humphries at the PF, this is a tough game for him in terms of match-ups.
Advantage: Push
Brook Lopez vs. Andris Biedrins
Biedrins is a nice help defender (he gets a ton of blocks that way), but I think Brook Lopez will be able to eat him up on the post one-on-one. On the offensive end Biendrins could give Brook some trouble with his speed, but I don’t see that effecting Brook too much.
Advantage: Brook
