The Nets have had a couple days off (remember what happened the last time they had time off), and they return to action against LeBron James and the Cavs. I don’t have a ton of time to talk about the Wizards game or anything before we get to the lineups, but Courtney Lee is still out with his ankle injury. Anyone who has played basketball can tell you how much they suck, and I think the training staff will be conservative with Courtney. I think they will hold him out of the two games this upcoming weekend, bringing him back after that. Onto the lineups…
Devin Harris vs. Mo Williams
This is a match-up Devin Harris should be able to win. Mo Williams is a terrific spot up shooter, but he doesn’t really attack the basket or provide anything else besides his shooting (he can do other stuff, but he doesn’t excel at it). If Devin attacks, gets himself into the lane, and to the line he could have a big game.
Advantage: Push
CDR vs. Anthony Parker
When looking at the boxscore from Sunday’s game (I wasn’t able to catch it live), I saw that he logged 31 minutes and smiled. “He’s back.” I thought to myself, because there is no way Kiki would play him that many minutes if he was playing well. He didn’t play well though (2-7 for 4 points). What this means is as long as Courtney Lee is out, CDR is going to get minutes and a shot to prove what he can do. Will he be able to take advantage?
Advantage: Anthony Parker
Trenton Hassell vs. LeBron James
A couple of weeks ago, Trenton Hassell was sitting on the bench, not really getting many minutes. The next thing he knows, he is defending LeBron James. Trenton one of the first guys I got to interview one-on-one, so maybe I am a little biased, but I think he is a true professional. When he got shuffled back to the bench, you didn’t hear a word out of him. All he does is come out and work when his name gets called.
Advantage: LeBron James
Yi vs. Antwan Jamison
Remember when Andray Blatche lit up Yi? Yeah, Antwan Jamison is better than Blatche, and with LeBron James drawing a ton of attention, Yi is going to be D’ing up Jamison up 1-on-1 most of the night.
Advantage: Antwan Jamison
Brook Lopez vs. J.J. Hickson
The Nets are missing their best shooter from the outside, so you can expect (hope) that the ball will go into Brook a ton. Also, Shaq is out, and Z is still waiting for those 30 days to expire, so Hickson is the only real center on the roster. Brook dominated Kendrick Perkins with consistent touches, so if the Nets give Brook a lot of touches tonight, I could see him having a very big game.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Update From Mark: No Bloggers Talk today everyone. Should hopefully resume Friday.
