The @BrooklynNets will be rocking these @adidasHoops nickname jerseys Jan 10 vs the Heat. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/S9Oqn0M1Dl
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 2, 2014
Good morning, Nets fans. It’s cold. The Nets are undefeated in 2014. Here’s some info on tonight’s game, plus some Nets news and notes from around the ‘net:
Tonight’s Game, or “T-Gizz”: The Nets play the Miami Heat tonight in the league’s inaugural “nickname game,” in which the players will wear nicknames on their jerseys instead of their regular last names. The Heat had already leaked all 15 of their nicknames, while the Nets have only begun selling a few names.
Nets Nicknames we absolutely know, even for players that aren’t playing:
- Deron Williams (D-Will)
- Joe Johnson (JJ)
- Paul Pierce (Truth)
- Kevin Garnett (The Big Ticket)
- Brook Lopez (Brooklyn)
- Reggie Evans (Joker)
- Mason Plumlee (Plums)
- Jason Terry (JET)
- Andrei Kirilenko (Кириленко)
Tell him Fearza: Mirza Teletovic was still soliciting suggestions for his nickname jersey on Twitter as late as Thursday afternoon:
Do you have any suggestions for a nickname on the jersey on Friday? @BrooklynNets @MiamiHEAT
— Mirza Teletovic (@Teletovic33) January 9, 2014
Across the river: Uh, the Knicks beat the Miami Heat, a 102-92 stunner they pulled off despite sitting reigning Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith for the entire game. The Nets play the Heat tonight. With the win, the Knicks are now 13-22, one game behind the Nets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Hey, remember when? The Nets beat the Heat? No, it really happened. On November 1st, a then-full strength Nets team upset the Heat, 101-100, on their home court. Jason Kidd was serving a two-game DUI suspension and all 11 Nets that played scored at least one point. Including two meaningless preseason games, the Nets have won three straight against the Heat.
Undefeated update: The Nets are undefeated in 2014 and undefeated when Jason Kidd goes tieless. Shaun Livingston has also started all four of those games.
Suck it, 2013: Since 2013 ended, the Nets have outscored opponents by 6.4 points per 100 possessions, while the Heat have only outscored opponents by 4.4 points per 100 possessions.
Flashback Paul Pierce tweet:
It's been a pleasure to bring my talents to south beach now on to Memphis
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) November 12, 2010
This tweet was from Pierce’s days with the Celtics, in case you thought he had any interest in liking the Miami Heat.
Flashback Paul Pierce knocking the mess out of LeBron James in a meaningless preseason game:
D-Won’t: Nets point guard Deron Williams (“D-Will”), who sat out Friday’s 102-98 upset victory over the Golden State Warriors, will also rest during tonight and tomorrow night’s game as he recovers from platelet-rich plasma therapy treatment and cortisone shots in both ankles. He was fitted for a walking boot after receiving the treatment, but he’s since shed the boot, according to reporters who were at the team’s practice Thursday. With Williams out, surprise hero Shaun Livingston (“S-Dot”) will take his place.
D-Won’t Worry: The team’s doctor said on Sirius XM Radio this week that Williams’s ankles are not a long-term concern.
D-Won’t, Part II: Dwyane Wade, who played Thursday night in the Heat’s loss, is not expected to play against the Nets tonight. Not confirmed.
Armor Down: The Springfield Armor got a team-record 41 points from Darius Johnson-Odom, including 20 in the fourth quarter, but that wasn’t enough against the Iowa Energy, and the team lost 143-132. Tornike Shengelia was held to a quiet 10 points against the Energy, who have more players with NBA experience.
Will Barclays be a PAL? The PSAL title game, which has been at Madison Square Garden for at least 15 years straight, will be played elsewhere due to a scheduling conflict. Could it be Barclays Center?
KGesus: I’ll end on this note: Mass Live’s Jay King caught a whiff of my piece on Kevin Garnett’s post-game celebration, and used it as a springboard to help explain just why Boston fell in love with Garnett in the first place. Inspiring, honest writing. Give it a read.
