Will feed the trolls a bit here. In a vacuum, 17 points and 6 assists sound nice but it was accompanied by 7-17 shooting and 5 turnovers, including some key misses in the extra session and an awful turnover in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter on a show-offy crossover. Not the performance you want to see from your de facto leader.
Hit probably his two biggest shots in a Nets uniform: a six-foot floater to put the Nets up 104-103 in OT and of course the game winning two. Meanwhile, led all scorers with 28 points. But only three free throws (including a crucial miss that allowed Detroit to tie it)? Still, have to love back-to-back great games from JJ.
Didn’t hit the game winner, but his tip-in in the fourth quarter forced OT and his omnipresent hustle went into an even higher gear. With the Pistons up 100-98 in the closing seconds of Overtime, Wallace’s offensive rebound while falling to the ground (and having the wherewithal to pass the ball to a teammate and not travel) was a sight to behold.
I’m at a loss to find the positives here. OK, an offensive rebound. No field goals, a -16 +/- and a tipped rebound to Kyle Singler that gave the Pistons the lead late in 2OT. If it wasn’t for frontcourt foul trouble and Brook Lopez’s gradual re-introduction to live basketball, I imagine Hump wouldn’t have seen the floor much in the second half. And I have to wonder if he’s playing himself out of the rotation if Avery Johnson goes with Crash as a small “four.”
Was rusty and only played 24 minutes. Still he showed some vintage Lopez offensive moves and had a monster block of Greg Monroe in the third quarter.
This is what drives you crazy about Blatche. 16 points on 7-12 shooting, but a stupid loose ball foul in the fourth quarter gives him an early exit on a night where he needed to stay on the floor to preserve Lopez.
Fans keep clamoring for MarShon and with Jerry Stackhouse hurt, Avery obliged. But is 1-5 shooting and a -14 really want you want to see from your sixth man? He did get a nice block, which I guess means he has some defensive instincts.
He’s the team’s best option at PF right now, but with every game he starts, he’s getting exposed more and more as the one-dimensional player everybody knew he was before the season started.
It looked like DWill hurt himself early and Watson stepped in and actually got the offense humming in the second quarter before everything ground to a halt in the third. Two threes and 4 assists is good enough for me.
