Good morning, Nets fans. Thank you for your continued support of The Brooklyn Game. Our t-shirts are lovely and do not have alligator teeth. Pick one up in The Brooklyn Game Store. Your support keeps us going.
Here’s a roundup of last night’s festivities:
What happened: After a terrible first quarter, the Brooklyn Nets locked down defensively on the Splash Brothers & the Golden State Warriors, outscoring them 37-20 in the second quarter and limiting the Warriors to 9-26 shooting from three-point range as they pulled off a 102-98 upset.
Undefeated update: The Nets are undefeated in 2014 and undefeated when Jason Kidd goes tieless.
Game Grades: Read ’em here.
PLAYOFFS!? With the win, the Nets now hold sole possession of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
How in the… The Warriors, one of the league’s best three-point shooting teams, made just three of their last 19 three-point attempts. Stephen Curry hit his first two threes of the game, then missed his final eight. He finished with 34 points, but shot just 11-25 and committed seven turnovers. Other than a few miracle shots, the miracle worker was oddly ineffective.
Roadblock to history: With a win, the Warriors would have been the first team in NBA history to win all seven games of a seven-game road trip. They came in heavily favored against the depleted Nets roster. But no dice, thanks to…
KGesus: Had the best quarter of his Nets season and followed it up with an even better post-game locker room celebration. I won’t repeat myself. Read about it here.
Dr. Livingston:
Along with rocking the cradle, Livingston had one of his best games keying the offense by creating looks with sudden bursts of quickness and finding open teammates.
Andray & Andrei: After going down by as much as 15 and ending the first quarter down ten, the Nets made a surprising run in the second quarter against Golden State’s bench, with a flurry of baskets between Andray Blatche and Andrei Kirilenko. Kirilenko in particular is just incredible — it seems like he impacts every possession with subtle good things.
Point Blatche:
Welp.
My thoughts at the half: I have no idea what is happening. Am I hallucinating this game? Are the Nets really up 7 against the Splash Brothers? There’s no chance they win this game, right? What is going on? How did Mirza just make that? THIS CAN’T BE REAL
Here’s that thing Mirza Made:
Jason Kidd suit update: Kidd went tieless for the fourth straight game, with a blue patterned jacket and a loose collar.
Disruption: The Nets played an incredibly disruptive brand of defense, particularly in the third quarter, throwing the Warriors off their usually sound offensive game. The Warriors committed 18 turnovers in the loss, far more than the Nets usually force.
Ian Eagle, brilliant: “Too much Blatcheness.”
Managing Andrei: Kidd elected to rest Andrei Kirilenko for the entire third quarter, then play him from the start of the fourth quarter until the 3:44 mark. Kirilenko’s
YES Network Cutting Off Kevin Garnett At Literally The Perfect Time:
Good on you, YES Network producers.
Weird Math: Mirza Teletovic was a +23. Nobody else was higher than a +8.
Kidd Gloves: Hall of Fame point guard and Kidd contemporary Gary Payton was on hand for the win, sharing a private moment with Kidd after the game in the coach’s room.
Winning the Oscar For Outstanding Picture: This shot from fan @WhiteNoyz of Mr. Whammy staring down Spike Lee.
True Story: At halftime, the Nets had a pair of kid’s teams playing. One kid, seeing a moment to shine and perhaps channeling the spirit of Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, threw a pass off the backboard to himself, trying to make a highlight instead of passing to his open teammate. He missed the shot and the crowd audibly booed him. The crowd booed a kid during a halftime show. Basketball is the greatest sport ever.
Scal Says: Coming out of halftime, former New Jersey Nets legend and current Golden State Warriors assistant coach said hello to Mr. Whammy and gave Mrs. Whammy a kiss on the cheek. Then, when a younger woman tried to stop him to take a picture, he declined, saying “I’ll get fined!”
I Don’t Care That This Didn’t Count, It Was Awesome:
Every time Shaun Livingston shows off a sudden burst of quickness, an angel gets its wings.
Don’t sleep: The Andrei & Andray show… Mirza teletovic boxing out… Shaun Livingston’s quickness, when he actually uses it…
Quote of the Night:
When I go to dial her up, I want her to pick the phone up. Tonight I dialed, and she was right there, answering like you’re supposed to.
-Kevin Garnett, on his jump shot, allegedly.
Next up: Nickname night! The Nets take on the Miami Heat Friday at Barclays Center, wearing nickname jerseys instead of their real jerseys.
