Remember when the Nets had 8 guys score in double digits. There was no question that was the main reason for the Nets big win against New Orleans. Well, last night, the lack of depth is what really killed the Nets. Outside of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee, nobody really did anything of note. In fact, other than those two guys, the Nets only had 1 more player in double figures. It was Yi, who finished with 11 points, but it was 2-8 shooting, and he really didn’t have a major impact. Jarvis Hayes had a rough game, since he wasn’t knocking down his shot. It is usually feast or famine with Jarvis, and last night was famine. Jarvis is a fantastic shooter, but he seems to go in those slumps where he just can’t knock anything down, and that was the case last night. Brook Lopez also really struggled. Totally wasn’t expecting that since Andrew Bogut was out, but Brook just didn’t get into a rhythm offensively. As Jon noted in the comments, part of it had to do with Devin’s hot start. The other part of it just has to do with the Nets’ offensive strategy. It just never seems like getting Brook Lopez involved is a priority, and against a team that just lost their best defender in center Andrew Bogut, it’s frustrating.
Trying to focus on the positive a little bit, it was good to see Devin Harris and Courtney Lee get it going. Now that the Nets have gotten their 1oth (and 11th) win to avoid infamy, the wins don’t really matter. You want to see the guys who are going to be with the team next year finish on a good note, and seeing Courtney and Devin play well is the start of that. Both of those guys have been through so much in terms of slumps and injuries that if they can finish the year playing well, they can have something to work off of. Something to keep them motivated. On the flip side, I am not really worried about Brook Lopez finishing the year off slow (or slower than the beginning of the year), just because he has played so strong all year and never really had to face any injuries or adversity.
Some more thoughts after the jump:
- Terrence Williams had a pretty rough game, but it is a game I can live with. It wasn’t like those poor games he had earlier in the year, just because he isn’t shooting crazy long jumpers. He just had a tough time getting his floater to go down. I have said this in the past, when T-Will goes shot happen, part of it has to do with his shot selection, but the rest of it has to do with the lack of movement on the offensive end. When Terrence Williams penetrates and nobody cuts, he is left to put a floater up.
- In continuing our “Random Guys Beat You” theme of the year, Jerry Stackhouse and Ersan Ilyasova combined to score 31 points on 15-21 shooting.
- I know Mark (and probably other Nets fans) aren’t happy about not being able to see these games, but you have to admit, it is coming at a pretty good stretch. This is coming from someone who has seen the games, you aren’t missing much besides headaches.
- Call me crazy optimistic, but I think the Nets can finish .500 during this final four-game stretch. They play the Bulls, the Pacers, the Bobcats, and the Heat. I think the Nets will lose to the Bulls (who are playing for something – that final playoff spot) and the Pacers (who for whatever unknown reason continue to win and hurt their draft chances). I think the Nets wins will come against the Bobcats (I am convince the Nets have their number. It just happens between teams) and the Heat (who I am hoping will be sitting their starters). While 13 wins is an awful season, thinking about where we were a little bit ago (staring at the schedule, scratching for wins), that is a pretty big achievement.
- Good news! John Wall and Evan Turner officially put their name into the draft. I am counting down the days until the draft lottery…
