The New Jersey Nets trailed early, got blown out late, and were noncompetitive throughout their 99-73 home loss to the surging Trail Blazers.
Let's look at the details...
The Good
Malik Allen (8-14 FG, 8 REB, 17 PTS)) came to play.
With right-to-left spinning fallaways, turnarounds in the post, offensive rebound stick-backs, and an accurate midrange jumper, Allen was, surprisingly, the only reliable Nets scorer.
(This on a team with Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson?)
Allen grabbed eight boards, and along with Darrell Armstrong was one of only two Nets to play with any enthusiasm.
Armstrong pushed the ball whenever he could, hounded Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack when they brought the ball up, anticipated a Jack crossover in transition and stepped in to take a charge, anticipated a LaMarcus Aldridge pass out of a trap and intercepted it, and always had a smile on his face—even after an inadvertent shove from an opponent knocked him into the front row!
Even at 39 years old, Armstrong still plays with more energy than the majority of his younger peers. He's a consummate winner.
Jason Kidd’s passes in transition are otherworldly.
New Jersey was much more active on the offensive glass than they were on the defensive boards. New Jersey grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, with Allen (4), Josh Boone (4), and Sean Williams (3) leading the way.
Josh Boone cut hard to the hoop on a Richard Jefferson baseline drive. Boone’s willingness to move without the ball was rewarded when he received a sweet feed from Jefferson for a slam.
Jefferson was able to shutdown Martell Webster on Webster’s drives to the basket.
The Bad
Allen was generally in good defensive position, but his lack of lateral quickness kept him from effectively shutting down screen/rolls.
While Boone is active around the glass and without the ball, he isn’t particularly strong, isn’t long, and is a slow leaper.
Sean Williams’ upper body needs to be stronger. Joel Pryzbilla and LaMarcus Aldridge were able to take the ball into his chest to create separation before finishing their moves.
Williams was also pushed around on the boards by Aldridge and Pryzbilla. What's more, he failed to finish whenever a Blazer gave him even the slightest of nudges.
When Williams ended up being defended by Steve Blake early in the third, the youngster was so eager to back him down that Blake simply stepped out of the way, causing Williams to lose his balance and fall.
Channing Frye beat Williams downcourt to draw a foul, and was fouled by Allen on a step-back jumper that had little chance of going in.
The Ugly
The Nets’ “Big Three” only totaled 29 points on 7-33 shooting. At one point in the third, the trio combined to go 4-23, and were held scoreless until Jason Kidd hit a pair of three's late in the first half.
7 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Michael Whittenberg about 1 year ago
These guys are always picked to win the Atlantic Division, then they end up not living up to expectations. They still need a low post guy. I don't see the aggressiveness in Carter this year now that he's got his extension. A pure shooter is something I wouldn't mind seeing there either.
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Erick Blasco about 1 year ago
Carter has never been really aggressive and he's taking it to a new level this year. The Nets are just depressing to watch because the lack of energy isn't just a spot thing. They never play hard, at least not in the first quarter, and it makes for boring basketball.
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Joseph Cosentino about 1 year ago
Ever since his Toronto Raptor days, Vince Carter has always been known to not play up to his expectations, including getting dirty in the low post. Glad to hear you New Jersey net fans are enjoying him. See you in the playoffs, Go Raptors Go!!
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Michael Bolding about 1 year ago
hey the loss to portland isnt as bad as losing to a team like the Knicks, im not sure if the nets have yet but with the way they are playing in New Jersey, they will probably be the new New York Knicks
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Patrick Houston about 1 year ago
i think RJ is the main man on offense in NJ.Vince just isn't all that great as people think he is.
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Erick Blasco about 1 year ago
I definitely agree with the comments about Vince Carter and Jefferson. It's a shame that the Nets might have been able to land Andrew Bynum for Kidd last year, and could have landed another quality player for Carter. The Nets can definitely build around Jefferson for the future as RJ is a very balanced and versatile player. But New Jersey has this insanse mindset where they actually think their team can compete for a championship.
The only other explanation is that the Nets will be able to use Kidd and Carter to market their move to Brooklyn. But Kidd will be worn down by then, Carter may not even be on the team (or will be highly paid and aging), and the Nets may be worse than the mediocre squad they have now. By that time, New Jersey may be stuck with Jefferson and a barren roster, making the Nets a miserable team. I wonder how the Nets PR guys will market that should a trip to Brooklyn come to fruition.
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David Wang about 1 year ago
similarly in what i said about them in my article, they really have a serious trouble with their big three
not only do they need a low-post players, they need to play energy, and i think your point on that is right-on the money
playing without energy is the main reason why they aren't winning games
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