Nets Breakdown: Time for the TNT in New Jersey

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.

Kidd’s shooting was miserable. He went 3-13 from the floor and 2-5 from the line. Most of the misses were wide open jumpers that went nowhere close to the rim.

On back-to-back possessions in the first quarter, Sean Williams airballed a short look in the lane before Kidd airballed a jumper.

Vince Carter (2-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 4 AST, 2 TO, 5 REB, 10 PTS) was awful, refusing to take the ball into contact, making terrible passes, getting toasted while playing straight-up defense, and frequently arriving late on his rotations.

Carter played with a lack of enthusiasm for the majority of the night, and by the time he livened up, Portland had a stranglehold on the game. Carter is all sizzle and no steak.

Darrell Armstrong and Malik Allen not withstanding, New Jersey played with an appalling lack of energy for a home squad matched against one of the league’s rising teams. Instead of meeting the challenge, the Nets looked more concerned with meeting their pillows and blankets.

New Jersey’s offense was stale and unimaginative. Against the Blazers zone, the Nets would resort to passing the ball along the perimeter until a player decided to hoist up a three.

The Nets decided that closing out on Portland’s three-point shooters was optional rather than mandatory—one of the explanations for Portland's shooting 9-15 from downtown.

Late in the fourth quarter, Kidd threw a simple crosscourt pass from the right wing to the left. The problem was that he didn’t see Jefferson already making a cut to the basket...so his pass ended up in the front row.

That play sums up the New Jersey offense.

The Nets often play without any spark—but the spark they need most is the one that blows up the roster.