Deron Williams: 10 Best Moments of Season's First Half from New Jersey Nets PG

Believe it or not, Deron Williams has had some great moments this season, even with the New Jersey Nets only winning 10 games out of their first 35. If he didn't, he would have not been voted to be an All-Star by the coaches.

Williams was certified even more, as he was left on the floor to finish the All-Star Game on Sunday night.

This season, he is averaging a career high in points with 22.2 points per game, as he is being forced to be more of a scorer rather than a distributor, a role he seems most comfortable in. His role changed since Brook Lopez went down with a broken foot in the preseason.

With Lopez now back, his scoring should go down and most of his highlights will be of him passing the ball instead of shooting it.

Here are D-Will's 10 best moments from the first half. 

All-Star Performance

Although Deron Williams missed a three-pointer at the end of the game that would have put the East ahead, he played a large part in the comeback to even get the game—which seemed out of hand—that close.

In just 18 minutes of playing time, Williams had 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 4-of-7 from deep, four assists, three rebounds, one steal and no turnovers.

His steal and following layup came with less than two minutes remaining in the game, making the score 148-147.

Maybe if Williams had the ball in his hands at the end, the outcome would have been different. Then again, there was that three he missed.

The Dunk-and-One Against Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers

I could not find a picture of Deron Williams' dunk that was contested by All-Star seven-footer Roy Hibbert. Most likely because it was a meaningless and-one in the first quarter of a game the New Jersey Nets lost to the Indiana Pacers.

But the dunk had to have been part of this list. Watching Deron dunk is a bit of a rare occurrence. Watching Deron dunk is like watching Dwight Howard shoot threes.

Wait a minute, Howard shot how many threes during the All-Star Game? Four? Why?

20 Points in First Half Against Memphis Grizzlies

Going into the game short-handed and losing six straight, the New Jersey Nets had to face the Memphis Grizzlies. What looked to be a blowout, turned out to be a close game.

All thanks to Deron Williams, as he scored 20 in the first half, putting the Nets up by two at the break.

He also had 11 assists in the game. The second half was a different story, as Williams only scored six.

After turning the ball over four times late, the Nets ended up losing the game by five.

Line of 27 Points and 11 Assists in Win over Cleveland Cavaliers

After an overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Nets were to play the surprising Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nets were looking to come away with their first winning streak of the season. With only having 10 players available, they did just that, due to yet another big game from Williams.

They were able to lead throughout, thanks to Williams' 27 points and 11 assists.

Scoring 21 Points in First Half Against the Chicago Bulls

The first-place Chicago Bulls were supposed to run the New Jersey Nets' eight-game losing streak to nine. Derrick Rose was not playing, but without him, the Bulls have won seven of their last eight.

But then something strange happened, in Chicago no less. The Nets pounced on the Bulls, jumping out to a 22-3 lead and never gave up the lead again.

The first half was orchestrated by Deron Williams as he scored 21 points, which included five threes. He finished the game with 29 points along with eight assists.

His Third Quarter Against the Orlando Magic

This probably shouldn't be this high on the list, but it was a semi-important moment as Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets were auditioning for Dwight Howard.

The team did not play well. At halftime, the Nets were down by 17 to the Orlando Magic.

Then, in the third quarter, Williams tried to lead the Nets back all by himself. Williams had a three-point play then followed it up with hitting three threes, cutting the 17-point deficit to just eight. He had a chance to hit another three to make it a five-point game but missed. After that miss, the Magic took back control.

Orlando ultimately won by 17 but not before Williams showed Howard what he could do.

Line of 35 Points and 14 Assists Against the Phoenix Suns

To be fair, the Phoenix Suns were without Steve Nash. With that being said, Deron Williams completely dominated the game.

Williams scored 35 points and had 14 assists. The 35 points were the most he scored with the New Jersey Nets. He also had a career high of six three-pointers. 

After the game, Williams said it was his best game "by far" since coming to the Nets.

Near Triple-Double Against the Golden State Warriors

After dropping two games, the New Jersey Nets had a date with the high-scoring Golden State Warriors. Although the Nets wound up winning the game by seven while picking up just their fourth win, it seemed like they needed every bit of Deron Williams' 24 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.

The key to the game was the fourth quarter. With the Nets leading by only three, they went on a 12-4 run with five points coming from Williams.

With 3:26 remaining and the Warriors offense heating up, Williams hit a three-pointer to give the Nets some much-needed cushion, making the score 105-96.

Three Pointer in OT Against the Philadelphia 76ers

After getting blown out by the Chicago Bulls 110-95, the New Jersey Nets had to go up against the 12-6 Philadelphia 76ers, in Philly.

The Nets actually started well in the game as they headed into the fourth quarter up by five. But of course, the Sixers would outscore the Nets 21-16 in the final quarter to send it to overtime.

It was all for the best, as the game proved to be more theatrical.

In overtime, Deron Williams hit the dagger three with 26 seconds left. For the game, he had 34 points, 11 assists and four rebounds.

Eight Three-Pointers to Stop the Linsanity

After hearing for days about Jeremy Lin, Linsanity and the New York Knicks, and how it all started with Lin destroying him, Deron Williams had something to prove during the rematch.

"I don't really watch too many games, but I do see Twitter, people tweet me and every, you know, three lines it was 'Jeremy Lin destroyed Deron Williams,'" Williams said. "So I definitely took offense to that in the first game and definitely, like I said, I had it circled."

In the game, Williams had a game-high 38 points, with career-high eight three-pointers. With 18 of his 38 points coming in the third quarter. At one point, he scored 12 points in a row for the Nets, by himself.

He did this to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and seemed to relish every three-pointer he hit.

It looked as if it was his happiest moment with the Nets since he's been traded to the team.