The Acid Test
Where did December go?
Anyway, things are finally looking up, sort of an early Christmas present for Netsfans, as New Jersey has won 4 straight and looks more like the team we had imagined in the off-season.
Yes, they are being aggressive, playing defense, and following the lead of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. Dave D'Alessandro believes the streak is mainly because Jefferson has been more aggressive with run-outs, leading to easier points. It seems to have brought Kidd back into the flow and even when the statistics don't show it, he's again controlling the games.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the bench support, and the fact that the two guys thought to be the main subs back in September are actually almost non-factors, while forgotten men like Jacque Vaughn, Scott Padgett and now Lamond Murray are making the big contributions. Who would have guessed that McInnis and Jackson would have more DNP-CD's than Vaughn or Padgett?
But now comes the acid test - the Miami Heat, with a newly healthy Shaq and Pat Riley, lover of big men, now at the controls. The Nets were swept in the post season last year, and still don't have anyone to deal with Shaq or shut down Dwyane Wade, so what can the Nets make of this one? They need to run the ball and force it down Miami's throat, or else get Shaq in early foul trouble or hurt him.
A four game win streak has stopped most of the doubts about this team, except one big one: can they compete with the likes of Detroit, San Antonio, Miami or Indiana? The big test comes tonight.
Anyway, things are finally looking up, sort of an early Christmas present for Netsfans, as New Jersey has won 4 straight and looks more like the team we had imagined in the off-season.
Yes, they are being aggressive, playing defense, and following the lead of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. Dave D'Alessandro believes the streak is mainly because Jefferson has been more aggressive with run-outs, leading to easier points. It seems to have brought Kidd back into the flow and even when the statistics don't show it, he's again controlling the games.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the bench support, and the fact that the two guys thought to be the main subs back in September are actually almost non-factors, while forgotten men like Jacque Vaughn, Scott Padgett and now Lamond Murray are making the big contributions. Who would have guessed that McInnis and Jackson would have more DNP-CD's than Vaughn or Padgett?
But now comes the acid test - the Miami Heat, with a newly healthy Shaq and Pat Riley, lover of big men, now at the controls. The Nets were swept in the post season last year, and still don't have anyone to deal with Shaq or shut down Dwyane Wade, so what can the Nets make of this one? They need to run the ball and force it down Miami's throat, or else get Shaq in early foul trouble or hurt him.
A four game win streak has stopped most of the doubts about this team, except one big one: can they compete with the likes of Detroit, San Antonio, Miami or Indiana? The big test comes tonight.
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