Bizarro World
OK, Netsfans - take a deep breath, thank your lucky stars they Nets have straightened things out, and look forward to the coming week ahead.
Quick check of the schedule - Bobcats in Charlotte, followed by the Sonics at home in a back-to-back, then the Celtics on Friday.
That's the 29 - 3 Celtics.
Did you ever think we'd be looking at that? It was going to be a year of improvement for Toronto (they're 17 - 17). The Nets would be right there. Even the Knicks had improved. Then the Celtics grabbed Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and suddenly we're looking at the second coming of MJ's Bulls. They've been a beast defensively, and they can slug it out with the best of them, even with the lack of depth (that clearly hasn't been a problem for them, at least not yet). They can thank Garnett most of all for that, he's the glue that keeps everything together, and no one works harder.
Bizarre, considering the Celtics, while giving away some promising youth and depth, didn't give up anything to be upset over (although Jeff Green's going to be a stud in Seattle). The Nets need to give them a game on Friday night (and maybe even surprise), or else all of this work is for naught (especially given the blowout against the Pistons before the streak started).
First, though, the Nets need to find a way to step on the necks of inferior teams. Too many close games (that luckily have gone the Nets' way) is asking for trouble.
The Big Three have to see to that.
Jason Kidd - can he get a triple triple double in Charlotte? The man is amazing, considering he can't really shoot consistently.
Richard Jefferson - has anyone been more consistent, or fearless, in the NBA this year? How many times has he driven into the paint and gotten whacked, get right up, and make two free throws? And his defense has been good.
Vince Carter - the man has been making shots, and more importantly, making the right decisions on the floor over the course of the winning streak. His passiveness has seemed to pass, as has his ankle problems (or at least he's playing better through it).
Time to get some quality wins, since the calendar is loaded with quality opponents after the Celtics game (the streaking Blazers at home, and that second West Coast swing that features the Clippers, Suns, Kings, Warriors, Nuggets and T-Wolves). Let's see how they handle this week first.
And good bye, Billy Thomas, non-guarantee victim. I'd say we hardly knew ye, but considering he's been here before, and most likely will again, we'll just say see you soon.
Tomorrow, looks like RJ is definite, Antoine Wright may play, Malik Allen will play, and Nenad Krstic definitely won't. The Nets could use Wright to play Richardson and Wallace a bit, but if he's not quite ready, it's probably not necessary to risk injuring him again.
Joe
Quick check of the schedule - Bobcats in Charlotte, followed by the Sonics at home in a back-to-back, then the Celtics on Friday.
That's the 29 - 3 Celtics.
Did you ever think we'd be looking at that? It was going to be a year of improvement for Toronto (they're 17 - 17). The Nets would be right there. Even the Knicks had improved. Then the Celtics grabbed Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and suddenly we're looking at the second coming of MJ's Bulls. They've been a beast defensively, and they can slug it out with the best of them, even with the lack of depth (that clearly hasn't been a problem for them, at least not yet). They can thank Garnett most of all for that, he's the glue that keeps everything together, and no one works harder.
Bizarre, considering the Celtics, while giving away some promising youth and depth, didn't give up anything to be upset over (although Jeff Green's going to be a stud in Seattle). The Nets need to give them a game on Friday night (and maybe even surprise), or else all of this work is for naught (especially given the blowout against the Pistons before the streak started).
First, though, the Nets need to find a way to step on the necks of inferior teams. Too many close games (that luckily have gone the Nets' way) is asking for trouble.
The Big Three have to see to that.
Jason Kidd - can he get a triple triple double in Charlotte? The man is amazing, considering he can't really shoot consistently.
Richard Jefferson - has anyone been more consistent, or fearless, in the NBA this year? How many times has he driven into the paint and gotten whacked, get right up, and make two free throws? And his defense has been good.
Vince Carter - the man has been making shots, and more importantly, making the right decisions on the floor over the course of the winning streak. His passiveness has seemed to pass, as has his ankle problems (or at least he's playing better through it).
Time to get some quality wins, since the calendar is loaded with quality opponents after the Celtics game (the streaking Blazers at home, and that second West Coast swing that features the Clippers, Suns, Kings, Warriors, Nuggets and T-Wolves). Let's see how they handle this week first.
And good bye, Billy Thomas, non-guarantee victim. I'd say we hardly knew ye, but considering he's been here before, and most likely will again, we'll just say see you soon.
Tomorrow, looks like RJ is definite, Antoine Wright may play, Malik Allen will play, and Nenad Krstic definitely won't. The Nets could use Wright to play Richardson and Wallace a bit, but if he's not quite ready, it's probably not necessary to risk injuring him again.
Joe
posted by Joe Netsfan at 7:58 AM
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