Our readers are still feeling the sting of Nicky Knicksfans' jeers
Backlash Addresses
Email Us!
Send your emails to Joe
(joe@joenetsfan.com) or Champagne
(champagne @joenetsfan.com) about the Nets, the NBA, our site, or anything
at all, and we'll post them here with our replies.
Knick Knocks
Joe:
Urrrggghhh, what's worse than losing to the Knicks? Nails across the board? Chinese water torture? Bamboo chutes under the finger nails? I couldn't believe what was coming through the TV screen last night. Of all nights, the Knicks decided to have a good game. Who would have guessed, right? We all know that will be a rarity this year but the glaring indicator of this loss is Kidd's point total.
So maybe the accurate forecasting tool for the remainder of this season is:
Kidd with more than 20 points = loss
One man teams don't win consistently. Especially the Nets and their pass-first mentality which I love. After all that's how it should be done. But when Kidd scores big, this team isn't hitting on all 8 – or 5 in this case. Not an extraordinary news flash but I had to say it.
Do you think this is what we can expect for the rest of the year? Losing to the weaker teams on the road? E.g. Bulls, Knicks. These are the easy road wins they desperately need. And what makes it a little harder to swallow? Scott talking trash as he does too often. Wise and confident or a loudmouth a-hole? You decide. But now he's got to eat those words. Bon appetite Byron. You would think a person who has been in the league 15+ years would know not to talk trash, make predictions or play into the media's inflation of the 'rivalry' story line.
- Mark Ciocco, December 18, 2002
Mark:
There is nothing worse than a loss to the Knicks. Of course, it was made particularly galling by all the trash talking the Nets did before the game. The frustrating thing about these Nets, in my opinion, is that they seem to believe they don't have to play as hard against the weaker teams. It felt to me like they thought they would win the game just by showing up. Personally, I love Scott's brashness, but he doesn't have to back it up on the court. His job is to motivate the troops, which he's only been somewhat successful at thus far. Thank goodness for Kidd...although the formula should probably be adjusted to:
Kidd with 20 + points without three other players in double figures = loss.
- Joe
More Knick Fallout
Joe:
Byron Scott should be fined a large sum of money by Rod Thorn. Downplaying the Nets vs. Knicks rivalry is ridiculous. Any time you're fighting for fans in the same market, it's a rivalry regardless of the teams' records. I'm not sure if it was Byron taking this game lightly, but he needs to do more coaching than talking. Also, I was at this game, and I saw something I've never seen before. In the pre-game shoot around, Richard (I can't play on the road) Jefferson and some other Nets were trying 360 dunks, rather than actually practicing. It was pretty f-cking disgusting. Either way, the Nets played like a pile of dung, other than Kidd and Martin.
- CHB3001, December 18, 2002
CHB3001:
Hopefully, Scott was just trying to create a rivalry by denying there is one. The ol' reverse psychology, you know? More disturbing though is your report of RJ's hot-dogging in the pregame. Again, like I said, it's as if the Nets believed they didn't have to play the game to win. Considering he's only a second-year player, RJ should be treating every game like it's his last. At least until he becomes the next Michael Jordan. Memo to RJ: You haven't won anything yet.
- Joe
I watched the Houston Rockets pull a stunt like that in a shoot-around a year or so ago, before a game in the Continental Arena, late in the season when a win might have meant the Rockets could have slipped into the playoffs. Moochie Norris was lofting up shots from half-court, just for a goof, his teammates just practiced rebounding and slamming the misses. My jaw dropped, I was so stunned by their "fuck it" attitude. The Nets went out and smashed them. The Nets deserved to lose this Knicks game.
- Champagne
Marv Albert, Pinup Boy
Joe:
Just thought I'd add another note since everyone is comparing the Nets and Knicks leading up to tonight's game. Everyone talked about Coach Scott's quote about the lack of a rivalry because the Nets just bear up on the Knicks. Well, I thought it might be interesting to talk about the ads the Knicks are putting on MSG.
Whereas most teams try to hype fans up about how great, or at least exciting, their local team is to try to get fans to watch the games, the Knicks commercials on MSG are a little different. The ads show first show a montage of the Knicks old glory days. Everyone from Willis Reed to John Starks is shown, everyone of course except for anyone currently on the Knicks roster.
Moreover, there are clips of "legendary Knick announcer, Marv Albert." The ending line of the commercial takes the cake. "MSG: the only place you can hear legendary Knick announcer Marv Albert call a Knicks game." No mention of the current Knicks team, of any excitment from seeing the game, no nothing.
Just to show you even the idiots at Cablevision know that they have no product to sell out on that court.
- JLM2044, December 17, 2002
JLM2044:
How bad is it when a team throws a spotlight on the announcer instead of its players? Wow, Cablevision is incredibly stupid, although selling the likes of Spree, Houston and Ward and their losing ways to the mucky-mucks in the Garden has got to be a challenge creatively.
- Joe
I'll make another point. Jason Kidd is currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference All-Star guard voting. If people could see him play, they would vote for him. You mark my words, Cablevision will screw Jason out of a starting spot on the Eastern Conference team.
- Champagne
Why I Like Veal
Joe:
I like to see him come in the game because of his hustle and because when he enters it means the game is over and usually the Nets go off to win it. What is the situation with the government looking into the Cablevison monoply thingamajiggy going on?
- Gaston Parotta, December 12, 2002
Gaston:
Poor Veal, I mean Brian – all he wants to do is be taken seriously as a basketball player. Ordinarily such energy would be enough to do that. But our redheaded stud can't get off the bench unless there's a blowout, so how does he change his situation? As for the Cablevision situation that the NJ Attorney General is looking into, I don't know any more than what was published last week on the site. I'll see if I can dig up more details.
- Joe
Why We Really Like Veal
Joe:
Why do we love Brian Scalabrine so much? (Yes, even a 7th grader from Golden State has a soft spot in his heart for guys like Marshall and Scalabrine). It's because of the way he plays. Not many other white athletes have the image as rough and tough. Very few other basketball players are all-hustle, all-out the way Veal is. Scalabrine's a quiet asset to the team, (like Donny) and that's something we all respect.
The bad part: A thoughtful Christmas present for Brian would be further basketball skills, and lots of them!
- Matt King, December 12, 2002
Matt:
Seems like the consensus is the all-out style of play. The fact that he's a natural curiosity doesn't hurt either. How many freckle-faced redheads do you see in the league nowadays?
- Joe
Dear Veal Letter
Joe:
An Open Letter To Brian Scalabrine
Dear Brian:
I was saddened to read the recent media reports regarding your popularity with the fans at Continental Arena. One article in particular made it seem as if the fans were cheering you in jest, or that it is some kind of a joke. I can only speak for myself and those I go to games with. But for us, nothing could be further from the truth.
Personally, I've been a fan of your play since your days as a hard working low post player at USC. My brother and I went crazy during the 2001 Tournament, watching you make big shots and gobbling up rebounds. You also had a great personality on the court that regular guys like us could appreciate. And we were thrilled when you ended up on the Nets.
The Nets being conference champions, and an exceptionally deep team, it is understandable that it will take a few years before you start getting some more substantial playing time. But your presence on the court, and especially on the bench, has already made you a very likeable player, if not a folk hero. Rather than sulk on the bench as many young players in the NBA do, you are always enthusiastically cheering on your teammates and putting a Nets win ahead of personal accomplishment. No one is more excited about New Jersey Nets basketball than Brian Scalabrine. This is why, when I see you on the bench I see a bit of myself. And why I go crazy when you get in the game.
You should also know that many people cheering your entrance on to the court are also cheering a big Nets lead, which for better or for worse, you have come to symbolize.
I know you're going to be a good NBA player one day. But in the meantime, I hope you don't mind being a cult hero. I'm still waiting for my #21 jersey in the mail. But when you see me in the stands, cheering your name the loudest, please understand it is only done with love.
- Alan Krieg, Hackensack, December 17, 2002
Alan:
I'm sure Brian would be touched. You wouldn't happen to be related to Doctor Phil, would you? Nicely done, I hope Mr Scalabrine reads this and appreciated the sentiment.
- Joe
Fake Fat Fan Returns?
Joe:
I think he was back tonight. However, he may have lost a few pounds or possibly it may have been an imposter. Anyway, there he was in the upper tier tonight getting the "N E T S, NETS, NETS, NETS" chant going. My girlfriend and I wondered if it was really him. She noticed him but I wasn't convinced that it was him. He was sporting the infamous hat, sweatshirt, and shorts though. Was it really him? Whatever the case, the energy was there tonight. Great game overall. Lucious looked fantastic, Rodney showed us some positive signs, and they played like a team. Hope all is well.
- Mike, December 20, 2002
Mike:
We can only hope he heard the pleas of the upper deck to come back. I don't know if he was the real deal, a plant, or Jeff Van Gundy working the crowd during timeouts. But yes, it was a great, feel-good game for Netsfans. Too bad it comes six months too late. But we'll still take it, and build upon it. Now, if we could only beat the "we can win simply by stepping on the court" mentality out of them when it comes to the weaker teams...
- Joe
Dunk Madness
Joe:
What kind of dunk do you think RJ was going to do when he fumbled that dribble in the 1st quarter against the Knicks the other night? I was thinking he would go off glass and dunk reverse two handed...Maybe you should take a poll?
- Tim Bassett, December 20, 2002
Tim:
You sure he wasn't meaning to actually fumble the pass out of bounds? One can only guess what was going through RJ's mind. He certainly is creative about his dunks, unlike Kenyon, who prefers brute force over creativity. What do you say, Netsfans? What do you think RJ was trying to do? Email me and let me know, and we'll post them.
- Joe
Archive | Backlash | Bio | Calendar | Champagne's Blog | Diatribe | Game x Game | History | Home | Joe Netsfan's Blog | Media | Opponents | Players | Playoffs | Search | Specials
© 2002 Shawn Belschwender and Michael Kozlowski
