Buffalo? That's cold!
Shuffling Off To Buffalo
I still hear the words echoing in my head: "The Nets could be the Buffalo Bills of the new millenium."
I thought about it on Friday night as I watched (and winced at) the Nets battling the Spurs. Game 5 featured more of the same ugliness, more of the same waiting and wondering whether or not the Nets were going to get it together, and whether or not the role players were going to show up at all. Were the Nets, after impressively sweeping two consecutive Eastern Conference opponents, destined to be left in the same scrap heap of history as the infamous Jim Kelly-led Bills?
True, there were some extenuating circumstances, like Kenyon Martin's flu, and Jason Kidd having to play all 48 minutes. But is the Western Conference really so much better than the Eastern Conference, and by extention, the Nets? Just like there always seemed to be a better NFC team in all the years the Bills made it to the Finals?
We've all heard it, said it and believed it: this was the year the Nets could win the championship because the Lakers were out of the way and the Spurs were frightfully inconsistent. And now we all have to deal with the disappointment that the championship, close enough to touch, will probably go West for another year. Once again, the Nets are a few contributing players short of getting over that damned hump and bringing home the gold.
in basketball, settling for silver just doesn't cut it.
The Spurs have been the better team in this series, if only marginally better. Every game has been one that either team could have conceivably won. The Spurs have been better because Tim Duncan has been Tim Duncan, and the other role players have done what they needed to do. Not spectacularly, mind you, but certainly more than any Nets role player has done. In the end, that's all that matters.
Now, it's on to Game 6 and an attempt to do the impossible: Win two games on the road to steal the championship. If the pattern holds for the rest of the series, the Nets will win Game 6 before losing Game 7, since neither team has won two straight games.
But at least there is no longer talk of how quickly the Spurs will get rid of those pesky Nets, like there was after Game 1 (and even after Game 2, when a San Antonio newspaper article started off with something like, "the Spurs won't sweep the Nets"). The Nets proved they belonged in the final games of their sports season, despite their often disappearing offense.
Then again, so did the Bills.
No one ever wants to be second best at anything. The Nets, and especially Byron Scott, Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, don't appear to be the type of folks who accept the runner-up spot. But it looks like that's all we'll get.
Second place. Runner-up. The Buffalo Bills of the millenium.
Buffalo? Man, that's cold.
Be proud of what they've accomplished. Be joyful of the amazing turnaround this franchise has undergone. Be supportive of their efforts in these playoffs.
And don't give up hope. You never know what these Nets are capable of.
Here's to an exciting Game 6, and the potential for a Game 7.
And if you're starting the off-season shopping list, let's start with a shooter, OK?
- Joe
I'll leave you with four different thoughts emailed in after the Game 5 loss:
I think it took Byron Scott too long to pull Rogers from the rotation for Aaron Williams. Can someone please tell me why Williams can't play the 4?
... So how do I feel going into Game 6? I can't explain it (the fact that I'm a deluded long-time Nets fan may be the reason), but I just have a hunch they are going to pull out the win. The Spurs don't strike me as a team that plays well out in front; they need adversity to get them to step up. Plus you know Martin is going to be feeling better and will want to make up for lost time. So like I've been saying all year, keep the faith. No one has played the Spurs tougher and it ain't over yet.
- Rich McCabe
I hate to make excuses 'cause the Nets played bad in Game 5, but the refs were even worse. ...Their inconsistency is killing the Nets 'cause they get all the calls against them instead of perfect Duncan who doesn't ever do anything wrong. They let them play when Duncan has the ball, then if Martin bumps someone when Duncan does it right back at him, it's a foul on the horrible person named Kenyon Martin. This is a joke, this whole thing that Martin has earned respect from the refs; the refs are still out to get him. And he had the freakin' flu. Do they realize that Martin was clearly sick and was using all the energy in him? And they call these calls that emotionally drain him and the crowd. This isn't the only reason the Nets lost on Friday, but just think if they called the game consistent on BOTH ends, the outcome may have been completely different.
- Ian Wells
No joke that game was very sad. Sad for many reasons.
1) Jkidd Played amazingly; and still his team lost.
2) Kmart was too sick...and still manages to yell bullshit after a bad call at a ref.
3) Rodney Rogers (he needs no explanation).
4) Lucious Haris...where were ya?
Yes Rogers was an idiot for sure this game. Five minutes and one point. Yes...he did not disappoint me, just made my point clear. He may be a semi-veteran but still...I know you all might get tired of my Scalabrine defense but give the guy a shot. I mean Byron did please me with Aaron Williams' amount of play. But Byron still gets the thumbs down. I mean Jkidd was needed the whole game, I understand that...but c'mon some players were stinking up the place. I am not saying I would be a better coach...but I sure as hell know I would have made higher quality decisions.
- Binky
Unfortunately, too many people are going to blame the ailing Kenyon Martin for the game 5 loss, but the goats of this whole series (in no particular order) are: Kerry "I'm the shooting guard?" Kittles, Lucious "I'm the back-up shooting guard?" Harris, and Rodney "I can't do a damn thing right" Rogers. I suppose I'd add Byron "I am the head coach, really" Scott to the mix, for his brilliant decision of playing Mutombo only 7 minutes in the game, when he did a nice job on Duncan down the stretch in game 4. Regardless of how this series turns out (and obviously it's not looking good for us) I don't expect to see Kittles, Harris or Rogers in Nets uniforms again. Maybe they can team up with Keith Van Softee and star for the new Charlotte franchise. More than anything, next season we need a true shooting guard, and obviously Jason Kidd, who I think is going to stay.
- Craig
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