Joe Netsfan Game x Game 4- Nets 87, Hawks 82

Just enough firepower

Nets 87, Hawks 82
Game 4 File
Another bit of a grind, but the Nets stars again do just enough to get the win despite some sloppy play and poor shooting by NJ. The Nets turned the tide in a big third quarter behind Jason Kidd's almost -triple-double, but then hang on and play just well enough for their third win of the season.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 3 - 1
Home Record: 2 - 1
Away Record: 1 - 0
Division Record: 1 - 1
Conf. Record: 3 - 1
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Richard Jefferson, 25.
• Assists: Jason Kidd, 12.
• Rebounds: Jason Kidd, 9.
• Steals: Jason Kidd, 3.
• Turnovers: Jason Kidd, 6.
• Blocks: Jamaal Magloire, 2.
• FG Percentage: Richard Jefferson, 53.3% (8 - 15).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 43.6%
• FT Percentage: 75.0%
• Rebounds: 45
• Rebound Differential: +10
• Turnovers: 18
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 20
• Bench points: 31
• Bench points Differential:+8
• Steals: 8
• Blocks: 5
• Points in the Paint: 28
• Double-Doubles: 0
• Triple-Doubles: 0

The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 3
• Nets Fast Break Points: 8
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 40.0% (4 - 10).
• Scoring Differential Kidd in the game: +10
• Scoring Differential Kidd out: -5 (Armstrong)
• Double-Doubles this Season: 1
• Triple Doubles this Season: 1
• Career Triple Doubles: 88

Nets Media
Bergen Record | Nets
Newark Star-Ledger | Nets
Newsday | Nets
NY Daily News | NBA
NY Post | Nets
NY Times | Pro Basketball
YES Network | Nets

Nets Team Pages
CNNSI.com | Nets
ESPN.com | Nets
FoxSports | Nets
NBA.com | Nets
Sportsline.com | Nets

Hawks Media:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Hawk

Game 4: Nets 87, Hawks 82 – November 6, 2007
Bird Shot
The Nets spent a good part of their game against the Hawks tonight scattering balls across the court like bird shot. Luckily for them, the Hawks were just as adept at the concept, and the result nearly read like Grind House from Saturday night, only no triple double for Jason Kidd. With Kidd and the Nets taking control with a 16 - 4 burst over the last five minutes of the third quarter, they then hung on against the late pistol fire of the Hawks to gain their third win of this young season.

From the start, it looked more like skeet shooting for dummies at the Izod Center, as neither team seemed to be able to keep anything going. After a lazy, somewhat-unfocused quarter for both teams, full of turnovers and surprises, it wasn't until back to back threes from Darrell Armstrong and Antoine Wright that the Nets got some much-needed air space. But the Nets aren't yet anywhere near playoff form, and so as quickly as they built a seven point lead, the Hawks would chip right back. NJ ended the half up four points, but there were certainly a lot of strange doings out there.

By far the Nets worst stretch of the night came at the opening of quarter number three, when the Hawks ripped off an 8 - 0 run to take a four point lead. The Nets chipped in with some bad turnovers and some equally bad shooting. But the Nets did what they have been doing when facing adversity this season - they let Richard Jefferson take over. With RJ scoring a quick 6 points in succession, the Nets regained the lead and then ripped off more behind Antoine Wright, Vince Carter and Kidd, and the lead was suddenly 8 after Jason Collins scored his first points of the season on a stickback. Closing out the quarter on that 16 - 4 run gave the Nets a 12 point edge after three.

And so put a bullet in this one, right? C'mon, you know better. The Nets kept things rolling and took the lead up to 13 before the shots started coming from the Hawks. Three big threes scattered around a Boki Nachbar jumper brough the Hawks right back to within three, but after a Carter dunk and two missed Al Horford free throws, the new shootest Antoine Wright hit a driving layup and the Nets would have a six point lead they would hold to, despite two sets of missed free throws from Kidd and Darrell Armstrong.

Good thing they didn't need them, even as the Nets relaxed on Joe Johnson and he bombed a three to cut it to 3 points with 39 seconds to play. Wright again bailed out the Nets with a cagey runner after pump faking on a three, then leaving three defenders in his wake and scoring against the outstretched arms of two Hawks. That was the final blow.

And so, more shaky play but the ability to overcome all, including themselves, rules the day.

Gun Games
Messing Around With The Safety Off - Before we get into the praise, let's start by deconstructing some of the troubling aspects to the Nets game tonight, and through the first four games of this season. First, despite the reloading of the roster, offense is again hard to come by with the exception of Richard Jefferson (25 points) and Antoine Wright (15 points). The Nets are better when Kidd looks for his shot more often (say around at least 10 times per game), because when he's out of the lineup the Nets have trouble scoring. Of course, Darrell Armstrong is still new to the team and the offense, but at this point he's not been a major contributor to anything. And so the bench struggles. There are too many stupid turnovers, many unforced, and many where the Nets are either making the extra pass, or the dangerous pass. And lastly, despite everything Netsfans have been through, the Nets are still having trouble closing out on shooters. Tonight was no exception, although the Hawks didn't make a lot of shots they should have. Work in progress, or dangerous trends? Too early to tell.
Gun Battle - We're almost stunned at the turnaround from Antoine Wright, who's playing meaningful minutes at the end of games and is making the big shots late. Antoine had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers in 32 minutes, and the team was better with him on the floor. Wright did a good job defensively as well, playing both Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. He's easily the most valuable player thus far, along with RJ.
Emptying The Chamber - Speaking of RJ, he missed his first free throw of the season (he's now 34 - 35 after 10 more trips to the line) but he still "managed" to score 25 points to lead the Nets. He's been the man on offense, as Vince Carter still continues to struggle (he was 6 - 16 and managed 12 points and NO free throws). VC was timid throughout, had a few of his shots altered, and seemed content to hang tight (he had several gorgeous passes) and go with the flow. OK for now, but the Nets need more. Especially at $62 million plus...
Blunderbuss - Jason Collins scored his first two points of the season in the third quarter on a putback. Wow, 2 points in 4 games. But he's still been important in the middle for the Nets, as Jamaal Magloire is still trying to find a way to fit in (and forcing nearly everything once he gets the ball on the block - he must lead the league in having his shot blocked) and Nenad Krstic is working his way back from injury (oh, it's not that pretty to see the young, tall, athletic Hawks go up against Nenad for a rebound). Even if Collins is now 0 - 4 on opening tips this season...he's still the glue in the middle.
Top Gun - Let's not forget Kidd tonight, he of the 9 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists and 3 steals) (he blew the 2 FT's late, or else he would have had a double-double). With him in the game, things are steady even as the chaos of turnovers (mostly either because of him or of his doing) evelopes everyone else on the court. Wait until he gets the offense unleashed.
Sonic Boone No More? - Josh Boone got a DNP - CD tonight, and has been used sparingly thus far this season (looks as if Malik Allen is getting his minutes right now). Here's hoping Josh gets some more looks, and fast, against the more agile opponents of the NBA (you would have thought that the Hawks were the right matchup, but hey, the rotation has to be narrowed down somehow).

The Shotgun Approach
Thank goodness it's early, because this shotgun approach to nearly everything Nets is a bit frustrating. The rotation is starting to pare down, but it's not yet humming. The shooting is still wildly inconsistent, as is the defensive effort and the closing out of opponents. But because Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd and Antoine Wright have been able to carry the Nets thus far, they find themselves with a 3 - 1 record and three more straight home games (including the first mightly matchup of the season against the Celts on Saturday night) in which to continue to roll while figuring things out.
-Joe