Joe Netsfan Game x Game 16 - Nets 94, Sixers 92

It took a whole lot of work to find enough space for a two point win

Nets 94, Sixers 92
Game 16 File
Consistently frustrating, the Nets have another second quarter debacle, fall behind by 18 points, and yet manage to rally themselves with a big third quarter to survive with an overtime win. Bottled up for most of the game by a tight Sixer defense, the Big Three find a way to get the Nets back in the game, and more importantly, a big win at home.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 8 - 8
Home Record: 4 - 6
Away Record: 4 - 2
Division Record: 2 - 3
Conf. Record: 5 - 5
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Vince Carter, 24.
• Assists: Jason Kidd, 8.
• Rebounds: Vince Carter, 9.
• Steals: Vince Carter, 2.
• Turnovers: Jason Kidd, 3.
• Blocks: Sean Williams, 4.
• FG Percentage: Jason Kidd, 58.3% (7 - 12).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 40.5%
• FT Percentage: 82.8%
• Rebounds: 36
• Rebound Differential: -7
• Turnovers: 15
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 18
• Bench points: 31
• Bench points Differential:Even
• Steals: 5
• Blocks: 7
• Points in the Paint: 28
• Double-Doubles: 0
• Triple-Doubles: 0

The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 4
• Nets Fast Break Points: 10
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 58.3% (7 - 12).
• Scoring Differential Kidd in the game: +3
• Scoring Differential Kidd out: -1 (Gill)
• Double-Doubles this Season: 8
• Triple Doubles this Season: 4
• Career Triple Doubles:91

Nets Media
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Sixers Media:
Philadelphia Inquirer

Game 16: Nets 94, Sixers 92 – December 1, 2007
Elbow Room
Facing suffocation in the first half thanks to a stifling Sixer defense that packed the paint, trapped the ball, and stuck a double or triple team on Richard Jefferson every time he turned around, again the Nets found themselves down 18 points in a dreadful second quarter. If it was downright claustrophobic in the first half, then the Nets found a way to work in the little spaces that remained on the court in the second half, kicking in with a big third quarter to get back in the game, hanging tough in the fourth quarter, then finding enough elbow room inside to finally end the five game home losing streak. And with that, the Nets get back to .500, at least until they travel to Detroit to face the Pistons tomorrow night.

Desperate the snap out of a meandering season-long first half funk, Lawrence Frank decided to bring Vince Carter off the bench to try and spark the second quarter from its doldrums. But it really didn't matter, as the Nets found themselves facing a wall of Sixers no matter where they went on the court. The paint was shut tight, and the Nets were forced to shoot from outside, with the usual disasterous results. The Sixers even pressed the Nets on each inbound attempt after a basket, harrassing Kidd and co. and taking seconds off each possession. It rattled the Nets, and it worked to perfection: with the Sixers getting easy inside looks while forcing the Nets into shooting badly, it went from bad to worse in the second quarter and the Nets found themselves down 18 before leveling off at 16 to end the half.

Who knows what was done or said in the Nets lockerroom at halftime, but whatever it was, it had the desired effect. No longer content to be pushed around, the Nets started to run and take the attack to the Sixers, and after a slow start, chewed up large portions of the deficit. Jason Kidd was the catalyst, pushing the Nets at each and every opportunity as the Nets finally tighted up the defense and got the Sixers to miss, while Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson did much of the heavy lifting. With a 25 - 10 third, including a quarter-finishing 7- 0 run that got the Nets to within a point, the Nets were back in business.

The fourth quarter was the Parkway at rush hour, tightly packed and tightly wound, with Netsfans wondering which team would blink first. The Nets took their first lead since the first quarter after a VC basket to start the fourth, but it was back-and-forth from there. The Sixers, to their credit, didn't fold and actually took two five point leads, the last of which at the five minute mark. But the Nets then finally found some room, and with Carter now replacing the ice-cold Jefferson as the go-to guy, and with 49 seconds remaining it was a four point lead for NJ. But, Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller were able to make four free throws, while the Nets misfired on their last two possessions, and it was on to overtime.

And with overtime came yet one more hurdle to overcome - fatigue. Jason Kidd had played all but seven minutes of this one, but there he was leading the charge. Antoine Wright (a two) and RIchard Jefferson (a three) made the first two shots of the overtime, and it was a clutch and grab fest all the way to the end, with the usual trading of free throws back and forth, but the Nets played enough defense to hang on to the win.

It wasn't pretty, but it was pretty necessary, a win at home in a game where once again the Nets were soundly out-everything'ed in the first half. No rest for the weary, though - the Nets play again tomorrow night, in Detroit of all places, part of this four game in five nights test. Let's hope there's some more room to operate.

Squeezing In Through The Cracks
Locked Down – It was a pretty successful first half the Sixers scripted defensively against the Nets, from the full court press to the stifling interior defense. The Nets looked like a high school team, one that had very little experience with ball pressure or zone defenses. That they were able to snap out of it in the second half was interesting, because packing the inside (which is easier when you have a deft shot-blocker) and forcing the Nets to shoot from outside is very effective when the Nets can't shoot. Which is most of the time.
Three Points – This game was mostly about the Big Three for the Nets. None of the Big Three had a particularly stellar first half, but with Jason Kidd at the controls, the Nets apparently decided not to take it anymore in the second half. More running, more forcing of the issue in the paint, and much more Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter. RJ, despite a tough shooting night (7 - 21) and a Sixer all over him at every turn, managed to come up with 23 points, even with all the blocked shots against he suffered (he had four shots rejected, all from close in). Carter, meanwhile, continues his run of better games, taking over in the second half (he had 7 points in the third, 10 in the fourth) after a slow first half (only 4 points), and he finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals coming off the bench. For all the difference it made in the first half, Carter may as well start.
Tight Squeeze – Not much from the bench again tonight, not a good sign (especially since Jason Kidd played 46 of 53 minutes tonight) if they want to make some noise. Boki Nachbar was just way off tonight, and Sean Williams gave them 4 blocks and 4 points, but there wasn't much else to say (and no Jamaal Magloire or Josh Boone, which seems a bit odd, if only to shake things up). Of course, Carter came off the bench tonight, so I guess you can't totally fault the bench since it was a key part of this win...sort of...
Toine Time – Good effort from Antoine Wright, who scored 15 points as the starter, while playing a whole lot of defense on Andre Iguodala (not that it helped so much, but AI was good but not great). Nice to see him contribute offensively (he had several nice drives to the basket).
Shut Tight –Big shout out to the interior defenders, Sam Dalembert and Reggie Evans of the Sixers and Sean Williams of the Nets, for keeping the middle tight all night. Big Sam had 16 rebounds and 5 blocks by himself, while Evans was an inspiration to those less talented players in the league - on grit and hustle alone this guy had 9 points, 9 boards, and a ton of frustrated Nets.

Home Inspection
So the Nets can win at home, even against a mediocre team after falling behind by double digits in the second quarter, as per the pattern. All it takes is a large dose of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson to do so (and some Antoine Wright as well). Breaking the five game home losing streak was critical for the Nets, not just in the standings, but for their own psyches. No one wants to be a loser at home - the road is tough enough. By no means was this pretty, nor are the Nets problems fixed, but at least for one evening there are more positives than negatives at home. Can the Nets improve upon their play? Absolutely, but they could also fall apart against the Pistons. That's the big question mark for tomorrow.
-Joe