Joe Netsfan Game x Game 22- Clippers 91, Nets 82

Even Bird knew it was coming

Clippers 91, Nets 82
Game 22 File
The struggles at home continue, as the Nets are able to hang with the Clippers for three quarters before hitting a brutal 0 - 15 stretch in the fourth quarter and succumbing to yet another shorthanded team.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 9 - 13
Home Record: 4 - 9
Away Record: 5 - 4
Division Record: 2 - 4
Conf. Record: 6 - 8
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Richard Jefferson, 21.
• Assists: Jason Kidd, 11.
• Rebounds: Josh Boone, 14.
• Steals: Kidd, Allen, Jefferson, and Boone each had 2.
• Turnovers: Boone and Jefferson each had 3.
• Blocks: Jason Collins, 3.
• FG Percentage: Vince Carter, 53.8% (7 - 13).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 32.1%
• FT Percentage: 77.8%
• Rebounds: 42
• Rebound Differential: -9
• Turnovers: 13
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 20
• Bench points: 20
• Bench points Differential:-16
• Steals: 11
• Blocks: 6
• Points in the Paint: 24
• Double-Doubles: 1 (Jason Kidd: 11 points, 11 assists)
• Triple-Doubles: 1 (Jason Kidd: 11 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists)

The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 4
• Nets Fast Break Points: 10
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 37.5% (3 - 8)
• Scoring Differential Kidd in the game: -5
• Scoring Differential Kidd out: -4 (Armstrong)
• Double-Doubles this Season:10
• Triple Doubles this Season: 6
• Career Triple Doubles:93

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

Clippers Media:
Los Angeles Times | Clippers

Game 22: Clippers 91, Nets 82 – December 11, 2007
Fourgone Conclusion
You knew it was coming down to this against the Clippers at home, right? For more than three quarters the Nets hung tough, despite not having any real game going on either end of the floor. Couldn't control Chris Kamen or the paint, shots by Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter weren't falling, and neither team could seem to do enough to propel themselves ahead.

Until, of course, the fourth quarter, which the Nets took to new lows tonight in losing to these equally shorthanded Clippers. They lost for the first time since 1998 at home to these Clips, because in the end, they couldn't get anything right. And that makes four straight losses, if you're counting.

How does a Nets stretch of play spanning almost 10 minutes without a field goal (going 0 - 15 in the process), with 4 turnovers and 4 shots blocked, make you feel? It was just as ugly as it sounds, as the Nets could not or would not do anything to grab this winnable game, instead forcing up bad shots, or worse, no shots, while ceding control of the paint to the Clippers and Chris Kamen. It was still a five point game with a bit more than three minutes remaining, but the Nets just could not get out of their own way, culminating in a chorus of boos with a Carter airball on a three with less than a minute to play and the Nets again hopelessly out of it.

To their credit, it took them until the final minute of play to fall behind by double digits, so perhaps this is progress. Of course, being 4 - 9 on the home court is not exactly progress, now is it? It's going to be a very long season at this rate.

In fact, it's starting to look like a foregone conclusion.

The End Is Not The Beginning
Inevitable – So now the bad first quarter is replaced by the bad fourth quarter? That's not a pattern anyone wants to see, especially not at home. The Nets effort has been terrible - unable to hang on to the ball, get to loose balls, make shots in traffic, get to the shooter on defense, control the paint, score in the paint, grab a key rebound, or outwork anyone - and it's made worse by the fact that it's on the HOME COURT. I'm running out of words to say, and interest in this team, because there just doesn't seem to be any cure for the hangover that's hit this team. Lawrence Frank needs to try something new (here's a newsflash - play the rookie, even for a few minutes to change the tempo of the game), or else he's just as guilty as the rest of the squad. Changes need to be made before the Nets sleepwalk themselves out of the playoffs.
Inescapable – How does an NBA team that considers itself one of the favorites in the East (or did, anyway) miss 15 consecutive shots with the game on the line (and go 5- 25 in the fourth quarter)? How do they have 4 shots blocked (memo to Josh Boone - you're making it awfully easy for anyone to swat back your shot, or strip the ball out of your hands before you ever get to a shot, shades of Keith Van Horn's time in NJ), turn the ball over 4 times, and allow the Clippers to do anything they want in the fourth quarter of a winnable game? How in the world does a team without Elton Brand and Sam Cassell (their stars, in other words) manage to beat the Big Three at home?
Unavoidable – Lost in the shadows of another bad loss was another triple double from Jason Kidd (11 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists). But again, Kidd could not force his will on the game, and actually got outplayed in stretches by Brandon Knight, who's about 6 inches smaller...while we're handing out what few kudos there were, way to go, Josh Boone, for those 14 rebounds. Malik Allen, for those 14 first half points (they were huge in keeping the Nets in it), and Jason Collins for those 3 blocks (but little else, really).
Predetermined – At some point it had to happen, where both Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter didn't have it. Neither could draw the fouls they felt they deserved as the Clippers largely controlled the paint, neither could make shots from outside, and neither had anything working for them. It wasn't like the Clippers played stellar defense, either, but these two took a ton of questionable shots tonight, perhaps in frustration in getting shut out of the paint.
Finale - No Sean Williams, yet Al Thornton gets plenty of play for the Clips as a rookie. Williams has pretty much been the equal of Thorton thus far in the young season, so what is going on with Lawrence Frank? The Nets were screaming for an energy transfusion - let the rookie play it out!
Did You See That? - Yes, that was our own Champagne's drawing of Ian Eagle that was put into the YES Network telecast tonight. We're so proud we could fill a few minutes of airtime during yet another bad Nets game. The bill will be in the mail.
The End. Finish. Finito - The Nets shot 32.1% for the night (and 2 -1 4 on threes). And just about every shot looked like it had a 32.1% chance of going in...while we're in a bad mood about everything, why is Jamaal Magloire not playing more? Do you mean to tell me he couldn't have been given a few minutes to see what he could do against Chris Kamen (and boy does Kamen look like a caveman, even without the hair from years past)? That's it, I'm done until tomorrow, when I'll probably rip the Nets to shreds in the Blog...

Wrapping Up
And so the free fall continues, with the Nets powerless to figure out how to stop the likes of a 7 - 12 team at home. It was the Clippers and Chris Kamen et. al. tonight, but it could have been any number of mediocre teams hanging in and then zooming by the hapless Nets in the fourth quarter. I mean, c'mon - I've seen better efforts out of the local college teams (not to mention my son's fourth grade basketball team), at least in terms of energy and hustle. Combine all the fundamental mistakes (getting outworked in your own building is cardinal sin number one in the NBA, no?) with a complete lack of offense and no real ability to get stops on defense, and what you have is a team bordering on horrible. I don't think there will be any rescues this season, no run toward the playoffs, without major structural changes, a return to form for Nenad Krstic before the All Star break, and some effort from everyone on the roster, 1 - 12, night in and night out.
- Joe