Joe Netsfan Game x Game 27 - Nets 100, Warriors 95

What a holy night for RJ and co at the Izod

Nets 100, Warriors 95
Game 27 File
Hark, the tabloid writers sing! The Nets get a win at home, thanks to another clutch Vince Carter three. Jason Kidd gets a triple double, the Nets show more offense than the Warriors and dominate the boards, and despite some serious second half slippage, two straight wins before the big holiday.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 12 - 15
Home Record: 6 - 10
Away Record: 6 - 5
Division Record: 2 - 5
Conf. Record: 8 - 9
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Richard Jefferson, 31.
• Assists: Jason Kidd, 12.
• Rebounds: Josh Boone, 13.
• Steals: Vince Carter, 6.
• Turnovers: Vince Carter, 9.
• Blocks: Sean Williams, 3.
• FG Percentage: Richard Jefferson 71.4% (10 - 14).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 42.2%
• FT Percentage: 60.0%
• Rebounds: 58
• Rebound Differential: +19
• Turnovers: 22
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 16
• Bench points: 9
• Bench points Differential:-3
• Steals: 10
• Blocks: 6
• Points in the Paint: 48
• Double-Doubles: 3 (Jason Kidd: 15 rebounds, 12 assists; Vince Carter: 23 points, 12 rebounds; Josh Boone: 19 points, 13 rebounds)
• Triple-Doubles: 1 (Jason Kidd: 15 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists)

The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 4
• Nets Fast Break Points: 15
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 31.3% (5 - 16)
• Scoring Differential Kidd in the game: +4
• Scoring Differential Kidd out: +1 (M. Williams, Armstrong)
• Double-Doubles this Season: 13
• Triple Doubles this Season: 7
• Career Triple Doubles:94

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

Warriors Media:
San Francisco Chronicle | Warriors

Game 27: Nets 100, Warriors 95 – December 22, 2007
O Holy Night
In the last game before that big holiday, holy cow were the Nets something to see at the Izod against the Warriors. In a display of talents that had been hidden from view for most of the season, the Nets rode a blazing start, stellar performances from Jason Kidd (triple double), Vince Carter (nearly a triple double), Josh Boone (double double) and Richard Jefferson (scoring leader) and just enough defense to hold off Golden State's late attempt at pulling off a Christmas miracle. OK, that's way too much hyperbole, but the point is the Nets head into this short holiday break with a two game win streak, and more importantly, some things to build on starting on Wednesday against the Pistons.

It took a second-straight clutch three from Vince Carter to finally snuff out the flames of a Warrior comeback, but this game was thrilling for Netsfans from the start. An early burst of energy and fast break points from Kidd, Carter and Jefferson gave the Nets a 10 point lead after a quarter. It was something we haven't seen, and a sort of a turnaround from the Warriors usual game of run and gun. The Nets did a good job taking Golden State's Baron Davis, the key to the Warrior attack, out of the game with two quick fouls, and the Nets were defending the perimeter like old pros.

Despite some slippage late in the second quarter, the Nets pushed the lead as high as 14 points, with Josh Boone becoming a force with 13 points. But as we all too often see, the Nets gave some charity back to the Warriors in this season of giving, and a late run brought Golden State to within seven to close out the half.

The Warriors don't celebrate speed and full-out attack for nothing, though, and they started to catch some fire in the second half behind their many scorers, wearing down the Nets and finally finding open shots. But the Nets, watching the lead shrink to as little as three points, had an end-of-quarter run themselves to set the lead at eight entering the fourth quarter.

It was certainly a time for prayer, as Davis finally found some hope, and shots started falling. Combining with Steven Jackson, the Warriors started making life miserable for the Nets, who were all too happy to comply by taking bad shots and turning the ball over in the face of inspired defense. The Nets were able to hold off the Warriors until Davis nailed a three, closing the lead to a point, and then after RJ scored and Jackson hit two free throws, Davis hit a big three after a Jefferson turnover to give the visitors their first lead since 2 - 0.

Andres Biedrins scored on a put-back to extend the lead to three with just over three minutes to play, and this was looking like a typical Net home loss once again. After a host of missed shots and turnovers, RJ finally scored on a drive through the lane, bringing the Nets within a point, before the Nets turned the ball over twice more. Luckily for the Nets, their defense and some missed shots by the Warriors held things steady, and after a short timeout to steady the Nets frazzled nerves, Carter again hit a big three off the kickout from Jefferson, and the Nets were back in control with 24 seconds to play. That was followed by another huge play (or a certain amount of luck, I'm not sure which) - Al Harrington caught the inbounds and turned and bulled over Boki Nachbar from behind the arc, turning the ball over and leading to a free throw fest to close it out.

The Nets finally showed some toughness at home, as well as the expected big play of the Big Three plus Josh Boone. Overall, there were many more positives to outweigh the negatives as we pause for a short break for Christmas.

Saviors Of The Season
The Stars Are Brightly Shining – What a game for the Big Three, carrying the Nets to a win they needed. Jason Kidd, triple double man (that makes 7 on the season, 94 on the career), was brilliant, setting the tone early by out-gunning the Warriors, fast breaking and beating them at their own game. Kidd was 15/11/12 on the night. Vince Carter again hit the big shot, was clutch all game, and surprisingly almost had a triple double (he had 23 points and 12 rebounds, but also 9 turnovers, 6 steals and 4 assists. Richard Jefferson was aggressive on the attack, finishing with 31 points (and 19 free throw attempts, though he had his worst game there with only 11 makes) and making the right plays. That makes a total of 69 of the 100 points, 26 of the 58 rebounds (!) and 21 of the 26 assists on the night. Some pretty plays too - a fast break behind the back dazzle for Carter to finish, an 'oop to Carter, and several run-outs by Jefferson. All in all, the Big Three came up big.
Boone A Boon – C'mon, Netsfans - did we have any right to expect that Josh Boone would be the biggest man in the big man rotation? He was huge in that second quarter, getting 13 of his 19 points and single handedly keeping the Nets going. He also pulled down 13 rebounds, 8 offensive, and was active inside all night. He is by no means perfect (oh, those free throws - he was 5 for 10 on the night), but he's learning to finish around the basket, he's playing good, active defense, and he's eating up major minutes in the rotation without embarassing himself. If he can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, combined with Sean Williams this is a much more dangerous team, because they are active and can run the break.
Silent Night – Well, it's not all perfect (and it never is in Netsland). Some of the bad news on this very positive overall game: too many turnovers, especially stupid ones (there were 22 tonight, and a host of easy giveaways and lazy passes). No killer instinct (down by 14 and looking lifeless, the Warriors were allowed back in the game because the Nets can never snap a team's collective back when they are down). And bad free throw shooting (the Nets were great at getting to the line, going there 40 times, but they could only make 25. Even Richard Jefferson missed 8 of 19, which is so far out of character it isn't funny). The defense also at times was as bad as it was good (first half, overall good - second half, much worse but recovery in time to stop the bleeding). With the Pistons next on the schedule, there won't be any mercy for these kinds of mistakes.
Jingle Bells – I might have been a big harsh on the Nets' defense. They held the Warriors to 39% shooting, and held them 14 points below their usual scoring average (nearly 109 per game). They had been nearly unstoppable for the two games before this one, averaging better than 118 points, but the Nets knocked them off their game early, and beat them late. Even on the perimeter, where Golden State was 6 - 25 on the night, the Nets were much better.
Christmas Rejects - We're still buzzing over the one sequence early in which Sean Williams blocked two shots on the same possession, grabbing the ball in mid-air on the second. If he can stay in the game longer and avoid foul troubles, the sky's the limit for the Freak...
Christmas Post-cards - The Warriors never knew what hit them on the boards. The Nets had a 58 - 39 advantage there, including 21 offensive rebounds. Slowing the Warriors down and getting lots of second chances certainly helped overcome those 22 turnovers.

Home For The Holiday
OK, Netsfans - go out and celebrate for a few days now that the Nets have actually won two straight games. Tonight, on the home court, it was the Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson show, with a whole lot of Josh Boone thrown in for good measure. A good win, a strong win, an important win, but miles to go before we turn the page on mediocrity here at JNF. Forget about basketball for the next three days - go be with family and friends and have a good time, and we'll meet back here in a few days and see where things go from here.
- Joe