Joe Netsfan Game x Game 39 - Clippers 120, Nets 107 OT

This was no start of a vacation for Netsfans

Clippers 120, Nets 107 OT
Game 39 File
Ugh...the Nets play well for 42 minutes in the first game of this long road trip, but the Clippers take over late in the fourth before dominating in OT. The Nets blow a late lead, come back to tie to force OT on Kidd's three, then disappear faster than Chevy Chase's career for their fourth straight loss.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 18 - 21
Home Record: 9 - 14
Away Record: 9 - 7
Division Record: 2 - 7
Conf. Record: 13 - 13
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Richard Jefferson, 21.
• Assists: Jason Kidd, 11.
• Rebounds: Josh Boone, 16.
• Steals: Jefferson and Wright each had 2.
• Turnovers: Jason Kidd, 6.
• Blocks: S Williams, 6.
• FG Percentage: Marcus Williams, 54.5% (6 - 11).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 41.3%
• FT Percentage: 76.5%
• Rebounds: 54
• Rebound Differential: +14
• Turnovers: 17
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 11
• Bench points: 28
• Bench points Differential:-19
• Steals: 6
• Blocks: 8
• Points in the Paint: 50
• Double-Doubles: 2 (Jason Kidd: 10 points, 11 assists; Josh Boone: 17 points, 16 rebounds)
• Triple-Doubles: 0

The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 6
• Nets Fast Break Points: 12
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 50.0% (4 - 8)
• Scoring Differential Kidd in the game: -17
• Scoring Differential Kidd out: +2 (Williams)
• Double-Doubles this Season: 23
• Triple Doubles this Season: 10
• Career Triple Doubles:97

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 39: Clippers 120, Nets 107 OT – January 19, 2008
Bad Way To Start A Vacation
Finally, you're able to get away from the pressures at home, hit the open road, and make something of yourself for at least a week. You pile in the car, get on the highway, off to the land of the fruit and nut, gonna make things right in the universe. Then, you hit some traffic, which turns into a traffic jam. Your hotel room is double-booked, and you're on the outside looking in. Your wallet and keys go missing, and suddenly, you're wishing you were back at home, because maybe things weren't bad after all.

Now you know what it's like to be the Nets.

No, there was no success in the first game of this long road trip - the Clippers hung around long enough before stealing the Nets' dreams with a late surge, and a complete larceny in overtime. New Jersey even got sunburnt from turning around and watching the scoreboard continue to increase, since they couldn't mount any sort of resistance in the fourth quarter or overtime. And now, they're give up a game they could have easily have one, one of the easier games on the trip, to extend the losing streak to four straight, with Phoenix coming up immediately afterward.

Things started off well enough, as the Nets were able to outplay the Clippers for most of this one, thanks to some major efforts from Josh Boone, Sean Williams and Marcus Williams. But they could never seem to really relax and put it in gear against the worst scoring team in the NBA, with Chris Kamen thwarting them inside, and wiley old Sam Cassell helping to keep things close. Marcus Williams provided a huge second quarter spark, keeping Kidd rested on the bench, but still the Nets could only manage a three point lead at the break.

There was still no reason to worry though, as the third quarter zipped by with just enough from everyone to keep the Clippers a few scores away. But, the Big Three (Jefferson and Carter, anyway) were misfiring, so there was no fun being had either. All of that seemed to change with time winding down in the third quarter, when the Nets let rookie Al Thornton joyride across half court and bang home a long three that made the score 72 - 71. And that was an omen that this vacation would start horribly, for sure.

From there it was all a slow-motion accident, in which the Nets kept up the pace but the Clippers started cashing the checks all over the place. Corey Maggette, Cuttino Mobley, Sam Cassell, and Thornton took over as the Nets suddenly went cold (and found themselves staring at zone defense), and with a 6 point lead after two RJ free throws with 4:44 remaining, the relaxation ended.

Still up by six with 3:40 to play, the Clippers scored on six straight possessions, while the Nets made a single basket, and by the end of the run (a wide-open Maggette 3) it was 101 -96 with 45 seconds remaining. Surely the Nets were robbed of a victory, right? Well, they were, but not quite yet. Jefferson got a quick slam off a timeout, the Nets forced Cassell into a miss, and with 13 seconds to go and down by three, the Nets took off running. Kidd threw it over to Carter, who was covered, so he passed it back to Kidd, who drained a three to tie the game with 6 second remaining. Sean Williams then sent it to overtime with a beautiful block on a Tim Thomas layup attempt, and it was on to overtime.

It might as well have been a home game for the Nets, because they had nothing left to give. It was a 19 - 6 romp, as the energized Clippers ran and kept right on running with three consecutive easy shots as the Nets defense took the rest of the evening off to lounge in the surf, and it was a sudden five minute romp.

Not quite how the Nets had envisioned opening this vacation. The question now is whether or not the trip is already ruined, based on the lack of intensity found at the end of this very winnable game. The Nets lack the instincts to put away bad teams, so what chance do they have against the good ones? On to Phoenix to find out.

Vacation All I Ever Wanted
Have To Get Away – Where to begin with this one? The Big Three were outplayed, with the Nets offense getting zoned early and often (like every team in the league will do, since it seems to bring success) and the ensuing struggle just to get quality shots. Vince Carter was invisible for much of this one again, and his defense was especially atrocious (word is the ankle is still bad, and it seemed that way tonight). Richard Jefferson is in a slump where he seems to be more interested in looking for the whistle that doesn't come then figuring a way out of it (can't go too hard on him, though - he's still about the only one that attacks the rim). He was -20 on the night. The Clippers took advantage of the Nets' missing stars to sponsor some of their own (Corey Maggette, the rookie Al Thornton, the old friend Sam Cassell), and the Nets were simply not up to the task. Bad, bad loss.
Like A Gas Station Rest Room – That was some filthy defense (and not in a good way) the Nets put up at the end of this one. Really, a culmination of all the wrongs we've seen this season - easy looks inside, not getting to the shooters outside, allowing themselves to get caught out of position, not hustling after loose balls etc. The Clippers mounted a comeback against what was a defenseless Net squad, and rolled right over it in the overtime. Like a bad motel room lacking any sort of home comforts, the Nets looked like they'd rather be anywhere but in LA during that overtime (the Nets shot 1 - 8 in OT). Other than missing free throws, the Clips didn't miss in OT, and the Nets didn't put up much resistance. Giving a team 120 points (and 19 in the 5 minute OT) is bad enough, but when it's a team that averages a league-worst 92, it's a bad, bad loss.
Rainy Day Highlight –There were a few high points - Josh Boone had another great game, with 17 points, 16 rebounds and a strong night frustrating Chris Kamen on the other end of the floor (Kamen shot 5 - 16 on the night, but he did have 12 boards and 9 blocks, one away from a triple double). Sean Williams also did well, with 11 points, 11 boards and 6 blocks. But he continues to find himself in fou trouble. And, in a surprise turnaround, Marcus Williams was a big sparkplug for the Nets, getting 12 points (he finished with 17) in the second quarter as he went nearly all the way for Kidd. It would be great if the kid could get Kidd more rest without the team falling apart (Marcus was +2 for the game, so he appears to be shaking off the rust).
Tourist Trap - The Nets also continue to run themselves out of big plays with overly aggressive passing and pushing of the ball up the court. Too often they look (mostly, Kidd looks) for the impossible play (that might have been possible 5 years ago with Kerry Kittles and Jefferson running the floor) that turns ugly, or they try to force passes into places where there isn't enough room to put them. The Nets had 17 turnovers again tonight, many unforced errors, and it's a big reason why they can't seem to put any team away.

Roadmap To A Lousy Tourist Attraction
Lawrence Frank must feel more than a bit like Chevy Chase right now - can't anything go right with his squad? Tonight, it was Corey Maggette, Al Thornton, Sam Cassell and the rest of the Clippers who pointed out the error of the Nets' ways with an assault on their defense. It wasn't much defense, as allowing a 92 point team 120 points is all the evidence anyone would need of a lousy defense. The Nets don't seem to get excited enough to beat mediocre teams, so how can you expect them to fare any better against the next three teams on this road trip (Suns, Kings, Warriors)?
- Joe