Joe Netsfan Game x Game 43 - Nuggets 100, Nets 85

Tears of a clown

Nuggets 100, Nets 85
Game 43 File
A no-show first half that leaves a mark for lowest points scored in the first half this season turns brighter in the second half, as the Nets nearly overcome a 22 point 3Q hole. But, it's too little, too late, and playing no more than half a game against a Nuggets team missing 'Melo Anthony ain't exactly the way to go. The losing streak is now at 8, with one more to play on this long, lonely road trip.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 18 - 25
Home Record: 9 - 14
Away Record: 9 - 11
Division Record: 2 - 7
Conf. Record: 13 - 13
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Richard Jefferson, 19.
• Assists: Jason Kidd, 10.
• Rebounds: Josh Boone, 14.
• Steals: Kidd and Carter each had 2.
• Turnovers: Jason Kidd, 5.
• Blocks: Kidd and Allen each had 2.
• FG Percentage: Josh Boone, 50.0% (6 - 12). Antoine Wright was also 5 - 10.

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 38.4%
• FT Percentage: 52.6%
• Rebounds: 50
• Rebound Differential: -1
• Turnovers: 20
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 10
• Bench points: 25
• Bench points Differential:+8
• Steals: 5
• Blocks: 5
• Points in the Paint: 24
• Double-Doubles: 2 (Jason Kidd: 13 points, 11 rebounds; Josh Boone: 13 points, 14 rebounds)
• Triple-Doubles: 1 (Jason Kidd: 13 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists)

The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 4
• Nets Fast Break Points: 11
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 41.7% (5 - 12)
• Scoring Differential Kidd in the game: -5
• Scoring Differential Kidd out: -10 (M. Williams, Armstrong)
• Double-Doubles this Season: 24
• Triple Doubles this Season: 11
• Career Triple Doubles:98

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

Nuggets Media:
Denver Post | Nuggets
Denver Rocky Mountain News | Nuggets

Game 43: Nuggets 100, Nets 85 – January 25 , 2008
Shame Spiral
Well, it's come down to this - the Nets don't even seem to show any shame over the continued losing, the lack of effort (especially defensively) and the inability to score (how many gimmees do the Nets miss nightly?), after a 31 point first half and a 22 point hole that ultimately led to another bad loss in Denver tonight. Perhaps it's gotten so bad that the Nets are collectively numb, unable or unwilling to change or feel bad about the level of play, but in any case, the ship doesn't appear to be doing anything but sinking. With one more game left on this 6 game road trip (with five losses, and eight straight defeats and 9 of 10 overall), there is nothing to salvage against the Timberwolves on Sunday, except perhaps a little bit of pride.

This one started out ugly, really ugly actually, despite the absense of Carmelo Anthony for the Nuggets. The Nets were inept offensively, and despite the Nuggets matching them missed shot for missed shot, Denver made a living at the line and played some stellar defense (especially for a team not known for it) behind old friend Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson. An 11 point first quarter (though, not a low for the season in the first quarter - that Celtic game takes the cake with 9), making only 5 of 22 shots, did in the Nets, because even with increased activity in the second quarter, they weren't getting to the line and when they were, they weren't converting anyway. It was 47 - 31 at the half, and things looked bleak.

The lead got as high as 22 behind Iverson's creative dashes and the inside play of Linas Kleiza (who?) before the Nets got rolling behind Vince Carter, who was pitching a shutout before starting the Nets run from those 22 down. Getting 11 points during the Nets quarter ending 22 - 6 run, Carter suddenly couldn't be stopped, making 5 of 6 shots as the Nets offense began to open up. Hope for the fourth quarter, for sure.

But, the Nuggets found their inner peace on defense once again, and with the Nets going down big (try 13) in the fourth before one last run, cutting the lead to five, there was no more fight in the dog, and NJ would not score again after getting it to 90 - 85 with 3:46 to play.

And so, one last trip to Minny remaining, before the Nets slink home and head straight for the Psychiatrists' couch. Word is Kidd officially wants out (even after getting his 98th career triple double tonight), the Nets won't get anything of value for any of the Big Three, and there aren't enough scraps remaining to sell to anyone not certifiable. What a season this is turning out to be, Netsfans.

Shrinking Violets
Pscyho Babble - This is a team full of players who continue to say they can play out of this current bad streak, despite showing almost no evidence to the contrary. Losses don't seem to bother them much, no one is yelling and screaming for things to turn around, and the coach appears exasperated by it all. Have the Nets tuned out the coach? With so little defense being played (part of that goes to the young frontlines inexperience, but even Kidd is being shredded by every guard on the West Coast. With Carter and Jefferson gimpy with injuries (or so we're told) that doesn't leave much for the Nets to rely on. And since there seems to be no energy or emotion during all this losing, that makes everyone wonder if this group has more than run it's course...these are tough times for Rod Thorn as well, since he appears to have very little on the roster to do a successful deal...Don't believe the hype coming from the vets that they can play their way out of this - the defense isn't getting better overnight...
Troubling Signs - Jason Kidd picked up his 98th triple double (and 11th of the season - he had 12 all last season), getting 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. But his defense has been substandard, and he's no longer able to raise his teammates' play (the Nuggets were without 'Melo Anthony, but unlike the fragile Nets, it hardly seemed to matter). The Nets don't seem to win much when Kidd gets a triple anymore, either, and that's just more fuel for the "get me out of here and to a contender" fire...Of course, the Nets would be lucky to get a serviceable guard, draft picks and expiring contracts for Kidd, no superstar or young talent to help build around, so what's a GM to do?
Psychotic Episodes - Eleven points in the first quarter, 31 points for the half (and that's with a buzzer beating three from Malik Allen to get them there). How? Why? Start with the 20 turnovers, which were unbelieveable in their carelessness (and the Nuggets had 15 steals, which begs to wonder why the Nets couldn't or wouldn't see that those long passes don't work against AI and co). How about all those attempts from in close that the Nets couldn't finish (are the Nets the worst finishing team in the NBA or what?). Lack of aggressiveness led to only 19 free throws, and they could only make 10 of those, which again is just plain stupidity. Defensively, they held the Nuggets to 36% shooting, but they did give up a lot of easy buckets, and 44 points in the paint. Offensively, they got 11 of his 13 points from Vince Carter in the third quarter, otherwise he was invisible thanks to the Nuggets game plan to double him most of the time (and since the Nets can't finish around the basket, it seems like a safe bet). And they again seemed to zone out against the zone (this team is really comatose when the zone comes), and asking for them to make outside shots is just plain comical now. I could go on, but really, what's the point anymore?
Making Progress - Josh Boone continues to do battle down low, and tonight he was 13 points and 14 boards (but also -14, so that defense continues to need work). And Antoine Wright is showing signs of being a key contributor again (and with no Boki Nachbar, this turned out to be an important thing, because the rest of the bench was AWOL again). Sean Williams, though, continues to regress, especially defensively, getting caught out of position numerous times in his whopping 15 minutes of game action (and he shot 1 - 7).

Reading The Ink Blots
What exactly did we see here tonight? The last gasps of a team desperate to turn around a sinking ship, or the beginning of the end of the Big Three as we know it? Sure, Allen Iverson is a tough nut to crack even for the best teams, but he was all over the Nets tonight, as was the frontline of Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin and Linas Kleiza, who shredded the interior with 44 points in the paint and 8 blocked shots on the defensive end. The Nets are of course a defensive team, so when the don't play defense and they already have problems scoring, what the heck is left, exactly? A bad basketball team, which we've seen exposed on this road trip. Don't expect miracles, or maybe even changes, as this salary-heavy, veteran team may be together for the rest of the season, with not a lot of success. It may be ok to start planning those mid-April vacations, Netsfans...
- Joe