Joe Netsfan Game x Game 54 - Nets 110, Bulls 102 OT

The ghost of Jason Kidd inhabits Marcus Williams

Nets 110, Bulls 102 OT
Game 54 File
The first game in the post Jason Kidd era goes well as Marcus Williams, surprise replacement for Kidd since Devin Harris is injured worse than feared, takes the handoff and leads the Nets to an OT victory over the Bulls with his best effort of the season. Vince Carter shows more spirit, and the Nets play tight defense when it matters to get the W.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 24 - 30
Home Record: 13 - 15
Away Record: 11 - 15
Division Record: 2 - 8
Conf. Record: 17 - 16
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Vince Carter, 33.
• Assists: Vince Carter, 7.
• Rebounds: Josh Boone, 16.
• Steals: Marcus Williams and Carter each had 2.
• Turnovers: Marcus Williams, 5.
• Blocks: Josh Boone, 3.
• FG Percentage: Richard Jefferson, 53.3% (8 - 15).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 42.9%
• FT Percentage: 77.8%
• Rebounds: 51
• Rebound Differential: -3
• Turnovers: 15
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 12
• Bench points: 16
• Bench points Differential:-31
• Steals: 7
• Blocks: 8
• Points in the Paint: 30
• Double-Doubles: 0
• Triple-Doubles: 0

The (No) Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 3
• Nets Fast Break Points: 6
•Marcus Williams' FG Percentage: 50.0% (9 - 18)
• Scoring Differential M. Williams in the game: +8
• Scoring Differential M. Williams out: Even (Armstrong)

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Game 54: Nets 110, Bulls 102 OT – February 20 , 2008
Jason Who?
So the Nets new PG made everyone forget (temporarily, anyway) about Jason Kidd for the evening in a big OT win against the Bulls. Surprise, surprise, though - new PG of the future Devin Harris isn't ready to return from injury, so it was maligned second year PG Marcus Williams who played over his head, looking like a wily veteran in leading the Nets to victory. With more spirit, surprising cohesion, a big help from newcomer Trenton Hassell, and enough defense to save the day, the Nets come off better than we could have imagined in the first game of the post-Kidd era.

And the title above was a direct quote from a fan sitting a few rows in front of me after young Marcus nailed a three to put the Nets back in front after falling behind in the third quarter. And after a slow start, in which Williams made some nice plays early but couldn't seem to finish, Williams roared back to score 16 second half and OT points, often becoming the main option when Vince Carter or Richard Jefferson were otherwise occupied. A tight game throughout, those three dominated when it counted, and a bit a defense at the right times surely helped this win.

Some truly inspired play by Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, the likes of which we hadn't seen in about a year, carried the Nets through the first half. And when Carter launched a buzzer beating, off-balance three as the clocked ticked down to zero, the Nets had a seven point lead at the half despite never really being able to shake the Bulls free. The Bulls, with stars Ben Gordon and Luol Deng just getting back from injury, appeared poised to jump all over the Nets at times, but just couldn't seem to get it done.

The lead was erased quickly by an 8 - 2 Bulls run before the Nets could regain control. And it would see-saw back and forth through the third and fourth quarters, as Carter kept pulling magic out of a bag, Marcus Williams was getting himself to open spots on the floor and scoring, and the Nes were playing enough defense to frustrate the Bulls. But of course, not everthing is perfect, as the Nets opened up a five point lead with 109 minutes to play, only to see it bob and dip thanks to some defensive breakdowns and some shooting by the Bulls. Chicago finally figured out that Marcus Williams was the weak link defensively, and then started to send Chirs Duhon and Kirk Hinrich into the paint at warp speed, driving and kicking their way to success. The Bulls motored their way to several four point leads, before Carter and Williams brought the Nets back into the lead with less than five minutes to play.

After an Andres Nocioni jumper put the Bulls back in front, Carter (his second three in two minutes) and Williams again gave the Nets a four point lead, before two Joe Smith free throws and a three from Duhon gave the Bulls a point edge with less than two minutes to play. Clearly, without Kidd, this looked like an untenable situation, but the Nets were up to the challenge. First, Carter hit a beautiful fade away to put the Nets in the lead, and when NJ blew a defensive assignment and let Smith slam home an uncontested shot and handed the lead back to Chicago, instead of panicking Carter calmly got himself to the line, making one of two to tie the game. A frantic defensive stand ensued, first as Williams stole a pass, with Carter missing a jumper, and then as the Nets thwarted every Chicago attempt at getting a shot, and to overtime it went.

Here, Williams was superb, leading the offense and scoring six points, with Richard Jefferson's driving reverse layup giving the Nets the lead for good. The Nets didn't allow the Bulls much in the OT, and with Ben Gordon and Thabo Sefolosha fouling out, there wasn't much offense left for Chicago. The kid had done the job, bringing home a win in the first game of the post-Kidd era.

Will it continue this way? Harris is out at least another two weeks, so it's going to have to. It will take efforts from every Net on the roster to make a run at the playoffs, but it starts with Carter and Jefferson.

It's their team now.

The New Show
World Of Change - As Netsfans welcome Devin Harris, Desagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager and Keith Van Horn (sort of), it's time for everyone on the new-look Nets to get to work and find a way to keep the playoff string alive for one more season. Can it work? Well, no one can answer that, but if Vince Carter is as motivated as he was this evening (33 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists), they have a good shot at keeping it together. Who knows what happens when Harris gets back, right?
Carter Country - It appeared from watching last night's game that Vince Carter is relieved not to be the primary Net letting Jason Kidd down. Freed from the bonds of Kidd's on-again-off-again leadership and the shackles of Kidd's criticism, Carter could just go out and create, and with the offense centered around him, he's now free to make plays. Can it continue? Can Carter play as if his job depends on it and lead the Nets to success? It's his team now - he'd better start acting that way. Tonight, excellent game, excellent attack, excellent intent. He was even in the thick of the defense, so it's nice to see him attempting to play an all-around game. Stay tuned to see if it continues.
Mo Better - Glad to see the potential of Marcus Williams on display tonight. Easily his best game of the season, with 25 points and 4 assists in the surprise start, Williams seemed comfortable NOT trying to be Jason Kidd, and it worked out well. Taking what the defense gave him, making something out of nothing several times, and bombing away from deep (he was 3 of 5 from deep), Williams was the catalyst, especially in the second half. Hopefully, more PT means better play for the highly thought of rookie.
Free Threes - The Nets let loose from downtown tonight, and it worked to their favor, for a change. They attempted 19 threes and made 10 (Carter had 4 of 5, Williams 3 of 5, and RJ was 2 - 4), which helped the Nets to keep ahead of the Bulls time and again. Let's hope this is part of the new philosophy.
State Capitals - Have to admit, JNF didn't want any part of Trenton Hassell in this deal but watching him up close tonight, clearly there is a reason why he's still in the NBA. He's easily the best defender the Nets have now, and his worth was apparent the first time he stuck like glue to his man, denying Luol Deng the ball, or floating over to cover the likes of Ben Gordon. Boy, if the Nets can establish some defensive presence like the old days, maybe missing Jason Collins won't be so bad after all...
Nicey Nice - Have to worry about what the Nets will get offensively from the bench now, as Boki Nachbar went O-fer and aside from Sean Williams, who had his issues covering the Bulls bigs (he could only manage 12 minutes, ringing up 5 fouls), there really isn't any other instant offense on the bench until Marcus WIlliams returns there. But, we loved the energy and effort from Darrell Armstrong, Diop and Hassell, and hope to see that continue as well.
In The Izod - Well, the giant picture of Kidd outside the Izod Center has been torn down, and I can tell you from experience that Netsfans weren't sure what they were going to see inside the arena as well. Lots of comments about missing Kidd, some about what a bad trade it was for the Nets, and many who had no idea what to expect, but overall, Netsfans were like they usually are - waiting patiently for something to happen, worrying about what's going to happen, and getting behind their team late to cheer them on to win. Other than that, not much else was different - a half full house, an 80's themed bad halftime show (Lisa Lisa from Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam - go ahead, look them up, I'll wait), and lots of distractions (senior dance team, t-shirts being parachuted from the rafters). But hey, some things just don't change.

New Realities
Well, the first glimpse of the new look Nets appeared to be successful, with no immediate notice of any Kidd-leaving-related hangover. Thanks to Vince Carter, Marcus Williams, Richard Jefferson and even Trenton Hassell, the Nets found a way to win. We have no idea what the new competitive makeup of this team truly is, but for a night anyway, it appeared that anything was possible. So, as we cross our fingers and see what the future holds, let us all be glad that as we start over again, at least Vince Carter appears engaged and ready to lead his team, along with Richard Jefferson. And that should be exactly what happens. To the future, and the fight for a playoff berth...
- Joe