Joe Netsfan Game x Game 64 - Rockets 91, Nets 73

In freefall

Rockets 91, Nets 73
Game 64 File
Folding the tent early, the Nets shoot 21% in the first half and show zero signs of getting out of the hole they climb into, passively submitting to the Rockets' 19th consecutive win. Even without much from Tracy McGrady, the Rockets take a 13 point halftime lead and spend most of the night watching their subs beat the pants off a very confused Net team.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 26 - 38
Home Record: 15 - 17
Away Record: 11 - 21
Division Record: 2 - 8
Conf. Record: 19 - 18
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Vince Carter, 13.
• Assists: Carter, Jefferson and Diop each had 3.
• Rebounds: Carter adn Diop each had 8.
• Steals: Marcus Williams, 2.
• Turnovers: Marcus Williams, 5.
• Blocks: Sean Williams, 3.
• FG Percentage: Marcus Williams, 50.0% (3 -6).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 30.4%
• FT Percentage: 69.4%
• Rebounds: 45
• Rebound Differential: -3
• Turnovers: 12
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 13
• Bench points: 32
• Bench points Differential:-5
• Steals: 8
• Blocks: 8
• Points in the Paint: 32
• Double-Doubles: 0
• Triple-Doubles: 0

The (No) Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 3
• Nets Fast Break Points: 13
•Devin Harris' FG Percentage: 30.0% (3 - 10)
• Scoring Differential Harris in the game: -18
• Scoring Differential Harris out: Even (M. Williams)

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

Rockets Media:
Houston Chronicle

Game 64: Rockets 91, Nets 73 – March 10 , 2008
Burned Upon Reentry
The Nets hit the end of their five game road trip but ran into the deep void of space, courtesy of the NBA's hottest team, the Houston Rockets. NASA would have had trouble guiding these Nets to any sort of competitive effort, thanks to a Rocket defensive attack that sucked the life out of the Nets early, and an offense that was content to splash down with abandon. Now, after having burned up when reaching the atmosphere of playoff worthy astronauts, the Nets head home a broken, gasping lot.

Credit goes to the Rockets for positively smothering the life out of the Nets early, forcing the Nets to miss 11 of their first 13 shots, even as they were struggling a bit themselves. But it was still a 9 point lead after one, which grew exponentially in the second after the Nets put up a 13 point debacle, giving them a 28 point first half in which they shot 21%, which borders on pinhead basketball. It was all but over at that point, and when Tracy McGrady, held down by Richard Jefferson in the first half, started heating up, it was one long sequence of garbage time set to "2001 - A Space Odyssey" music.

The Rockets won their 19th game in a row tonight - heady stuff indeed. But it's mystifying why the Nets were incapable of a better effort in this one. Were they already intimidated by Houston just walking into the Toyota Center? The Nets acted like they couldn't get inside (thanks to Dikembe Mutombo), and so they quit trying, content to play 1 on 5 or toss up some pretty dumb shots. The energy and effort were poor, the decisions being made on the floor highly questionable, and the rotation was again a jumbled mess. Yes, they are learning on the fly, but...consider this to be the final piece of evidence in a season-long disaster. The Nets need to get some players who might give a damn about losing ball games, and try to do something about it.

And don't even get me started on Lawrence Frank.

Back home, to face Cleveland and Utah by week's end. Though they are barely out of the playoffs at the moment, one wonders how they could possibly get in with this bunch.

Systems Failure
Death Of A Solar System - The Nets scored 47 points through 3 quarters tonight. Yes, the Rockets were great defensively, but the Nets did nothing to try and help themselves, missing shots with abandon and giving up on attacking the paint. Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson, along with Devin Harris, tried and failed spectacularly to raise the level of their team's play, and if you had any doubt that this team needs even more of an overhaul, this would be your evidence.
Bottle Rocket - 85 year old Dikembe Mutombo, who never looked that good when he played for the Nets, helped to stir the pot with 6 rebounds and 4 blocks in the first quarter, effectively shrinking the floor and causing the Nets to shake in terror when coming his way. It's really a shame, with Dikembe and no other real backup with Yao in the shelf for the season, that the Nets couldn't find a way to get into the paint. And once again the Nets underachieved in the assist department (12 tonight), showing how disfunctional the offense is right now under the new point guard.
Out In Deep Space - Sean Williams resurfaced and had 3 blocks, but overall the Nets got nothing from their bench (with the exception of Marcus Williams, again). The Rockets, on the other hand, played the Nets to a standstill with their second and third stringers playing most of the second half. Wow.
Space Man - Realistically, the Nets haven't looked this clueless since Stephon Marbury left town. What can Lawrence Frank do about this? He's trying to give his team a new identity behind a new point guard, but no one seems to be able to lift them out of their weak heart and soft underbelly. Letting go of the rope when pushed has reached new lows in the last three games, and from what we can see, it's going to get worse. You can't teach toughness, but Frank should be demanding it of his team. There are only 18 games lift to sort through the mess that is left in East Rutherford, especially if you start accepting the fact that the Nets won't make the playoffs. This team is just plain awful to watch, and something needs to be done, and fast, before Netsfans start turning away in droves (what's that you say? Netsfans have been doing that all season long? Good point).

The Final Frontier
The Nets are nowhere near the class of the Rockets (or apparently the Mavs, Grizz, Spurs or Hornets), based on the thorough dismantling witnessed here tonight. Nineteen straight wins is impressive, even if this one was really never in doubt, thanks to a Rocket attack that was balanced and led by Tracy McGrady, Dikembe Mutombo, Rafer Alston, Luis Scola and even relative unknowns like Steve Novak, who outplayed the Nets stars. Who needs Yao, anyway, when you have such a defensive commitment and enough scoring to put away just about anyone. As for the Nets, well, the output was beyond terrible, and there's really nothing left to say except watch the Nets play out the string. Should be an early start to the Summer for the Nets, and a whole lot of pondering about how to rebuild and turn around this suddenly muddled franchise. I'd start with a little Spring housecleaning if I were Rod Thorn...
- Joe