Joe Netsfan Game x Game 75 - Sixers 108, Nets 99

The hand of fate is dragging the Nets now

Sixers 108, Nets 99
Game 75 File
Starting hot despite no trips to the free throw line, the Nets start losing control in the third, bring it back in the fourth before blowing the end game once again. Defensive indifference for much of this one dooms NJ to a now likely lottery slot in the draft.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 31 - 44
Home Record: 19 - 20
Away Record: 12 - 24
Division Record: 3 - 10
Conf. Record: 23 - 22
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Vince Carter, 29.
• Assists: Vince Carter, 7.
• Rebounds: Nenad Krstic, 9.
• Steals: Harris, Jefferson, Nachbar and Marcus Williams each had 2.
• Turnovers: Devin Harris, 4.
• Blocks: Josh Boone, 4.
• FG Percentage: Vince Carter, 57.1% (12 - 21).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 48.8%
• FT Percentage: 76.9%
• Rebounds: 38
• Rebound Differential: -1
• Turnovers: 16
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 9
• Bench points: 18
• Bench points Differential:-15
• Steals: 5
• Blocks: 8
• Points in the Paint: 56
• Double-Doubles: 0
• Triple-Doubles: 0

The (No) Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 4
• Nets Fast Break Points: 6
•Devin Harris' FG Percentage: 50.0% (8 - 16)
• Scoring Differential Harris in the game: -2
• Scoring Differential Harris out: -7 (M. Williams)

Nets Media
Bergen Record | Nets
Newark Star-Ledger | Nets
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NY Daily News | NBA
NY Post | Nets
NY Times | Pro Basketball
YES Network | Nets

Nets Team Pages
CNNSI.com | Nets
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Sixers Media:
Philadelphia Inquirer

Game 75: Sixers 108, Nets 99 – April 1 , 2008
The Final Countdown
Well, look at it this way, Netsfans – after tonight’s close-but-not-close-enough, defensively indifferent performance against a better Atlantic Division team, it’s only 7 more games of this torture before we can start planting the seeds for the ’08 – ’09 season. The Sixers somehow couldn’t quite shake the Nets all evening despite the on-going defensive woes for New Jersey, but thankfully for them, they had the end-game with which to finally subdue these Nets. And with that, four games out of the final playoff spot with seven to play, the Pistons, Raptors and Cavs up next on the schedule, and the 8th place Hawks having won four straight, well, it’s all over but the countdown to the end.

The Nets, as usual these days, started with a burst of energy and a 10 for 10 shooting performance, but that was the extend of the grit and determination to change their lot in life. What devolved from there was that dreaded defensive indifference, even as the Sixers were trying to play down to the level of competition. With Sam Dalembert swatting every available trip inside the paint, the Sixers living at the line while the Nets were somehow (and quizzically) whistle-less (the Nets shot zero free throws in the first half), and the usual combination of stumbles and offensive indifference, this was still somehow a tie game at the half. But after scoring 32 points to open the game, the Nets found themselves only able to get 25 in the second quarter, and it would drag further from there.

The third quarter was a painful exercise in “we did, they did” as a wild and wide-open ballgame was bordering on incompetence and lack of discipline, but a three minute sequence typified the experience. In a minute-and-a-half sequence that started when Josh Boone had his layup blocked by Dalembert (his 5th of the game to that point), there were seven consecutive missed shots by both teams (including 3 blocks), 2 turnovers, and a technical foul issued to Devin Harris after kicking a bunch of towels lying around on the floor when play finally stopped. And yet, with Vince Carter doing much of the scoring, the Nets were still in this one up until nearly the end despite scoring only 16 points in the third quarter.

Down by five after three quarters, the Nets continued to slug away, and while they weren’t getting nearly enough stops, they were finally getting to the line and hacking away at the deficit. They got to within a point, then watched the Sixers get it back to a nine point lead. Devin Harris and Carter went back to work, and they managed to whittle the lead back down to two with 4:11 to play after a huge Carter three. But, the end game sequence that killed them – Little Lou Williams canned a three of his own, Carter missed inside, Williams hit a gorgeous reverse layup, Boki Nachbar missed a three short, and Williams hit a jumper, taking the lead to seven with 2:27 to play. After a much-needed timeout to settle things down, Carter turned the ball over with a bad pass, leading to a Dalembert dunk. Finally, needing a quick score to keep the lead from getting to double digits with less than 2 minutes to play, Carter lost his legs while driving and turned the ball over, leading to no Sixer points but more time off the clock. The Nets, again, had much effort but no success.

Down to seven lonely games, sitting in tenth place (oh yeah, the Pacers have moved in front of the Nets – great for drafting position and lottery ping pong balls), and hoping for a miracle. The Nets quite clearly now are reaping what they’ve sown in this inconsistent and somewhat turbulent season, for all the early losses made every game down the stretch a must-win game, and the defenseless Nets just don’t have that in them.

So we start the countdown toward the first early off-season since 2000 – 2001.

Keeping Time
Time's Up - We're pretty much done hoping for a playoff berth, since the numbers ain't looking so good at the moment. Hey, stranger things have happened, but, given the Nets' defensive woes, you can pretty much stick a fork in them. Amazingly, knowing full well what was on the line, the Nets looked anything but energized at the end, turning in some bad defense along with some bad decision making. To top it all off, for a spell there in the third quarter, the Nets played so out of control you would have to wonder what they were thinking. Anything but the playoffs, apparently.
Numbers On The Dial - Weird first half, from the standpoint the Nets could NOT get a call, and shot zero free throws (I think the Sixers had 13). The Nets didn't shoot a single free throw until midway through the third quarter, and even then, they only shot 13 for the game (the Sixers lived there, getting 29 attempts and making 24). Two other things killed the Nets - fast break points allowed, and second chance points. All of this must add up to effort, which at times was right there, and at times seriously lacking, for the Nets. How do you explain that, when you're clinging to your playoff hopes?
Time Lag - Guess all those minutes have taken their toll on Richard Jefferson. Not only was he close to invisible in the second half (yep, he had 1 point, and 14 for the game), but Andre Iguodala ran circles around him (the new Philly AI was 17-6-10, while also being a game-high +14 - he makes a huge difference with his all-around play). So if the Nets don't play defense, and their only defender of All Stars doesn't play defense, well, you've got a mess on your hands.
Time Bandits - Let's talk about that defense. The Sixers shot 50% and got the Nets to play right into their hands. The result was at times ugly and chaotic, but yet the Nets did have their moments on defense (Josh Boone had 4 blocks, but the Nets again only managed 5 steals). So they are capable of it, if they put in the effort. The Sixers for sure put in the effort, everything from sending 2 men in to press in the backcourt to showing different looks defensively (question - does any team see the need to play anything but zone against the Nets? Apparently not lately), plus all those damned blocked or altered shots courtesy of Dalembert (he plays bigger against the Nets than anyone, it seems). Maybe that's why the Sixers have won 20 of 27 and are headed for 6th place or better in the East - they never take a play off.
Stop Time - Can I complain again the bench again? I'm not sure that Lawrence Frank isn't part of the problem, as he appears to trust only the starting five, plus Boki Nachbar and Marcus Williams (and with Williams, it's like only because he has to). Stromile Swift again was AWOL, Sean Williams played but only 10 minutes, and Gana Diop (can we please just use Gana from now on?) and Trenton Hassell was afterthoughts against the athletic Sixers. Shouldn't some of these people be given more of a chance? What exactly did Hassell and Diop do to go from contributors to the Mavs bench to non-issues in NJ? It's not like the Nets are going anywhere anytime soon...

Time Out
A team that plays as a team, hustles every single second on the court, and makes the most of what it has (Andre Iguodala, Sam Dalembert, Andre Miller...) takes down what is arguably a more talented team but one searching for some sort of consistency. That about sums up your Sixers - Nets matchup tonight, and probably much of the season, Netsfans. There is no shame in missing the playoffs when you are rebuilding for the future, and you have to be excited for the future potential of Devin Harris, Josh Boone, Sean Williams and even Marcus WIlliams. Vince Carter will still be around, too, and if the Nets could manage to swing a few more bodies that could help the cause (run and gun, if not defensively indifferent), well, that would be pretty ok too. Oh, we're still in the current season, right? Too bad that last vestige of playoff hope has probably disappeared over the horizon, not to return until a new day dawns in training camp. It was fun while it lasted, right, but the Nets continue to prove once and for all that when the game is on the line, they don't have the stones (or the Kidd) to make something special happen. So, we'll watch the final seven (we'll even attend one more, the Raptors game on Saturday night), and then we'll like start shifting our priorities toward the offseason rebuilding. (tell me, who do you like in the draft?)
- Joe