Just when we thought the Nets
transition to Brooklyn was going to be seamless save for the unveiling of a
silly mascot that inspired an even sillier play on words (Brooklynknight) the
County of Kings' first NBA team has met with some adversity and must try and
shake it off tonight against the defending champion Heat in Miami.
Letting a 22 point lead slip away
was bad enough. Giving up the games'
final 11 points was worse. Truth be told
though the most troubling part of the T-Wolves 107-96 win is that almost
despite an 80+ million dollar spending spree the weaknesses that showed
themselves in the loss were familiar ones that Nets' fans saw all too
frequently last season when Brooklyn was still New Jersey.
Once again, this year as last. the
Nets were outrebounded 44-30. The Wolves took 14 more shots and had 9 more
field goal makes. Brook Lopez got out quicked and out toughed by Wolves center
Nikola Petrovic, who would have done even greater damage than his 21 [points
and 9 boards were it not for early fouls.
As poor as the numbers looked for
Beooklyn the optics looked worse. Both Lopez and Kris Humphries were exposed as
slow and Lopez showed again that he struggles when an opposing center can look
him in the eye and move him off his spot. After 2-1/2 quarters of really good
offense they went to nothing but isolations at the first sign of trouble and it
backfired on them to the tune of a 32-10 fourth quarter.
It's fair to say that the return
of Gerald Wallace will fix some of what ails the Nets. He was their best player
in the 4th quarter of their win over Toronto. Thanks in part to playing as a
quick "4" rather than a power "3" But this injury may
linger so the Nets will need to find a way to be quicker and more active
especially on the boards. Lebron and the champs may be hard to get well against
but in an Eastern Conference that figures to be tight, they'd better get well
soon.
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