Nets Spoil Magic’s Attempt to Secure 2nd Seed
April 12, 2009
Just a couple of games left in the season, the Orlando Magic suffered untimely setbacks when they visited New Jersey. The 12th place Nets defeated the visiting Magic 103-93 and extinguished their hopes of grabbing the second spot n the east. Aside from sliding down to the 3rd seed, the Magic also saw Hedo Turkoglu limping out of the court with a sprained ankle.
The Nets displayed a different starting five and fielded three rookies in the starting line-up. Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts were given chance to play since the Nets were already out of playoff contention. The three rookies combined for 32 points. Vince Carter led the game with 27 points and nine assists while Keyon Dooling added 12 points and ten assists. The Nets played without point guard Devin Harris who was nursing a shoulder injury.
Turkoglu had team-high 16 points before leaving limping out of the game in the final period. Magic big man Dwight Howard only had 7 points and eight rebounds in 26 min of play. Tony Battie and Rafer Alston had 14 and 13 points respectively.
New Jersey will face the Charlotte Bobcats and New York Knicks for their final two games while Orlando will close their season with games against Milwaukee Bucks and Bobcats.
-fouledout
New Jersey Nets: In Review
March 28, 2009
As much as it hurts to admit it, I guess the season is pretty much over for the (my) New Jersey Nets. With just a handful of games left and a record of 30-42, I don’t think there’s a chance for them to even finish in the 8th spot. When the season started, I conditioned myself that the Nets would finish at least at the 7th or 8th spot, but I guess my conservative prediction was inaccurate. I guess it’s just another year for the Nets. Next season will come and the season after that and so on. I just hope that the Nets will find ways to start a season strong and finish it stronger.
I don’t think the Nets need a major overhaul in their roster, but I think they should shake things a bit. I think the Devin Harris-Vince Carter tandem is still working so there’s no need to break it up, at least not yet. The way I see it, the biggest flaw in their game is defence, especially in the paint. Finding a tough big man to man the middle should be a top concern for the Nets brass. Brook Lopez is really doing a great job manning the shaded lane and I think he will get better next season. But aside from him (and Josh Boone) the Nets are pretty much short on big men.
I think drafting Sean Williams last year was a gamble. He had a promising game, but I guess that was just it, a promise that was never meant to be fully realized. Before the draft, Williams had the reputation of being a knuckle-head, and true enough, he was indeed a knuckle-head. Signing Yi Jinlian was a so-so deal for me. I’d pick Yi over Williams, but then again, I think there are other players out there better than the two of them. The Nets should ship either one (or both) of them to get players who can play the 4 and/or 5 positions. The bench depth should also be addressed by the top brass. They should get a player/s that can take off the pressure from Harris and Carter. I know it’s easier said than done, but putting up a solid squad which can operate fluidly should be the priority of Nets brass. As far as the coaching goes, I still have confidence with Lawrence Frank, at least for now. Oh, one more thing, I guess the Nets should be wiser come draft day. Top brass should maximize their picks, whatever the results of the lottery would be.
Win or lose, I’d pretty much stay loyal to the Nets. I just hope for a better season in November. That’s all i have right now. I’ve been tied down with work and school in the last couple of weeks and I haven’t had the time to write here, but I’ll try to squeeze this in my tight schedule. I really miss watching games and blogging, but my tight schedule is really killing me. Well anyway, for the people who read this blog (if there’s any), I’ll try to update my blog at least twice or thrice a week.
And one last thing, please support the Earth Hour. Turn off your lights for at least an hour. Every day should be an Earth Day. Keep it green.
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Nets Bounce Back, Defeats Charlotte Bobcats
December 28, 2008
Vince Carter and Devin Harris bounced back from an ugly game against the Charlotte Bobcats and led the New Jersey Nets for a 114-103 OT win against the same team that defeated them just a day ago.
Carter led the Nets with 28 points while Harris added 26. Jarvis Hayes and Josh Boone added 14 and 12 points respectively in reserve roles. Brook Lopez managed only 6 points but grabbed 13 boards for the Nets.
Gerald Wallace poured in 32 points for the Bobcats but it wasn’t enough to stop the Nets’ surge in the extra period. The Bobcats was outscored 18-7 in overtime.
Raja Bell, who left the game in the third due to a groin injury, added 18 points while Emeka Okafor chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds.
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