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The Week In Nets: The Doldrums Of .500 Ball
By
Derek Evers
Published Mar 5, 2013
Modified Mar 5, 2013
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By
Derek Evers
Published Mar 5, 2013
Modified Mar 5, 2013
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After a dominant stretch to start P.J. Carlesimo's interim reign as Brooklyn's head coach, the Nets now find themselves middling through the grind that is the third quarter of a long NBA season. The past month has seen them play exactly .500 basketball, with quality wins against teams like the Pacers and Denver Nuggets coupled with some ugly losses against the likes of the Spurs and, er, Washington Wizards. This past week was no different, as the highs of a solid game against the New Orleans Hornets quickly gave way to two losses that will propel writers like me to make note the Nets have lost four of their past five games—and the road to the Eastern Conference playoffs is not getting any easier.
The one constant throughout this stretch is the inclusion of one horrible quarter in each game. Even in their win against the Hornets, the Nets were in control at halftime leading by double digits, but a 16-point third quarter allowed New Orleans back into the game. With Joe Johnson still sitting out nursing a sore left heel, Deron Williams picked up the slack, scoring 33 points—including 11 in the final 1:29 to seal the win—putting a positive spin on a game the Nets had to win. It proved to be the only positive of the week.
Coming off four days rest, the Nets were back at home with Joe Johnson on the floor for a Friday night contest against a Dallas Mavericks team who have been underperforming all season. At 25-32 entering the game and outside of the Western Conference playoffs, the Mavericks seemed like the ideal opponent for Brooklyn team coming off a win and within striking distance of an equally average as-of-late Knicks team.
But once again the Nets were done in by a putrid third quarter. Trailing by only one point at halftime, the Nets entered the fourth quarter down by 16, and as many as 20 with just over 8-minutes remaining. Brooklyn fought back to cut the deficit to four, but were unable to score again. To make matters worse, 36-year-old Vince Carter was able to drop 20-points on his former team in just 29 minutes.
Saturday night against the Bulls was more of the same, only this time—maybe due to fatigue from back-to-back games—the Nets laid an egg early with a 12-point second quarter. Brooklyn would outperform Chicago in the second, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Not to mention Joakim Noah's statline: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks.
"Until we can play consistently for more than a three or four-game stretch, until we can play consistently on the road, particularly now, in March, this is what we're gonna be," P.J. Carlesimo told reporters after the game while hinting changes might be in order. "We just have to tighten it up. We have to play a lot better, and we have to do it soon."
While still short of a "must win," their next two games against less-than-stellar competition in Charlotte and Washington provide an opportunity for Brooklyn to steady the ship. A notion made all the more important when you consider they'll play 10 of the following 12 games on the road, including an eight-game west coast swing.
On the bright side, if the playoffs were to start today, the Knicks and Nets would face off in round one.
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Derek Evers
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