SB Nation - Brook Lopez

Pacers 107, Nets 91: Pacers Enjoy Winning Feeling Again

Tom Lewis — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:39:38 -0000

More photos » by Tom Strattman - AP

Roy Hibbert and the Pacers made things tough on the Nets in the second half.

Winning is fun, remember?

The Indiana Pacers enjoyed contributions from several sources, made plenty of shots and applied enough pressure to put away a struggling New Jersey Nets team, 107-91.

Forget the opponent though, the Pacers ended their own struggles by winning for the first time in six games and just the second time in their past 12. Plus, the way the Pacers played and the players that stepped up to put away the win was a welcome sight for Jim O'Brien.

Once again, the Pacers second unit provided the spark the Pacers needed to take control of the game early. In particular, Earl Watson, Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough worked well together while pushing the Pacers out to a double-digit lead in the second quarter.

The first unit kept the flow going to start the second half and after the bench continued their solid play it became apparent the Pacers' were headed for a win. Shots were falling, offensive rebounds were plentiful and nothing was coming easy for the Nets. In fact, Rafer Alston's three-pointer was the only bucket New Jersey scored in a ten minute stretch covering the end of the third quarter and early fourth.

Shortly after the New Jersey drought, Roy Hibbertended any doubt in the Fieldhouse that this was the Pacers' night, when he beat the shot clock with a 3-ball (in rhythm, nice stroke, the whole thing) to put the Pacers up 21 points with about eight minutes left.

No lead is ever big enough with the Pacers, but against the Nets that would be enough on this night.

More thoughts and observations on the Pacers' win:

Consider that without Danny Granger's 25 points per game and Dahntay Jones only scoring five, ten below his 15 point per game average, the Pacers were still able to score 107 points and cruise to a 16-point win. Five Pacers scored in double figures to fill the scoring void.
Roy Hibbert finished with 20 points on his 23rd birthday which exceeded the 18 points he scored in the previous three games combined. Roy had that energetic bounce to his game that seems to lift the spirits of the whole team. Hibby also finished with 3 blocks and 9 rebounds, including 7 second-chance boards which helped earn him some easy buckets.
Tyler Hansbrough took full advantage of his minutes limit rising to 24 minutes. He used up all of the minutes to score a game-high and career-high 21 points. He too worked the offensive glass, with 4 of his 7 rebounds at the offensive end. Hansbrough held up well defensively with three steals while guarding everyone from Brook Lopez to Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Earl Watson was solid off the bench at the point making things go for the second unit without needing to take many shots. His +22 on the night reveals his effectiveness, especially compared to another up and down performance from T.J. Ford. The downside of Watson's great play was that A.J. Price didn't get any minutes. Hard to blame JOB on this night because Watson was playing well and the team desperately needed a win.
Mike Dunleavy also had his minutes limit boosted to 24 and he was available for most of the fourth quarter. Dunleavy played 21 minutes and pumped in an efficient 15 points with a nice stroke going on his perimeter shot. Dunleavy made all three of his 3-ball attempts and continued to keep that second unit in motion.
Brandon Rush played a ton of minutes thanks to his defensive effort. He also chipped in 10 points and 8 rebounds with a few nice buckets. There were also a handful of possessions I'm sure he'd like to do over.
Dahntay Jones had a real interesting game, as well. He was on the court quite a bit, but with things going well offensively for the team he never gave into the temptation to pad his scoring average. In fact, Dahntay only took four shots on the night, instead settling in to chase around the Nets' dangerous guard duo of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee.
Speaking of Devin Harris, I was surprised to see him in a heated discussion with Rod Thorn in the tunnel outside the Nets' locker room at halftime. Not sure exactly what the discussion was about, but I don't think he and Rafer Alston are on the same page.
Troy Murphyalso had an efficient night with 15 points and 12 rebounds on just 7 FGAs. Before the game he also expressed his happiness with Brian Kelly taking over as Notre Dame's football coach. Acknowledging that Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops weren't leaving their gigs, he figures Kelly was the best the Domers could do, so he's keeping the faith.
Prior to the game, the Pacers announced that Reggie Miller will be at the Fieldhouse on Tuesday to make a major announcement to benefit the Pacers Foundation, The People's Burn Foundation/Brave Hearts Camp and Riley Hospital for Children Pediatric Burn Unit. Sounds like Reggie will be showing his hero chops in Indy once again. Wonder if a '3' will be included in the final numbers.

IC Cold Links: Nets Present Challenge As Pacers Strive For Something Positive To Grasp Onto

Tom Lewis — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:00:16 -0000

The Indiana Pacers face the New Jersey Nets tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse which makes one wonder just when the Pacers will win again.

Tonight?

Won't be easy. Sure the Nets are 2-20 and the Pacers already beat them in New Jersey, but both teams arrive at tonight's game in vastly different situations. The Pacers are without Danny Granger and in a team-wide shooting slump that is simply puzzling. On his radio show last night, Jim O'Brien made the point that at the law of averages will kick in at some time and shots will begin falling. No better time than the present.

JOB also raised a point about the lack of practice time for so many players. Yesterday, as has been the norm, Mike Dunleavy, Tyler Hansbrough and Jeff Foster didn't practice. He didn't bring it up as an excuse, he was responding to a caller who thought the players were looked tired at the end of games. JOB responded that he's never had a team that he's practiced less than this group so they shouldn't be tired. First thought: That's a problem.

The team is trying to work through problems but doesn't have key players available to take reps. He mentioned the team working on special situations yesterday and that Hansbrough had to watch instead of taking part fully. Just another reason why it's easy to point fingers of blame but in reality there are myriad issues of varying levels involved in the Pacers struggles right now.

As for the Nets, they're trending the other way with the return of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee to the lineup. The Pacers had their hands full with Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brook Lopez in the last meeting, so remember that tonight's game will be a bear. Harris was a nightmare for the Pacers last year and I expect that will be the case again.

After the jump a few links of interest including some great radio interviews, A.J. Price earning some time and Danny Granger trying to take his time to make sure he returns healthy and ready to play full throttle.

PACERS: Pacers-Nets preview
Bruno's scouting report reminds us that the lowly Nets aren't the same team the Pacers beat in New Jersey earlier in the season.
Coach Dakich had some extra-sweet hoops talk on his radio show yesterday. First, all hoop fans will enjoy his chat with Sam Perkins (audio link) as he and Big Smoov discuss some great Bob Knight stories and Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame speech. Later in the day, the Mighty One, Mike Wells dropped by the studio (audio link) for an extended discussion of the Pacers' current woes. Miss a little, miss a lot!
Granger disappointed but upbeat
Bruno checks in with Danny Granger with rehab in full swing.
Pacers' Price to get more time
Mike Wells reports on A.J. Price taking advantage of his playing opportunity and quickly earning the trust of Jim O'Brien. "I'm going to find a way to get A.J. some minutes every game just because I think he's going to be a very good player and I think he's going to be a very good player quickly," coach Jim O'Brien said Thursday. "If that means I'm going to have to give some looks occasionally at a three-man rotation at the point, then I'll do it. But I think it's important I grow A.J."
Granger: Comeback ‘going to be hard’
Mike Wells reports on Danny Granger trying to stay patient so he can rehab his injury back to full health.
The Pacers launched a pretty cool campaign yesterday, allowing fans to submit a nomination for people they know who would benefit from a pair of free tickets to either the December 26th game against Atlanta or the December 30th game against Memphis. They're looking to reward Indiana residents who are in need yet continue to make an impact in their community.
Distributing Granger's shots
Andrew Perna takes a look at where the Pacers will find their offense without Danny Granger taking the bulk of the shots.
On the Beat: Hansbrough Adjusting to NBA
John Perrotto checks on on Tyler Hansbrough finding his way in the NBA.
Pacers Crate: Austin Croshere joins the boys
The latest episode of Pacers crate includes Austin Croshere in on the discussion. The group discusses Cro's transition from playing to yakking as an analyst for home game television broadcasts.
New Jersey Nets want Terrence Williams to show more drive
Julian Garcia reports on the Nets and rookie Terrence Williams trying to get on the same page.

RECAP: Warriors 105, Nets 89 - Mikki Moore's tenacious dunks and post-dunk celebration rallies the youngins'

dj fuzzylogic — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:22:38 -0000

Originally posted Dec 9, 2009 9:22 PM PST

(Floyd Mayweather looks excited about the opportunity to sit courtside. He probably didn't get the memo who he was watching, though)

Professional sports, particularly Warriors basketball, have a huge toll on my emotional well-being. Watching the Warriors self-destruct night-in-night-out against the NBA's worst ruins my evenings a majority of the time. I curse at the television. Make groaning sounds, in the most unerotic possible way. I usually have to have a beer by halftime just to calm down the nerves of watching turnover after turnover.

Well, lucky for me the Warriors played, arguably, the worst team in the league tonight. Meaning? Maybe I can fall asleep easily without replaying all the blunders that I was witness to.

Anyway, tonight's recap retells the story that was the clash of the anti-titans of the NBA. However, it will be told through the emotional highs and lows that the Warriors put me through. Instead of focusing on the game, we're going to analyze the game through my feelings...

Preview/ Game Thread: Please don't be Nets win #3

Warriors Web Links: Should have won, and we did

Warriors vs Nets boxscore

Warriors vs Nets coverage

Pregame: Apathy.

It's 58 degrees in my apartment and I refuse to turn on the heater. Why is the bay so cold?

Watching the pre-game show, the Izod arena looks as empty as school on a Sunday. I think I've seen WNBA games more packed than this (barely). You would think that all the business deals going on in the Nets' background could spice things up a bit. Heck, you got Jay-z bankrollin'? How can a team with so much extra-basketball influence have so little to offer? Hey Jay, how about pulling some of your star power and getting Memphis Bleek to rap the national album? Or why not perform "Empire state of Mind" at half-time...y'all will be in Brooklyn in no-time right?

I wonder if there are more Warrior fans watching this game on TV then there are fans in the Izod arena.

First quarter: GROAN.

Less than a minute in, Monta's first turnover. 92 down, 264 to go to break Artis Gilmore's record. C'mon Monta, give us Warrior fans something to believe in!

One minute later - heavier and louder GROAN. Monta dribbles into a crowded paint and attempts to pass through Boone and Brooke Lopez. Unless Monta is Superman, he's not going be able to push this ball though 500 lbs of flesh.

One of the great things of watching two bad really bad teams is how quick they get up and down the court. You would think it was the ABA with all the run outs each team is doing with each missed shot. The worst thing(s) about watching two really bad teams is how many missed shots, ill-advised passes, and guys flopping around on the floor there is. How many more passes are we going to see bounce off someone's back tonight?

Brook Lopez is deceptively skilled, but also full of contradictions. He got picked 3 times in the first 6 minutes. But he recovers and has the grace to move around the Warriors bigs, EASILY. I'm thinking he might be the end of the Stanford big man "bust" that includes a long line of gentle giants, Tim Young, the Collins twins, and Curtis Borchardt. Brook Lopez has game.

The non-existent ball movement makes me think the Warriors are playing hot potato. They are chucking the ball wrecklessly and Monta and Stephen Curry are both missing wide open jumpers as if they're shooting jumpers with blindfolds. Hmm, I wonder if I can catch the end of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals right now... Man, Warriors are this bad that I'm considering watching the super annoying Rachel Ray.

Third GROAN of the quarter. Great heads up move by Anthony Randolph to save CJ Watson's blocked shot. Here we go.... WHAT!? CHARGE?? Oh Monta, why are you reverting back to your old ways of trying to run everyone over? I can't believe I'm watching this game right now.

(Harris: "C'mon coach, I know the 'pull-my-finger' trick...)

2^nd quarter: Elated...

Hmm, the Warriors end the quarter on a short run. Maybe the Warriors won't lose after all?

Is it me or did Trenton Hassell gain some weight since his Timberwolves days? Looks like Trenton Hassell's been hitting up the Shawn Kemp School of weight "training" in the off-season.

Anthony Randolph is looking good on defense. Good to see him active but not falling on people to get a block. Maybe Keith Smart slipped a sedative into his Gatorade before the game?

Alright, here we go. The Warriors are starting to run and CJ Watson is getting into the passing lanes easy.

Andris Biedrins is sitting with Fitz and Barnett for some color commentary. Biedrins looks good in his suit but that weird hoop earring doesn't quite fit. May it's a European thing.

The Warriors are racking up steals like they're Ricky Henderson. The boom and bust of the Warriors offense depends on these steals.

Wow, what's up with Randolph playing so even -keeled? Usually after a few excellent plays, Randolph is jumping around making dumb fouls. Hmm, I wonder what's going on in his head when he gets the ball.

OOOH!! Randolph is hustling! Great to see him giving the Warriors the energy they need on both sides of the floor. He and Radmanovic are doing the intangible things that the Warriors need: grabbing boards, running the floor, some nice weakside defense and, most importantly, covering the mistakes of Monta Ellis. Wow, still no yelps or facial expressions. What's happened to him? I'm beginning to think Keith Smart is better at getting to his players than Nellie.

(The only way the Warriors could stop Brook Lopez)

Biedrins is still talking to Fitz and Barnett on the sidelines. He is discussing his friendship with Ronny Turiaf (France) and Radmanovic. The "European Union club" as he calls it. Can we expect to see this on a t-shirt? Maybe the next Tony.psd? Wink wink? Just playin' Tony.

Randolph is everywhere!!! Plus the Nets look like the Warriors on their bad nights. The lazy passes getting picked off and wide open driving lanes are making me realize why they were 0-18. They're not getting back on defense in typical Warriors fashion. Too bad the Warriors are picking up ticky tack fouls, which is keeping the Nets in the game.

Question: Are the Warriors better when Monta ISN'T shooting all the time? At this point in the game, Monta has been a non-factor, scoring-wise. The ball is moving a lot more and the other Warriors are getting involved ... and hey! They're actually winning, right now? I'm not suggesting the Warriors are better without Monta. That would be completely ridiculous. But its nice to see the other Warriors trusting in each other when Monta isn't trying to mimic Stephen Jackson in his shot selection and his complaining to the refs.

OK, I've had enough of watching Randolph fouling Lopez. It's clearly not Randolph's fault that there is a bad matchup. Where's Chris Hunter?

The Nets are blocking out as "well" as the Warriors as Randolph gets a follow-up dunk to a missed jumper. I am feeling at ease now...

CJ Watson is definitely the front runner for Warrior Wonder by the way he is getting steals and converting layups at the other end. His anticipation in the passing lanes is beautiful.

Wow, that last play of the half was beautiful. Heck, it was SEXY. I'm surprised that Monta gave up the ball to Curry and let him thread that pass to Watson for the open reverse under the hoop. Now THAT was the best closing of a quarter/half I have ever seen from the Warriors. Can we see the ball NOT in Monta's hands at the end of the half?

(Curry and Moore are both impressed by the dunk. What kind of shoes are those?)

3^rd Quarter: Hungry

Early on , we see a power move by Mikki Moore dunking over Brook Lopez! I love the post-dunk intensity ala Kevin Garnett, but is it really necessary or kosher for Moore to throw signs when they're playing, arguably, the worst team in the league? That would be equivalent to bragging that you got Susan Boyle's digits.

Looks like the Warriors are finally hitting the offensive boards. Why are the Warriors so afraid to grab rebounds? I miss Biedrins.

My girlfriend: "That guy (Radmanovic) looks like Wolverine. But uglier."

Wow, an Ill-advised shot by Monta, again. Nice move slashing to the middle and trying to lay it up over Lopez, except way off target. Sigh. I ask again, do the Warriors score better when Monta has the ball in his hands LESS? There's seems to be a lot more scoring this game when he isn't trying to score on every single possession.

I am still waiting for dinner to finish cooking... hungry. I wonder what NBA players eat before games?

Towards the end of this quarter, the Warriors frustrating play is finally getting to Fitz. He sounds like he's about to yell at Morrow post-game after seeing him commit his bazillionth turnover of the game. That's what I love about the Warriors color commentary; they never gloss over the Warrior blunders.

Damnit. The Warriors are starting to look complacent out there and there are still 6 minutes left in the quarter. It's like Cinderella and the clock struck twelve. The Warriors' chariot of marvelous game play has transformed back into the pumpkin of bad shots, dribbling into crowds, and porous defense. Are the Warriors trying to lose? Are they trying to throw games like Tim Donaghy?

Whew thank goodness for players like Josh Boone. Boone shoots freethrows like he doesn't want to be there. It's almost like he can't wait to get over with by how rushed his shots are.

(Mayweather: "Damn, I thought the Nets gave me the gift of a superstar..." Mayweather's friend: "Dude, I though we got tickets for Madison Square Garden...")

4^th Quarter: Satisfied

Great feed by Cj Watson to Maggette (no look) to start this quarter. Watson is definitely the Warrior Wonder for tonight...either Watson or the Net's terrible defense. Whereas Ellis and Morrow are looking like the Warrior ‘blunders' with the turnovers they are accumulating together. Can't complain though that Keith Smart lets his players work through these problems in the flow of the game.

Commercial break: "Give the gift...of a super... star... this holiday.. season" ...whew, I never get tired of that commercial. How many takes do you think that took for Monta to say that? Also, does anyone else think its weird that Monta is basically trying to sell tickets to see Kobe and Lebron? Do you think opposing teams run the same commercials and say that about Monta when the Warriors are about to come to town?

Ball movement! Thank goodness, the Net were within 7 but the crisis has been averted. Monta is finally scoring, but not forcing the issue. I'm more pleased that he's using his speed to benefit his teammates by hitting them with open shots.

Thank goodness the Nets cannot shoot threes. Can the Nets poor three-point shooting be the Warrior Wonder for tonight?

Question of the night, why is Sean Williams getting more playing time than Terrence Williams? Every shot of Sean Williams face as he checks in, gets fouled, or fouled someone is look of "........." or "What am I doing here?"

Mikki Moore TRULY has the best dunks. AND best post-game dunk celebrations. After two great passes from Monta, he's cheering like the game was on the line as opposed to being up 13 against the worst team in the league.Gotta love that intensity though.

I have to give it up to CJ Watson. Watson's 15 points in the second quarter, half of those off great anticipation on defense, really jumpstarted a sluggish Warriors team.

Nets 103, Bulls 101: Won't say rock bottom since there could be a ways to go

your friendly BullsBlogger — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:04:41 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose stands on the sidelines against the New Jersey Nets trying to figure out how many days until he's a free agent. It's a long process. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
New Jersey	96.0	107.3	47.0%	28.6	28.9	13.5
Chicago		105.2	48.9%	17.0	36.4	17.7

Bulls weren't embarrassed tonight, they're just continually embarrassing with this loss being another instance of it. Though of the 8 losses in 9 games, this certainly is the worst opponent.

And the Nets didn't disappoint in showing their ineptitude for long stretches of the game. But you could tell from the outset that the Nets smelled a win here, and they proved that they're just as good as the Bulls...or that the Bulls are just as bad as them.

I didn't see a team that quit on their coach, or played down to competition. This is who the current Bulls are, a team that's as good as the New Jersey Nets, having to put up a 31-point fourth quarter to lose by 2. I truly thought all 4th quarter that the Nets ran out of gas and the Bulls would narrowly get this one. And I was not rooting for them to lose as some kind of statement to show how bad they are. The fact that it was this close at the end, and they were down double-digits for a majority of the 3rd quarter, showed how comparable these current rosters are, win or lose.

(though the final possession was indeed a head-scratcher, with the Bulls having 14 seconds and John Salmons launching a 3 with a hand in his face with 7 left. I'm fine with not holding until the last shot in that situation, but the 'quick' shot has to be a better option than that, and Rose has to at least touch the ball. Also, Vinny ran out of timeouts, and he subbed out Taj (one of the team's best offensive re bounders) before Rose missed the final rebound, which I believe was on purpose? Anyway, credit Kiki Vandeweghe and his cool glasses for fouling Rose up three.)

A young duo of Harris-Lopez that's possibly better than Rose-Noah (Rose had a great second half when he realized a bit late that they needed him to score a lot, but Lopez dominated Noah). Middling wings in Lee and CDR that seemed interchangeable with Salmons-Deng at a fraction of the price. Crappy depth all-around.

Taj Gibson had a great night shooting the ball, but registered two defensive rebounds in over 35 minutes. He actually was benched in favor of Brad Miller to start tonight's game, a move I'm in favor of...but Miller looks one step over the hill and provided nothing tonight.

It's real bad right now. And while I don't see any changes overnight, when they get absolutely hammered in Atlanta tomorrow, the Org. may have no choice but to do something to salvage the season. A season they were not really interested in anyway, but they can't let it stay this bad.

Happy Birthday, Dwight Howard!

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:00:20 -0000

by John Raoux - AP

View full size photo »

For the second consecutive year, Dwight Howard will spend his birthday in Los Angeles, hoping to lead the Orlando Magic to victory over the Clippers. He turns 24 today, which makes him younger than every NBA regular starting center save for Andris Biedrins, Andrew Bynum, Spencer Hawes, Al Horford, Roy Hibbert, Brook Lopez, and Greg Oden.

I'm not sure what else to say, really. Anyone who's watched the Magic since the 2006/07 season--turnover-plagued, sure, but check his splits from February--knew he'd be more than a defense and rebounding specialist, as not a few people predicted was his ceiling. Needle his unrefined post game all you want. Berate him for smiling (?) on the court, or for complaining about whistles who don't go his way. But in no way can anyone argue with Howard's overall results. Even his slump during the first 9 games of this season, when he could not seem to avoid foul trouble, Howard was average at the very worst among NBA centers who average at least 30 minutes per game:

"Slumping" Dwight Howard, Average NBA Center (min. 30 MPG), and "Post-Slump" Dwight Howard, 2009/10 NBA Season
Player	Pts	Rebs	Blks	Fouls	Mins	FG%
Dwight Howard (slump)	18.1	10.6	1.4	4.1	31.1	64.7%
Avg. NBA Center	14.3	9.3	1.5	3.0	33.0	52.5%
Dwight Howard (post-slump)	17.8	13.4	2.1	3.7	33.7	64.4%
Howard statistics from Basketball-Reference.com; avg. center statistics from Hoopdata.com

So he brought the stats just about every night, even if his commitment to defense wasn't quite there until recently. That's how good he is just when he shows up and tries a little. Think of what he can do when he's really engaged.

Maybe that last paragraph comes off as harsh, and I don't mean to disparage Howard (especially not on his birthday). But it was obvious to anyone who watched the first 9 games of the season that Dwight wasn't all there. Now? He's more into it. For me, the biggest statistical indicator of that is his fouls-to-block ratio. In the slump, he averaged 2.8 fouls per blocked shot. In the games since, he's improved that figure to 1.8.

We've gone way off the rails in what was meant to be a simple happy birthday post, so I'll conclude here before I get too carried away. In any event, I hope we appreciate Howard's improving work on the court, as well as his efforts in the community.

Many happy returns, Dwight.

Knicks 106, Nets 97

Seth — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:11:22 -0000

More photos » by Mary Altaffer - AP

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Like many Knicks games this season, tonight's win over the Nets was a tale of two halves. Thankfully, the opponent was helpless enough to render New York's own mood swings less than fatal. In the first half, we saw the familiar Knicks. They actually scored pretty effectively, but gave the Nets absolutely anything they wanted on the other end. The first two quarters today comprised the Nets' best half of the season. They league's worst team scored 61 points in the opening periods, keyed by Devin Harris, who drove to the rim and pulled-up from midrange pretty much unimpeded. In the second half? 36. The Knicks tightened up their defense and (aided slightly by the Nets' natural instincts to implode) turned a losing effort into a decisive win.

Notes, after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari was back in uniform tonight (with a shooter's sleeve!), but Mike D'Antoni opted to ride the hot hand and keep Al Harrington in the starting lineup, which paid off nicely. From the outset, Al recognized the speed advantage he had over Josh Boone and exploited it mercilessly. Harrington's spin move is deadly, and he utilized it early and often to blow past Boone and finish at the rim. On the game, Al limited himself to only three threes, and did most of his work around the basket. He didn't just score either, finishing with a superb 24 points (10-18), 14 boards, and 5 assists in 40 minutes. Al's a hell of a player, and if he was always this motivated, nobody would be in favor of trading him.

- Just to emphasize that the quality of Harrington's dominant performance was a welcome departure from the usual, Clyde reacted to a gorgeous pass thrown Al to David Lee with "where did that come from!?".

- David Lee couldn't do much to stop Brook Lopez on offense (as Clyde said, "size matters"), but give credit to both Lee and Harrington for superb box-outs throughout the game. Lopez was muscled out of a number of rebounds, and finished with only 6 of his own. Lee and Harrington had 9 and 14 boards respectively, and worked hard for them.

- Lee also had his offense going, and kept Lopez honest by nailing his mid-range jumpers. That opened up the paint for Lee and others, as big Brookie had to step out to contest the J. That's an under-rated weapon, and it was a pleasure to see Dave score confidently from outside.

- Chris Duhon started attacking the rim, but just couldn't get a roll. He ended up 2-12, but I will say that he was, for the most part, missing the kinds of shots we'd like to see him take. There were more quick drives to the rim and less out-of-rhythm threes. That counts for something, I think. Not a great game, though.

- Danilo Gallinari made a relatively brief appearance today, probably owing to both his still-injured forearm and the recent resurgence of Al Harrington. Gallo was able to make an impact in his 21 minutes, though, with 3 three-pointers and 4 rebounds to his name.

- The Knicks were at their very worst in the second quarter, and it was a little disarming. One would like to think that the main advantage the Knicks have over a team like the Nets is their second unit, but Kiki Vandeweghe's bench thrived against the second-string Knicks. Rafer Alston (3-11) didn't shoot well, but had an easy team finding teammates like Keyon Dooling (4-7) for open shots. The pace quickened in the second, which you would think of as Knick-friendly, but New Jersey actually opened up a double-digit lead for part of the quarter.

- Chris Douglas-Roberts is very talented, very cool, and makes Joey look very wise. I love Gallo and wouldn't change a thing about that draft, but...damn.

- I'm disappointed in Clyde for not rhyming "Dooling" with something.

- This game was especially well mic'd, and we got to hear a lot of the on-court banter, including Al Harrington, after taking a hard fast break foul from Devin Harris, grumbling "I'm never gonna try and dunk again" while being peeled off the floor.

- Mike D'Antoni wielded his zone defense a few times, including in that second quarter in order to stifle the Nets' run. It worked pretty nicely for stretches, as Jared Jeffries or Wilson Chandler was able to roam the middle and help out on Brook Lopez to limit his touches and force other Nets to create offense.

- Al Trautwig casually snuck in a pretty ominous line during the halftime show: "The Knicks are what Chris Duhon is". Yikes.

- The young Garden audience (it was a noon start) spent much of the second half huffing and puffing at Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, begging for Nate Robinson. Chants of "we want Nate!" rained down even as the Knicks pulled away for the win, which leads me to conclude that the majority of New York-area youth don't do what Toney Douglas do just yet. This disappoints me. Weren't you little brats listening?

- In the third quarter, it was Larry Hughes of all people that keyed the run that eventually became the win. Hughes scored 12 in the period, including a personal stretch of 8 straight, and the Nets could never recover. Can't blame them. I've only just recovered.

- The guy who initiates that "I SAY D, YOU SAY FENSE!" chant sounds a lot like Xzibit to me. Since I haven't been to a game in a while, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Garden hype guy actually is Xzibit, since that's not at all out of the question, given his other work.

The Knicks have now won three of their last four, and look to add to their recent success tomorrow night against the Blazers. I have to be in class for pretty much the duration of the game (I know, right?), so I'll be in the market for a guest-recapper if anybody's interested. Let me know.

Finally, a Win For the Former Orlando Magic Players in New Jersey

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:34:50 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

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After their 97-91 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats, the New Jersey Nets' long nightmare is over. New Jersey has its first win on the season, improving to 1-18 tonight after setting an NBA record for most losses to start a season, with 18. Brook Lopez--an All-Star in the making--tallied 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in the win.

The Nets have four former Orlando Magic players, which is why I'm mentioning their win on a Magic-centric site. Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Keyon Dooling, and Courtney Lee played a combined 600 regular-season games for Orlando. Lee played a big role in New Jersey's win tonight, with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including connecting on 3 of his 4 attempts from three-point range. He added 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals for good measure. Battie played his first-ever game as a Net, only recording a missed field goal in 6 minutes. Keyon Dooling also made his season debut, and scored 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting. De to a sore left knee, Alston did not play.

The Magic sent Alston, Battie, and Lee to New Jersey in June in the deal headlined by eight-time Vince Carter coming to Orlando; Ryan Anderson, a 21-year-old power forward, also went to Orlando in that transaction. Dooling arrived in New Jersey as part of a sign-and-trade transaction in 2008, after the Magic were unwilling to go above the luxury-tax threshold in order to meet his salary demands.

Congratulations to Rafer, Tony, Keyon, Courtney, and the rest of the New Jersey Nets.

UPDATE: Here's Chris Sheridan's game story for TrueHoop, which includes this bit about Lee, speaking about the last time he won an NBA game:

For Lee, it had been 156 days since he won a meaningful game. "I remember, I dunked on Derek Fisher and had 13 in that game," Lee said, showing memory skills not quite up to par with his basketball skills (he scored only 4 points in that Game 3 victory over the L.A. Lakers during the finals, which he followed up with a 4-point performance in Game 4 -- part of the reason that he is no longer with the Orlando Magic).

Is Sheridan suggesting the Magic would not have traded Lee had he played better in the Finals?

Nets End Losing Streak, Beat Bobcats 97-91; Larry Brown Should Be Embarrassed With His Performance

David Arnott — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:54:07 -0000

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The Nets had to win, eventually. It's only embarrassing to the Bobcats if they act like New Jersey doesn't belong in the league, which they most certainly do. Losing 97-91 on the road to them is the same as losing to any other team this time of year. All they can do is keep their focus and keep working.

By and large, the guys on the floor did an admirable job. Brook Lopez had a huge game, with 31 points and 14 rebounds. That's a little damning of Tyson Chandler, but Lopez is a rising star, and he's going to have those kinds of nights. The same goes for Courtney Lee and his 27 points. There's a reason they thought highly enough of him that they demanded he come over from the Magic for Vince Carter.

However, the infuriating theme emerging again this year -- one that everyone warned us would happen with Larry Brown -- is the inexcusable mishandling of rookies and other young players. D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Derrick Brown, and Alexis Ajinca have all had their careers adversely affected by their usage this year. Augustin's encouraging rookie season could have been a springboard to a starting job, but instead he was undermined by the retention of Raymond Felton and subsequent signing of Flip Murray. Gerald Henderson just hasn't played, buried on the bench even though when he has played he's been reasonably solid and could absolutely be the backup to Stephen Jackson. Derrick Brown has proven in his limited playing time that he deserves a shot to win a rotation spot, and with no backup power forward in sight, that would seem to be a perfect situation for him, but instead, Vladimir Radmanovic(!) got those minutes, and now Coach Brown is going through all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify reasons to not play him, like putting Tyson Chandler at the four. Ajinca is a separate case. He shouldn't have been expected to contribute last year, and yet he languished on the bench. He should have been in the D-League most of last year and this year, playing 30 minutes every night and taking his lumps, but instead, he's been jerked around. What progress he's made has no expression.

And tonight, none of those players played. The bench and free throw shooting lost this game, and none of those players played. The Nets, one of the five worst teams in the league, beat the Bobcats, and Larry Brown saw fit to play STEPHEN GRAHAM more than 13 minutes and refused to play any of his younger players, even after it was clear his preferred formula wasn't going to put the Cats over the top. I've tried to express reasonable disagreement over the course of the season, but this performance from Larry Brown doesn't deserve reasonable treatment anymore. It was disgusting. The players shouldn't be embarrassed, but Brown should be.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump:

BAD

-- What does Graham have to do to prove he doesn't belong in an NBA rotation? I'm sure he's a perfectly good guy; the broadcasters seem to like him, and you can't be a jerk and stick around as a scrub for long, and he's stuck around for four years. But you know what? He played more than 13 minutes, was 0-2 from the field, had 1 rebound, 0 assists, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls. And he's done this his whole career. It's not his fault he's being put out there, but he's emblematic of Larry Brown's myopia.

-- Nazr Mohammed has been excellent all year, and this game is probably just a bump in the road, but it's still disappointing to see him crash so abruptly. 0 points in 11 minutes.

-- 18-30 from the charity stripe is bad. Maybe the Jeff Capel School of Free Throw Shooting should be discredited.

GOOD

-- Gerald Wallace is still a beast. 13 points on 5-8 shooting, and 20 rebounds. I keep coming back to the mid-late career Dennis Rodman comparison, only if Rodman ran the floor and finished like Drexler.

-- Tyson Chandler seems healthy. The defense doesn't seem to be at the elite level, but I suspect a lot of that has to do with being comfortable with teammates, and the Cats' roster hasn't exactly been together forever. Still, 13 points and 12 rebounds is the kind of performance we need from our center.

-- Good Raymond Felton is still with us. He was a facilitator for most of the game and scored efficiently -- at one point I think he was 6-7 from the field. He's still not the creator I'd like him to be at point, and he probably never will be, but for this game, he got results, scoring 28 points on 11-14 shooting and only turning it over 2 times.

-- Congratulations to the Nets for getting that monkey off their backs. They don't deserve it, and neither do their fans. Now they can move on and concentrate on the important things, like developing their young players and gelling as a team.

Mavericks Vs Nets: Game 19 Preview

Phillip Baggett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:23:41 -0000

Mavericks vs Nets coverage

Mavericks vs Nets preview

The Match-ups:

Point Guard

Jason Kidd: The time has come once again for the trade partners to face off against one another. In the previous battles Harris has won the match up with relative ease, does this one go to Harris as well? or does Kidd finally prove that the Mavs made a good trade? Who knows, what I will say is that Kidd has been excellent this year and Harris has been... well not to good.

vs.

Devin Harris: I think I can speak for most everyone when I say that I really like Devin Harris, and have wished that he was still here. However he has been just another mediocre player on an awful team this year. As bad as the Nets are I never would have suspected that of the TWO players on the team with a +/- above zero one of them would NOT be Devin Harris.

Edge: Mavericks (did I really just say that?)

Shooting Guard

Rodrigue Beaubois: Roddy gets the face time as being the starter, but the PT will surely go to JJ and JT. Not real sure what the Mavs plans are for Roddy but the guy should get more than 9 minutes a game, in my opinion, but then again who am I to decide what the Mavericks guard rotation should be? This is one game however that the guard rotation should be irrelevant (I said SHOULD BE)

vs.

Chris Douglas - Roberts: Well the first thing that I saw with Chris is that he has the worst +/- on the team (if he played for the Lakers this would not be such a big deal, but when you are the worst +/- on a hideous team it is a huge deal). However with that in mind he has been much more productive as the teams PG than at any other position. Chris does lead the Eastern Conference sophomore class in scoring at 16.4 per, he will turn the ball over though and the Mavs should be able to capitalize on his poor handling skills.

Edge: Even

Forward

Shawn Marion: Defense, Defense, Defense these are apparently the orders given to Shawn before every Mavs game. This has worked out pretty well so far but I would like to see the Mavs try to get him more involved on the offensive end rather than defering to the heavily over used three guard system.

vs.

Trenton Hassell: Since coming into the league in 2001 Trenton's production has neither gone up nor down, however when your production is less than 1 rebound per 10 minutes and 1 point every 5 minutes, does it really matter that you are consistent?

Edge: Mavericks

Power Forward

Dirk Nowitzki: The best Power Forward in the game. Nuff said

vs.

Josh Boone: Once again a former number one draft pick that has failed miserably for the Nets. Josh would be a decent offensive rebounder off the bench, anything past that is not going to be good. The Nets are asking a marginal player to be a starter in the NBA, no wonder this team has yet to win a game.

Edge:

Center

Drew Gooden: While Erick Dampier was sidelined with an unknown Vaginal disease, Drew was absolutely sensational but has now apparently lost his starting spot back to Dampier? This was a bad mistake by Carlisle and a move that may cost the Mavs later on. Erick Dampier is likely to start but should not, therefore he is not in my starting lineup.

vs.

Brook Lopez: He is the lone bright spot on a miserable team. All of Brook's numbers have improved over his rookie campaign. He is a solid scoring option for the Nets and does a nice job on the boards, the Nets offense should and will flow through Lopez.

Edge: Mavericks

Injuries/Suspensions

New Jersey Nets

OUT - Yi Jianlian

Dallas Mavericks

OUT - Josh Howard

Prediction: On paper this game is not even close. On paper the Mavs should win this game by 20. On paper this game should not even be played due to the shear destruction that the Mavs would bring upon the Nets. These games however are not played on paper, they are played on the court, and the Mavs have showed over the course of their first 18 games that they tend to play to the level of their competition (excluding the Cavs game), and frankly this game scares me. Since I have been well... not so good with the prediction this yearit will not matter if I am wrong because you are all used to that by now. So my prediction is (drum roll please)

Mavericks: 104

Nets: 86

Knicks 126, Suns 99

Seth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:06:33 -0000

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Wow. In a season full of miscues and misery, that was just what the doctor ordered. The Knicks invited the Suns into the Garden, spanked them mercilessly, then sent the league's best team packing. Shots fell and the defense clicked as the Knicks built a lead and never really looked back. A number of different players stepped up and filled their roles with aplomb. Phoenix, meanwhile, played the part of the home team, flubbing easy plays and exerting very little effort en route to their first sub-100-point output of the season. The Knicks' best stuff and the Suns' worst just happened to coincide, and I must say it was positively exquisite.

Notes, after the jump...

I mentioned that each Knick played his role brilliantly. I wasn't kidding. Check it:

- Wilson Chandler got things started by driving to the basket on offense, getting fouled early and connecting at the line. Later, he canned a couple open threes (2-3) and otherwise let the offense come to him. On the other end, D'Antoni chose to match Wil with Steve Nash, which worked nicely, as Chandler was quick enough to stay near (not in front of. Nobody does that.) Nash, and big enough to disrupt his passes and switch onto Amare' Stoudemire when picks were set.

- Chris Duhon (2-8) didn't shoot as well as he did in the previous game, but hit a pretty big three, dished out 5 assists, and spent 23 minutes on the bench. Perfect.

- Al Harrington (8-14) took a reasonable number of shots and hit most of them. He also pulled down 8 rebounds.

- David Lee registered 24 points and 8 boards, actually made an effort to defend Stoudemire, and didn't get embarrassed on help defense because the Suns hardly attacked the rim. Lee's hands were up, too, as indicated by his 4 steals.

Those Knicks did their jobs. These Knicks went above and beyond:

- Larry Hughes up and stole the point guard reins from Chris Duhon in early going, dropping 8 dimes in the first quarter and finishing with 12 on the night. He demanded the ball, directed traffic in the halfcourt set, and hit cutters with pinpoint passes. It was beautiful. Hughes's 11 points and 4 steals were just gravy. That little display of competent point guard play was tremendous. Not to continue to dump on Duhon after a win, but Larry's leadership made a massive difference. Evidence: The Knicks started the second quarter with Hughes on the floor and won the first 4 minutes 12-10. Duhon then checked in for Hughes, and the Suns promptly went on an 8-3 run. Hughes then re-entered, and the Knicks won the next four and half minutes 17-12. I'm not just saying...I'm just saying...

- I can't say enough about Jared Jeffries's play. He was mostly a garbagebro on offense (4-6, 10 points), and I mean that in the best way possible. The rest of his line, though, is what stands out. 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal are marks of a job well done by Jeffries, and he did that in just 25 minutes. Jared's quiet contributions helped keep the Knicks afloat when it looked like the Suns were poised to strike. Superb game.

- Finally, a big ol' Rooster Salute for Danilo Gallinari. Gallo asserted himself just like we hoped he would, finishing with 27 points, 10 boards, and 2 monstrous Cock-blocks. Gallo was potent from downtown (6-12, and it would've been more with a kinder rim), but didn't just settle for threes. He looked much more confident and made his way into the center of the court to participate more in the offensive flow. There were backdoor cuts, frontdoor cuts, and even a stop-and-pop banker from about 12 feet out.If you're on Twitter, hit up @gallinari8888 and tell him to keep up the great work. Gallo's shot at stardom is tied to the kind of confidence and aggression we saw him from him tonight.

The rest of the notes:

- Billie Jean King was interviewed by Al Trautwig at courtside, and finished her conversation by calling Trautwig "Babes". The following dialogue ensued:

Breen: "Did she just call Al 'Babes?'"

Clyde: "She's from the 70s."

Breen: "Don't you go call Al that now."

- King also took the opportunity to smack some tennis balls into the crowd during a timeout. One of them whizzed perilously close to Channing Frye's head, and Frye reacted with that memorable look of puzzlement we first witnessed in his "sometimes, dinner was just crackers" Garden of Dreams commercial. If you remember that MSG ad, you're officially a pimp by P&T standards (and a moron by everyone else's standards, but forget those guys.)

- Nate Robinson got very little burn in this one. The way Hughes was playing, I guess he wasn't really needed. Robinson didn't show any blatant displeasure, and actually did a nice job pushing the tempo in his 10 minutes.

- Amare' Stoudemire, who I'd typically consider to be a pretty good shot-blocker, didn't even bother to contest a lot of the Knicks' drives into the paint. Either Stoudemire's defense has fallen off or David Lee is contagious.

- Apparently some sort of rodeo is coming to MSG, and I feel obligated to pass along the information that the Garden will be "filled with the world's toughest cowboys and rankest bulls". I know P&T folks like their bulls rank, so I figured I'd share for those of you who missed the ad.

- P&T hero Frederic Weis coined the term "Knickslexia" to describe the phenomenon of reading a winning Knicks score backwards, because your tendency to assume they're losing overrides what you actually perceive. If you checked out the 71-58 score at halftime, odds are you got all kinds of Knickslexic.

- Robin Lopez is something else. No, really. He's something else.

- Clyde always mocks Mike Breen for being a ballhog on the basketball court. Do we have any evidence that these two have actually played ball together? If so, is it on video? If so, can I have it?

- Goran Dragic probably doesn't wear a diaper on the court, but he might.

- With the season's first real blowout came the season's first real garbage time. It was magical. Toney Douglas DWTDD for a sec, burying two threes and handing out a couple assists. Jordan Hill shot and missed a bunch (2-7) but looked active (to use the adjective that's gradually becoming his middle name) and showed off some of his typically fluid moves, with a jump shot to boot. Jordan Hill is pretty good at basketball. Mark my words. Marcus Landry got to spin as well, and hit a three just to ice the cake.

- Darko Milicic, despite chants from the crowd, was a DNP-BHWCSIYMHPGT. See if you can crack that one.

Tonight was marvelous. Thanks go to everybody who commented, and also to the Knicks for putting together a masterpiece of a performance in beating the league's best team. I got a little choked up for a bit there.

I'm sure we'll have video and some more excitement in the morning, but there isn't much time to bask. The Knicks head straight to Orlando for another meeting with the Magic tomorrow night. Could they possibly keep the dream alive?