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Game 37 Preview: Blazers vs. Nets

A Look at the Nets

New Jersey sits at 18-18 on the season, coming off of a loss to Boston Friday night.  They led much of that game and simply got squashed when the Celtics put the pedal down in the fourth quarter.  I'm hoping they're not angry.  They're veterans, right? Veterans take losses in stride.  Yeah.  In stride.

The Nets are one of those teams that's equally capable of scoring 100 or 70.  It just depends on the night.  They're not a good shooting team in any aspect.  They're not great defenders either.  Despite the presence of perennial assist-junkie Jason Kidd they play an enormous amount of one-on-one basketball with Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.  They're a very good defensive rebounding team.  They don't block shots or force turnovers.  In short they're the Toyota Camry of the basketball world:  reliable, comfortable, a few nice features...not going to set the world on fire.

There are two big no-no's while facing the Nets.  One is letting one of their two huge scorers have a career night.  Carter and Jefferson are both capable of humiliating you like a wedding reception on YouTube.  Both are athletic, experienced, and dangerous from anywhere.  The second is getting into the kind of grind-it-out, one-on-one game they play so well.  They will beat you if you walk it up, toss it to somebody, and watch.  They will rebound it and do the same thing right back to you, but their guys are better at it.  You must move the ball and make them follow.  At that point they won't be able (or willing) to keep up defensively and the game should be in your hands.

What I'd Like to See

  1.  We're going to be tired, so we need to be on top of this game from the outset.  A quick start is mandatory.
  2.  Outside of the Big Three of Kidd, Jefferson, and Carter this team is a Who's Who of Guys You've Never Heard Of.  (OK, that's too harsh, but still.)  Other than dunks, encourage EVERYONE outside of the volume guys to shoot quickly and often.
  3.  Move and hit your jumpers.  Our cutting, passing, drive-and-dish offense is made for this team.  They can't guard the outside very well.  James Jones and Martell Webster better be back on tonight.  It'll help if Channing stays hot as well.  Those guys may well make the difference.
  4.  The Nets are 5-10 when the opponent scores 100.  Scoring 100 would be a good idea for us, don't you think?
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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Important game
Lose this game and we're looking at a likely three game losing streak with the next game at Boston. Then we'd have to win four in a row to finish 4-3 on the road trip.

by jayseyfield on Jan 13, 2008 11:32 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

dont leave bostjan nachbar open
anyone remember last time?
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely

by SandbergOnSports on Jan 13, 2008 11:54 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

I'll take it
I hope the guy gets 20 shots tonight, open or not.  Better him than their normal guys.  

--Dave

by Dave on Jan 13, 2008 11:57 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

Sean Williams
Warning to JJack. If you are having problems getting your shots over Chris Bosh's arms, get ready for a much harder player to shoot over in Sean Williams. I bet you that dude was smoking a j while watching your performance against the raptors and your shooting was giving him the munchies for your shot.

BTW Sean Williams likes drugs.

by jonestr on Jan 14, 2008 12:52 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

A wedding reception on YouTube?
Haha!  Seriously dude, do you have a bucket full of analogies next to you when you write this stuff or do you come up with them on the spot?

by coolguyrob on Jan 14, 2008 1:50 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Pretty big game
Toronto was one of the games that the Blazers had to have circled as winnable.  Tonight's is another.  Going 0-2 in those games would be bad, and might start one of those confidence free-falls that we dread.  If we're talking about a playoff spot, tonight is a good place to start.

by leeroyjenkins on Jan 14, 2008 9:14 AM PST reply actions   0 recs

Oh, and make Carter work hard
He doesn't like to work hard.  That means don't give him easy transition dunks and junk like that.  Do that and you'll take him right out of the game because he's lazy.

by leeroyjenkins on Jan 14, 2008 9:17 AM PST up reply actions   0 recs

there, feel better?
we played like we had been in a walk through practice yesterday and not in a tense, more than 3 hour, double overtime game.  and i believe that williams had only 2 blocks.  perhaps he got ahold of some jersey around town brown. it was a spanking and they are booing the home team as i type.
i love being on the east coast.  i get to catch all the blazer games and never a black out on league pass.  
go blazers!  what a year.

cheers,
jay

by jaydub on Jan 14, 2008 6:51 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

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