A case of overconfidence?
Whatever you may think of the New Jersey Nets, one thing seems clear to me: they couldn’t possibly be as bad as their record suggests, and given the startling level of sloppiness exhibited by the Thunder in the waning moments, I have to figure that if the game had run an extra 30 seconds, the Nets would have pulled out the win. As it is, they whittled a double-digit Oklahoma City lead down to two points, 104-102.
Something else you may not have considered: the Nets have depth. (And they’re effective in the middle: 48 points in the paint, versus 46 for the Thunder.) Four Jersey reserves came up with 53 points; Jarvis Hayes (16 points) hit two of his four treys in rapid succession during the Nets’ final push. Devin Harris, according to the box score, set the curve — 19 points, eight assists — but if you ask me, it was the Nets’ bench that kept them in it.
The Thunder led in a couple of statistical categories — shooting, 52 to 46; rebounds 47 to 36 — but ghastly lapses in the fourth quarter nearly undid the Weather Phenomenon, despite 32 from Kevin Durant (and 12 rebounds) and a season-high 27 from Jeff Green. With James Harden sidelined for a few weeks, Kyle Weaver, retrieved from Tulsa, got some minutes; he didn’t accomplish a whole lot, but at least he’s playing again.
And as the pundits will tell you, a W is a W, no matter how it looks. But the Jazz will be here Sunday, and they’re even less forgiving than the Nets.
Kay Dennison »
13 March 2010 · 2:25 am
I am glad for your Thunder! And you’re right — you take your Ws as they come no matter how ugly or messy. ‘Sides, I’m a sucker for underdogs — I live in Ohio and am an Indians and Browns fan (and was pre-LeBron Cavs fan) so I know the pain. It was an awesome day for basketball in Ohio. King James is back and our Cavs beat the 76ers 100-95. AND my beloved Buckeyes in an amazing game against that “team from up north” (U. of M) 69-68 with a 3-point buzzer beater by Evan Turner!
Talk about a Triple Crown: The Cavs won, My Buckeyes won, AND my brother came home from Iraq! After the week I’ve had, I needed that!