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Smith Starts Strong, but Carter Catches Hawks Jan. 2, 2008 by Ben Couch - NJNETS.COM |
East Rutherford, N.J. — "I think on the interior," he said.
"Just being able to make it hard for those guys to get in there and get easy layups and easy putbacks."
Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith said it flatly. No doubt, no overconfidence, no question he was correct. After watching the New Jersey Nets win a back-to-back against his team while he nursed a high ankle sprain in November, Smith knew exactly where he would have an impact in their third matchup -- for a half.
The fifth-year big's inside presence frustrated the Nets throughout the first half of New Jersey's 93-91 overtime win at the IZOD Center on Friday, as the Nets tied a season-low with 29 points while shooting only .316 from the field and .143 from three. Roaming in Atlanta's zone, Smith made two steals, altered several shots and caused three Nets offensive fouls, the last of which coach Lawrence Frank argued so vehemently he was ejected midway through the second quarter. In the two previous games against Atlanta, New Jersey had scored 27 and 29 points in the respective first quarters.
"There was good reason for me to get thrown out," Frank said. "You're just trying to find a spark and change the rhythm of the game. You try to get your money's worth. We got a win, that's all I care about. I'll do it every single game if it gets us wins. Everyone will be fired up. Everyone will be excited -- Get L-Frank off the court!"
New Jersey trailed by 20 at halftime, 49-29, with guards Vince Carter and Devin Harris combining for only 10 points, nine by Harris. But the Nets chopped 12 points off the deficit with a 32-point third quarter, rocketing out of the locker room with a 19-4 run that was all the more surprising considering the team's usual post-halftime malaise.
The Nets offense began to click as first Yi Jianlian and then Ryan Anderson helped spread the floor, pulling Smith (20 points, six rebounds, three steals) out to the three-point line and preventing him from clogging the middle. Neither shot particularly well -- Yi was 4-of-13 on the night; Anderson, 1-for-3 -- but each is a capable enough shooter that they can't be left alone.
With Smith often idling weak side, caught between overcompensating to help or risking the open trey, Harris (26 points, 11 assists) exploded Atlanta's defensive scheme. The Nets' point guard began to discover driving lanes, scoring nine points on 3-of-6 shooting and racking up seven assists after dropping only a single dime in the first half.
"The more space I have, the more effective I can be," Harris said. "We weren't getting great rolls from the bigs in the first half, but they found the open spots. Brook (Lopez) opened it a little early and we started making open shots, which opened it more for us."
The fourth quarter played out in similar fashion, with Jarvis Hayes filling the Yi/Anderson role. Hayes, 0-for-3 and scoreless entering the final period, played all 12 minutes and nailed two of four threes. His defense helped stiff Joe Johnson, notably on the Hawks' final possession of regulation, when Hayes limited the Atlanta superstar to a 17-foot turnaround fallaway that airballed with 4.4 seconds remaining.
Brook Lopez grabbed the rebound for the Nets, who called timeout to set up a play in the final 3.6 seconds. But Marvin Williams stuck to Carter (18 points, four rebounds, four assists), forcing a 21-foot fallaway that bounced off the right rim as time expired.
The teams traded buckets in the overtime period before Mike Bibby missed the first of three free throws with 20.8 seconds remaining. He sank the last two, cutting the lead to 90-89 and nearly made a hero of Smith, who dropped in a go-ahead layup with 11.0 seconds left after a Mo Evans steal.
Atlanta used their foul to give with 5.3 seconds on the clock, and the ensuing inbounds pass was tipped, rolling into the backcourt. Carter gave chase, but Smith hung back, hunched in his defensive stance a step in front of the three-point line. Carter collected the loose ball, closed the gap toward Smith and smoothly pulled up for a 33-foot trey that swished through the net as the buzzer sounded, making winners of the Nets in a moment Carter placed among his sweetest.
"It's up there," Carter said. "For a lot of reasons, we needed a win at home. We didn't play well in the first half, Coach Frank was ejected and it was one of the few times I tried too darn hard to be aggressive, but didn't get the job done. I'm just glad I was able to deliver in the second half and stay poised and stay confident."
"For them to finish the game, Vince had to hit an a great shot at the end, but it never should have got to that point," said Hawks coach Mike Woodson. "We had a total meltdown."
NOTES: Actor Bruce Willis led a "Let's Go Nets!" chant during an overtime timeout ... Brook Lopez (11 boards) and Yi Jianlian (nine) led the team in rebounding ... Keyon Dooling played 34 minutes in his first game back from a hip pointer, tallying seven points, four rebounds and three assists ... The Nets improved to 6-12 at home, and resume play tomorrow night with a 7:30 p.m. ET road game against the Miami Heat.
