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Hayes Happy, But Nets Knuckle Under March 30, 2009 by Ben Couch - NJNETS.COM |
East Rutherford, N.J. — Jarvis Hayes had a good day.
Shortly after landing in Minnesota around 5:30 p.m. for Sunday's game against the Timberwolves, Hayes received word that his expectant wife's water broke. The next flight to Atlanta left at 7:20 p.m., with none to follow until nine the next morning. Bolting the hotel for the airport via taxi, Hayes breezed through security and buckled into his seat by 7:10.
"(The driver) was going pretty fast, but all the stars were aligned," Hayes said. "When I got to the airport, there was nobody in the line, there was nobody in the security line. It took me three minutes to step out of the cab to be sitting in my seat on the plane."
Hayes traveled without incident, reaching the hospital in time to witness the birth of a healthy baby boy, Jarvis James Hayes II. ("Junior" would have been "too many J's.") But Hayes had a job to do, and after his wife okayed it, he caught a flight back to New Jersey, in time to play in Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the IZOD Center.
After participating, Hayes probably wishes he hadn't rushed back. The Bucks beat the Nets, 107-78, breaking the game open with an 18-0 run that closed out the first quarter. The lead grew to 23 at the half and 31 by the end of three, when the Nets were playing a second-string special: Keyon Dooling, Maurice Ager, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Hayes and Josh Boone.
On a night Vince Carter and Devin Harris combined to shoot 6-for-22 and score only 19 points, Douglas-Roberts led the team with 14 points in 25 minutes, yet another effective outing for a rookie enmeshed in a late-season surge. But it was the Nets' fifth straight loss and second straight drubbing after a string of competitive games against some of the league's top teams.
"These last two have been uncharacteristic for us: not giving the type of effort we need to give, letting teams outplay us, just being careless with the ball," Harris said. "It's unacceptable. We've got the day off to clear our minds and come back ready to play on Wednesday."
The challenge then will be a Detroit Pistons team that has won two straight after dropping seven of nine and falling to the eighth seed in the East. Injuries have depleted the Pistons, but the roster is approaching full strength, with Allen Iverson on the bench and the starting five lacking only Rasheed Wallace (left calf strain).
Detroit beat fellow playoff contender Philadelphia 101-97 on Sunday, behind 21 points from Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum's 12-point, five-rebound, four-assist bench performance. After allowing 83 points in the first three quarters, the Pistons' defense tightened up and allowed only 14 points as they closed out the victory.
If that defensive effort carries over, the Nets must play more efficiently on offense. By halftime, they had turned the ball over nine times (Milwaukee: twice) and connected only 11 of 33 field-goal attempts. Carter (3-of-10 at the time) was the only Net with more than two baskets.
"The thing that's a shame is we played hard for the greater part of the season, regardless of whether we won or lost, and that's why these last two efforts aren't reflective of the group's character," said Nets coach Lawrence Frank. "It's disheartening to watch, but we'll make amends and get better."
That process begins Tuesday, with 15 players taking time away from the basketball court. Hayes' locker, normally occupied until any lingering question could be answered, stood empty -- he had a plane to catch back to Atlanta, back to his baby.
But it's back to basketball after that.
NOTE: Bobby Simmons visited an acupuncturist for his upper back contusion, and said Wednesday's a possibility, though he remains day-to-day.
