Boone's 20 Boards Not Enough Against Hawks
March 16, 2010
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Tuesday at the IZOD Center, the Nets lost to the Hawks, 108-94, despite 13 points and a career-high 20 rebounds from forward Josh Boone. The Hawks used a 19-5 second-quarter run to break open the game, and were led by Jamal Crawford's game-high 25 points. Brook Lopez led the Nets with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while rookie Terrence Williams added 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
For the full recap, read Bob Considine's story on NBA.com: Click Here
Boone's 20 Boards Not Enough
With 3 ˝ minutes remaining in Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Nets forward Josh Boone clamped two hands around a ricocheted runner aimed errantly by Hawks guard Jeff Teague. The rebound was Boone’s 20th of the game, capping a career-best performance by the fourth-year big man.
Boone’s final line read 13 points (5-7 FGs), 20 rebounds and a block. But it was a showing in which he found little solace, considering the 108-84 final score – in favor of Atlanta – meant the Nets had dropped five in a row and 60 on the season.
“It is what it is,” Boone said. “Like I’ve said the whole time, I just try and do what I can to help the team. I know I’m not much of a scorer; I don’t get the ball a whole lot in positions to score, so I just try and do other things on the floor. Tonight was one of those nights where my guy was hanging around the three-point line so I got a free run at the rim.”
But that self-effacing statement underplays Boone’s activity on Tuesday. During one first-quarter sequence, Boone hit a pair of free throws, blocked Josh Smith’s layup attempt and threw down an alley-oop dunk in transition – a span of just 27 seconds. Boone has now grabbed at least six rebounds in four of the five games he’s started in place of Yi Jianlian, who’s out with a high ankle sprain.
Brook Lopez, starting alongside Boone at center, said that it’s felt like the forward has been everywhere on both ends of the court, joking that his teammate tip dunked on him during the recent West Coast trip. Though it came during a blowout loss, a 20-rebound game cannot be overlooked, and the coaching staff noticed.
“You try to use it as an example for other players,” said Nets coach and GM Kiki Vandeweghe. “You can contribute in lots of different ways. That’s what we have to realize. If your shot’s not going for you, there are lots of other categories you can contribute to your team in. I thought Josh played very well tonight.”
T-Will Continues to Contribute Across the Board
Midway through the third quarter, Terrence Williams skied for a defensive rebound, grabbed it one-handed and seemed to float back to the hardwood, the easy otherworldliness of his athleticism evident as he turned upcourt. Racing toward the basket in transition, the Nets’ rookie put a behind-the-back dribble on Josh Smith, dropping in a short right-handed floater from the left side of the lane.
One possession later, Williams ran a pair of pick-and-rolls with Brook Lopez, the latter resulting in a pair of free throws for the big man; Williams’ sharp entry pass forced the defenders to foul or allow a layup. Versatility has been Williams calling card throughout a recent stretch of inspired play, and Tuesday’s final line (15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) was yet another to back up the preseason assertion of point forward potential.
Though Williams didn’t shoot well against Atlanta, making only 5-of-16 attempts, he continually created opportunities for himself and others. Several times Williams drew defenders before kicking out to open teammates or sending one-handed skip passes into the corners. But the Nets shot only .385 – a number buoyed by Brook Lopez’s 8-for-15 performance – and converted but four of 14 three-pointers (.286).
In the Nets’ last nine games, Williams has averaged 13.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting .490 from the field and unquestionably playing his best ball of the season. Yet it frustrates Williams that the team has gone 1-8 during that stretch.
“At the end of the day, you want your team to do better,” Williams said. “But you have to get better individually. It’s a business – you can be here today and tomorrow you won’t be. You want your team to do well, but you’ve got to do well as an individual and get better as a team. It’s like Josh Boone – he played his heart out tonight and he had 20 rebounds. He got almost every rebound; he wouldn’t let me get any. At the end of the day, he wants us to win, but at the end of the day he’s better himself.”
Dooling Does Devin Duty
With Devin Harris missing Tuesday’s game due to an upper respiratory infection, Keyon Dooling said pregame that he’d been on ice, and was prepared to play as many minutes as necessary. But the Nets turned out to need only 25 from their backup point guard – Atlanta used a 19-5 second quarter run to blow out the Nets; Dooling played only nine minutes after halftime.
The ninth-year veteran finished with eight points, a team-high six assists and a steal against only two turnovers. Dooling made both threes he attempted, accounting for half the team total. He was the only Net to sink more than one.
