Nets Can't Contain Bosh
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March 20, 2010
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Saturday at the IZOD Center, the Nets lost to the Raptors, 100-90, after Chris Bosh led a game-turning 24-10 run during the third quarter. The Nets, up by seven when the run began, never led again. Brook Lopez finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists, while Devin Harris added team-high totals of 22 points and 7 assists.
For the full recap, read Bob Considine's story on NBA.com: Click Here
Nets Can't Contain Bosh
There was a second-quarter stretch on Saturday when it seemed the Nets had Chris Bosh under control. Josh Boone stifled the Raptors’ forward on back-to-back possessions, first forcing an airball and then contesting a jumper that missed off the side of the rim. Two plays later, Brook Lopez swatted Bosh’s layup attempt.
In total, 5 minutes, 44 seconds elapsed between Bosh’s reentry early in the second period and the banked jumper he hit to put the Raptors up by one 56 seconds before halftime. The Raptors’ forward missed only five of his next 16 shots, including a 7-of-10, 15-point third-quarter performance. The Nets, up 51-48 at the half, finished the penultimate period down by 10 and never recovered, losing 100-90 at the IZOD Center.
“It was tough,” Lopez said. “It took him a while to get going but when he did it changed the pace of the game. Devin (Harris) gave good help, Keyon (Dooling) gave good help, (but) he was just going.”
Bosh said he was motivated by teammates Jarrett Jack, Marcus Banks and Antoine Wright, who were telling Bosh he should just play basketball and fire away. The seventh-year forward explained that the trio expected 30 points; he finished with 36 (16-27 FGs) and eight rebounds.
The Nets tried to defend Bosh by either denying the ball, staying with his first move, or double-teaming on the catch to force a pass. Boone admitted that if Bosh gets that first step, he’s among the best in the league at finishing the play. And even when Bosh struggles, he remains capable of reeling off a stretch that reveals the reasons he’s one of the top three potential free agents this offseason.
The game pivoted midway through the third quarter, when Toronto went on a 24-10 run that flipped a seven-point deficit into a seven-point advantage. Bosh scored 11 of the first 18 points, and dished an assist to push his contribution up by two more. When a player that skilled ignites, the defense does not have easy access to extinguishers.
“You’ve just got to do your best to contest the shot, take away his first move and then just hope he misses it, definitely,” Boone said.
The Almost-Amazing Alley-Oop
The Nets last real chance came with 4 ˝ minutes to play, when a long rebound allowed Devin Harris and Brook Lopez to fly out in transition. With the Nets trailing by seven, Harris lofted a long alley-oop pass.
Lopez, rising high with his arm at full extension, palmed the ball and slammed it down forcefully. But momentum moved him off any intended spot, and it clanked. Raptors guard Jarrett Jack grabbed the rebound and Sonny Weems banked in a transition layup to push the lead back to nine.
“I should’ve took one more dribble -- sometimes (those passes) work, sometimes they don’t,” Harris said. “That was a big momentum play. We missed a two and they came down and hit at that point. That’s just the nature of the game.”
Lopez seemed similarly rueful regarding the missed opportunity:
“That was real deflating,” he said. “I probably should have come down and just finished it strong. It would have been nice to finish it.”
Lopez Feeling Friendly
While Brook Lopez finished with a typically solid 18 points and 13 rebounds, his most interesting stat might have been four first-quarter assists. Though he only finished with five, it was the most he’d had in seven games, last posting more than three when he totaled six against the Grizzlies on March 8.
During the first quarter, the Nets were able to run their offense through Lopez, who scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. And even when the Raptors pushed his catch away from the basket or denied a touch, Lopez was able to either draw enough attention to open lanes or drop a dribble-handoff that created a baseline drive.
“I was just trying to facilitate for my team, hit cutters and give them good looks,” Lopez said. “I’ve been trying to do that the whole season, there were just a lot of opportunities for those tonight.”
