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Offense Up, Defense Down Oct. 16, 2008 by Ben Couch - NJNETS.COM |
East Rutherford , NJ — For a second straight game, the New Jersey Nets stormed out to a large lead, opening Thursday's matchup with the Boston Celtics by sprinting ahead 17-3. Yet for a second straight game, they handed the lead back before the end of the half. This time unable to recover, the Nets were edged as Tony Allen (32 points) and Eddie House (21) led Boston to a 111-108 victory, despite the absence of "Big Three" players Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
"We really had a hard time with their random pick-and-rolls," said Coach Lawrence Frank. "Our talk has to get better, our trust has to get better and our schemes have to get better. That's all part of the process, because we were fragmented at times offensively, and we put up 108 (points)."
The Nets were led in defeat by Vince Carter's 19 points (6-10 FGs, 7-7 FTs). Josh Boone and
Yi Jianlian had another solid offensive outing, scoring 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, but picked up six fouls in 20 minutes (four in the game's first seven) and didn't grab a rebound. Lopez had an impressive five-minute stretch in the third quarter (six points, four rebounds, two steals), but also struggled with fouls, racking up four in five second-quarter minutes.
"I think this is the growing pains," Carter said. "It's tough to learn. It's a different game than it is in practice, so to transfer it into the games is a learning process. They've got a chance to get a feel for how the game is called, and what they can and can't get away with."
One player who has a handle on that distinction is ninth-year veteran Keyon Dooling. Seeing his first game action of the preseason after sitting out more than a week with a sprained ankle, the combo guard was healthy enough to drop 14 points on the Celtics.
Dooling used an array of slashing drives to attack the basket, earning nine trips to the free-throw line, where he made seven shots. And he hit three of his four field-goal attempts, nailing a buzzer-beating runner at the end of the first quarter and a three-pointer that dropped through the net as the shot clock expired during the Nets' first possesion of the second.
He was often paired in the backcourt with
"(My performance) was so-so," Douglas-Roberts said. "I got an opportunity to play a lot today, but I didn't really think that I played great. It had its times here and there."
That assessment applies to a series of endgame possessions. The Nets trailed nearly all of the second half, but Douglas-Roberts corralled an offensive rebound with 20 seconds left and nailed a three-pointer to draw the Nets within two at 110-108. On the ensuing possession, House lost the ball out of bounds, giving the Nets a chance to tie.
Following the inbounds, Douglas-Roberts drained a few seconds off the clock, made his move and was ...stripped clean by House. J.R. Giddens grabbed the loose ball, was fouled and sank one of two free throws to provide the final margin.
But the Nets wouldn't have been in position to tie without battling throughout.
"We've got some fight in us," Carter said. "Right now, it's just trying to sustain it for 48 minutes. Through all the mistakes we made, we were able to find a way to get back in the game and give ourselves a chance to win. We'll keep fighting, keep getting better and learn from it."
