Before tonight’s game with the Knicks, the Nets had a record of 11-3 against them when Vince Carter was in the lineup. Carter also averaged 25.7 points in those 14 games. Not too shabby, eh?
However, it wasn’t Carter who started tonight’s game on fire, scoring 14 points in 8:46 in the first quarter against the Knicks; it was Devin Harris.
Obviously taking a hint from the Knicks up-tempo game, the Nets were running around like maniacs early on, hitting three pointers left and right. Seven for 13 through the first 14 minutes of the game from beyond the arc, it’s fair to say that the Nets were teaching the Knicks how to play their own style.
It was a bit concerning at first, since the Nets were so out of their element, waiting until almost the nine minute mark to get to the free throw line for the first time and giving up way more points off the fast break than they usually do, but early on, they were holding their own, making you think they could survive the night running around like crazed children at recess.
Leading by 15 points at one time in the first half, the Nets went into the half up by six and still looked as if they were in control despite the Knicks ability to never get themselves completely out of the game.
Things started to fall apart a bit in the third, when the Knicks got their first lead of the night and started hitting their three-pointers. Luckily for the Nets, Bobby Simmons and Jarvis Hayes hit key shots to keep them ahead. Tim Thomas had other things on his mind though, hitting a crucial three that put the Knicks ahead by four with four minutes left.
After that the Knicks never looked back.
If you’re a Nets fan, this was a damn ugly one to watch.
Wow, what a car crash. The Nets just completely ran astray while the Knicks and Al Harrington started shooting their tails off. It was like watching a snowball roll down a mountain, slowly picking up steam and getting to the point where it was so big that nothing could stop it. It was extremely Nostradamian of Nets Head Coach Laurence Frank before the game as well, when he said that the Knicks never find themselves completely in a game, but at the same time, are never completely out of it.
Did the Nets find that out tonight or what?