Here are my three thoughts on the Nets’ 108-87 victory over the Heat in Miami Friday night:
1. Even without Kevin Garnett playing, Friday night’s game showed off what the potential of the Nets’ offense can be. With all of the weapons the Nets have at their disposal, and particularly in the their starting lineup, the Nets should spend most of the season being able to move the ball around the court until someone has a wide open shot, as they did throughout much of Friday’s game.
That doesn’t mean they are going to go 17-for-27 from 3-point range on a regular basis, like they did against the Heat. But it does mean that they should at least be able to get a lot of open looks and easy baskets, a combination that should push them from their ninth place finish a year ago in offensive efficiency to somewhere closer to, if not inside, the top five in the league.
2. As I wrote in my main story for Saturday’s paper, the Nets couldn’t have scripted Friday’s return to the floor for Deron Williams any better than the way it turned out.
Williams was terrific Friday night, finishing with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting – including 3-for-4 from 3-point range – to go along with two assists and a steal. He even immediately showed off the kind of shooting stroke he can produce from the outside by knocking down his first three 3-point attempts of the game.
Assuming there are no setbacks over the next few days, Williams’ path is clear to be in the starting lineup Wednesday in Cleveland, and the last few weeks of fretting about his ankle will have been for nothing.
3. Thankfully the preseason is finally over, and meaningless basketball to go along with it. For the Nets, they made it through it without racking up any significant injuries, got Williams healthy and on the floor and, assuming Andrei Kirilenko’s back spasms have cleared up by the time the Nets return to practice Sunday, should arrive at Wednesday’s season opener in Cleveland with their top 12 players healthy and ready to go for the regular season.
If you’d told the Nets that a month ago, regardless of what else happened, they would have signed up for that in a heartbeat. Now it’s time to buckle up for what should be a fascinating season, both for the Nets and around the NBA.