The announced gathering of 10,035 hearty souls at the Prudential Center Sunday night could have stayed home to watch the Giants in the NFC Championship or a “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” marathon. But instead they ventured to Newark to watch the Nets play the Bobcats in a battle of two teams that entered with seven combined victories – or eight less than the Bulls.
And the Nets made sure they didn’t go home disappointed.
With near triple-double performer Deron Williams leading the way early and rookie MarShon Brooks picking up the scoring late, the Nets won the middle segment of their first grueling back-to-back-to-back scenario by stomping Charlotte, 97-87. The Nets, winning for only the second time at home, are now 5-12 overall.
Williams finished with 19 points,10 assists and nine rebounds with 17 of his points before halftime when the Nets led 58-42. Brooks finished with 20 points, 14 after halftime, including eight straight Nets points in a fourth quarter surge when the lead swelled to 19. The Nets also got double-figures from Anthony Morrow (18 points) and Jordan Farmar (13). The Bobcats (3-14), who lose starting point D.J. Augustin to an inflamed toe in the first half, were led by rookie Kemba Walker with 16 points and Gerald Henderson with 15. The Nets finish their three games in three nights stretch Monday night in Chicago against the Bulls, who own the NBA’s best record.
After Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, both Deron Williams and Morrow listed shooting at the Prudential Center below eating tinfoil sandwiches on their list of favorite things. Neither seemed to be experiencing any difficulty Sunday, especially Williams who was 7-of-11 in the first half. Both teams shot very well before intermission. Coach Avery Johnson didn’t put much stock in the gripes.
“Nobody likes it when you shoot (31) percent from the field (as the Nets did Saturday), whether we’re at home or on the road,” Johnson said. “Guys have played basketball, outside, you’ve played in the dark, you’ve played in matchbox gyms. For me, I didn’t care where I played because the basket is 10-foot. And we’ve got to find a way to put the ball in the basket and take our time.
“So whatever the perception or the depth or whatever that is, hopefully we can have the right type of depth perception where the ball goes in the basket.”
And even when it didn’t Sunday night, the game stayed in the Nets’ favor. They survived a raggedy 7-of-22 (.318) third quarter and still took a 75-61 lead into the fourth. The Nets received a terrific boost from their bench in the third quarter as Farmar, Morrow and Shelden Williams provided energy – and 11 points.
The depth perception issues aside, the Nets faced another matter, but in a positive fashion. They rolled out the same starting lineup for a fourth straight game. When Deron Williams, Brooks, DeShawn Stevenson, Kris Humphries and Mehmet Okur started Saturday, it represented the first time this season the Nets had the same unit start three straight games.
“Like any sport, basketball is a game of timing and chemistry and continuity, reads,” Johnson said. “And when you’ve got different guys on the floor, different lineups, a guy makes a pass and says, ‘Well, I thought you were going to be here…’ because the other guy, that’s where he was.”
So given the convergence of a remarkable group of injuries, late signings, trade acquisitions and whatever else has befallen the Nets, the search for chemistry and continuity has been near impossible.
“It’s going to be tough,” said Stevenson, who signed several days before the season began. “The first game we played in Washington, Coach Avery said the only starter guaranteed a spot is D-Will. We have a team where some lineups work and some don’t and he’s going to switch lineups and we’ve got to be ready for that. We don’t have it going that well where we have the opportunity to have the same starting group every game. So everybody has to be ready.”