BOSTON — Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the Nets getting their butts kicked with a Celtic sneer
Without the Hump and minus D-will
They came in with chances amounting to nil.
And of course, they lost.
The Nets, behind rookie MarShon Brooks in his first NBA start, led at halftime Wednesday night. But Brooks aggravated a tweaked ankle and once Boston revved up its attention on him, the Nets could in no way overcome the absence of Deron Williams and Kris Humphries — and remember, Brook Lopez has yet to play plus the Nets lost another starter, Damion James, in the second quarter.
After hanging with the Celtics for 29 minutes, the Nets were blown away amid their own offensive futility and suffered a sixth straight defeat, 89-70, at TD Garden.
“They really turned up the pressure, clamped us down and smothered us,” said coach Avery Johnson, whose Nets shot 40 percent from the field, only shot 10 free throws and threatened their all-time low regular season total of 62 points.
“I think I’ll be fine,” said Brooks, who exited in the fourth quarter with a twisted left ankle he originally hurt in the first half after scoring 17 points but just two after halftime, when he faced more trapping, tougher defense and the likes of Paul Pierce, who scored 24 himself.
Brandon Bass (15 points, 13 rebounds off the bench) and Kevin Garnett (14 points, 12 rebounds) had double doubles for Boston.
Though the Celtics were without Ray Allen (flu), the Nets have faced one obstacle after another. Their schedule is a joke — 10 of their first 14 games are on the road. Today in Toronto they will have their first practice since the season started. Guys have been injured, sick. Others were acquired late. But Williams (sore right side) sees a promising future.
“I never started a season like this, so it’s very, very unusual for me, very frustrating, very tough, but at the same time, it’s all unusual circumstances,” Williams said, again lending support to general manager Billy King. “We have a new team, pretty much. Still have a lot to add. I just try to look at the bigger picture, as much as possible, but still stay focused on trying to get some wins.
“I’m very confident. Very confident in what Billy’s doing, and that’s why I’m trying to be — I am being — patient. I understand. Like I said, there’s a bigger picture.”
The picture looked grim yesterday. No Williams. No Humphries (sprained left shoulder). No Lopez (fractured foot). Then in the third quarter, James injured his right ankle. So Johnson mixed and matched. After leading 35-34 at halftime, the ceiling, chandelier and hanging family portraits came down on the Nets’ noggins in the third quarter.
After Sundiata Gaines (eight points) drove for the Nets to get them within 45-44 at 7:11, the Celtics scored the next 10 points and then eight of the next 11. After Gaines’ score, the Nets managed three points. Entering the fourth quarter, the Nets trailed 63-47.
Whereas the Nets once ran the Princeton offense, last night they ran the Providence offense. When the Nets led 35-34 at halftime, it was largely through the efforts of Brooks, who had 15 points. The rookie was scoring with Johnson’s blessing because, face it, there weren’t too many options.
* Williams is day-to-day after awakening yesterday and feeling worse than the day before. He took an unintentional Tyler Hansbrough elbow Monday and said the problem is “the muscle, obliques … more the muscle than the ribs.”
Humphries had a cortisone shot, but it wasn’t enough to get him in last night, so he hopes to play in Toronto tomorrow after missing his second straight game.
“It’s getting a little better,” he said optimistically. “The MRI [exam] showed a bunch of fluid build-up in my shoulder. It’s kind of like a football injury. … I think I’ll play Friday.”