LOS ANGELES – Jason Kidd kept a straight face. For a while, anyway. He was talking about Vince Carter coming off the bench.
“He was ‘The Microwave’ coming off the bench for us,” Kidd said after Carter’s two bench appearances came in two Nets wins. “He’s a guy who makes the game so easy. He finds open guys, so it’s just a matter of knocking down shots. He’s got a nice little role now, coming off the bench.”
Vinnie Carter, The Microwave? Hey, it worked for Vinnie Johnson.
“That was the first thing he says, I took the three and it went in, and he said, ‘Microwave.’ I busted out laughing,” Carter said about nailing a 3-pointer 11 seconds after entering in Friday night’s 98-93 win in Seattle. “I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but I just wanted to come out and be effective.”
Carter, who rolled his left ankle and also suffered a bruised thumb, said he asked to come off the bench for a second straight game. He said he approached coach Lawrence Frank, saying he wanted to play the rest of the trip, including tonight against the Lakers, off the bench.
“I went to him first. I beat him to the punch,” Carter said.
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Jamaal Magloire and Nenad Krstic did not play in Seattle. “I’m good. I understand,” Magloire said, regarding the benching.
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Bostjan Nachbar on the Nets getting back to normal, mainly through the play of the Big Three: “With Vince being back, Jay (Kidd) and RJ (Richard Jefferson) are playing better. And as a team we’re in a rhythm, in shape if I can call it that. I’m seeing improvements the last couple of games as a team.”