CLEVELAND — The Nets still look great on paper.
In person? Let’s call it a work in progress.
“It didn’t go as planned,” Deron Williams said after the Nets lost 98-94 to the Cavaliers in front of a sellout crowd of 20,562 inside Quicken Loans Arena.
The Nets, who enter the season with sky-high expectations after their dramatic — and expensive — makeover of their roster this summer, looked like world-beaters in jumping to a quick 12-2 lead. But the Nets never seemed to quite find the right equilibrium at any point after that, often looking like a disjointed outfit that still is trying to figure out how all of the new pieces fit together.
“Who knows?” Pierce said when asked how long it could take for things to mesh together. “Things can happen overnight, things can happen down the road. But I seen a lot of great things out there tonight that we can keep building on and we can move forward.”
In addition to never seeming to rediscover that rhythm over a long period, when the Nets had their full star-studded starting five on the floor together for the first time this season, the Nets also failed to close out a lot of possessions.
The Cavaliers outrebounded the Nets 42-37 overall, including grabbing 16 offensive boards, with none more costly than when the Nets allowed Earl Clark to grab the rebound after Kyrie Irving’s long pull-up 3-pointer from the right wing was off, allowing Irving to reset the offense and eventually set up Anderson Varejao for an open 14-footer from the foul line that put Cleveland ahead for good.
“I wouldn’t say effort,” said Kevin Garnett, who finished with eight points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes, of the Nets’ inability to limit the Cavaliers on the offensive glass. “It’s not a perfect game, but through those times you’re imperfect, they filled those gaps and won those loose balls, those 50-50 balls, those little small things that win games.
“But like I said and like I keep on saying, these are learning lessons.”
Trailing by two, the Nets had their first big decision of the season: Who would get the last shot? The play was drawn up for Joe Johnson to be the first option, but after his initial post-up attempt was thwarted, he swung the ball around to Pierce.
The veteran small forward then went to his trademark move — a step-back jumper from about 18 feet away. But unlike the countless times it fell during his longtime Celtic tenure, it bounced off the rim and into Irving’s hands, who calmly sunk two free throws to put the game out of reach.
“There were multiple options on [that play],” said acting head coach Joe Prunty, who was filling in for Jason Kidd as he served the first of his two-game suspension for pleading guilty to driving while ability impaired. “There were certain things that took place, but we were fine with that look.”
Brook Lopez led the Nets with 21 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots, while Pierce added 17 points and Jason Terry — who hit a pair of 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth to cap a 12-3 run and tie the game at 82 — finished with 13.
Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving was saddled with early foul trouble but still finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, while Tristan Thompson led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Nets also were forced to play the final quarter without Deron Williams, after the star point guard hit his minutes limit midway through the third quarter, and was forced to be a spectator as his team faltered down the stretch.
“I can’t control that,” said Williams, who finished with seven points and nine assists in 22 minutes. “I was just trying to cheer my team on and hope for a win.”