WASHINGTON – Entering a campaign where the most kindly prediction has been that they should, in all likelihood, finish the season, the Nets have not been deterred by the gloomy forecasts.
“Everybody who steps on the floor is going to have to give us something. Energy, effort,” said Vince Carter. “Leave your mark.”
So the Nets sent 10 guys stepping on the floor and they worked. Worked hard. They gave effort. They played with energy. And they left a mark – actually, marks on both offense and defense – all over the Wizards. So the Nets claimed a 95-85 victory in their NBA season-opener.
Yes, 10 guys played, 10 guys contributed – from the veteran Carter (21 points), who was elected captain pre-game, to Jarvis Hayes (14 points), who spent much of the pre-season in the infirmary.
And the Nets made a magnificent defensive stand that began with 6:02 left – when they led by two – and didn’t yield a field goal until a so-what bucket at :11.8.
Honest. “Defense” and “Nets” collided in the same sentence.
“A very encouraging performance in terms of having 10 guys contribute,” said coach Lawrence Frank, whose Nets have their home opener Saturday against the Warriors.
“Everyone impacted that game, defensively locking down and getting consecutive stops. Offensively, obviously we hit some big shots. Jarvis gave us a huge lift. Vince was a hub for us, making plays. You can go down the line.”
Continue down the line – but don’t dare overlook Carter delivering the eventual dagger with 1:01 left on a 16-foot, right-side face-up to put the Nets up by eight. Or Hayes hitting a pair of massive jumpers right after Antawn Jamison (14 points 6-of-18 shooting) took him inside, leaving the former Wizard no option but to foul.
“Big shots,” said Hayes. “For the first time in 2 1/2 years I can actually say without any hesitation that I am 100 percent healthy.”
And those two 18-footers by Hayes sandwiched a steal – yes, a steal – and driving dunk by Yi Jianlian, who intercepted a DeShawn Stevenson pass.
So start the line with Yi, include Brook Lopez (8 points, 8 rebounds), starting center Josh Boone, who gave high energy for 23 minutes, blocking a pair of shots, plus rookies Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Yi showed he is every bit the shooter the Nets hope, going 7-of-11 and finishing with 17 points.
“Great young player,” Carter said of Yi. “I want him to be comfortable, I want him to stay humble but he definitely can become an All-Star.”
Yi was kind of unavailable for comment as about a dozen journalists from his native China made questions in the King’s English impossible.
The two-unit system – with Sean Williams and Mo Ager the odd men out – enabled the Nets to keep fresh bodies on the floor all game. And in the end-game, the Nets played through Carter offensively and defensively went into a lockdown mode not seen in some time around the Nets.
“In the end, we just played through Vince,” said Devin Harris (13 points). “He had a game going. He’s our superstar and we go through him. You just got to be patient.”
Just like with this work-in-progress team.
Nets 95 Wizards 85