NBA

Nets rewind: Johnson gets back up to speed

Here are my three thoughts on the Nets’ 105-99 win over the Jazz in Salt Lake City Wednesday night:

1. Joe Johnson has been noticeably slowed in recent weeks by tendinitis in his right knee, which he’s tried to treat by wearing a band and playing through it, with results far below his usual standards.

But after getting a few days to rest and recover over the All-Star break (outside of a brief showing in the 3-point contest and an equally brief one in the All-Star Game itself), Johnson was back starting against the Jazz on Wednesday, no longer wearing the band on his knee and looking like an All-Star again.

Johnson scored 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting – including 4-for-7 from 3-point range – and afterwards said he felt a lot better on the court, as he had in the games last Wednesday and Thursday heading into the All-Star break.

If the Nets can get Johnson back to the way he was playing in mid-January, when he scored more than 20 points in five our of six games and helped the Nets begin their 2014 turnaround, they’ll have a great chance of continuing it through the final six weeks of the season or so.

2. The Nets declined to add another big man before Thursday’s trade deadline. If they were to have added a frontcourt player, it likely would have changed the way they’ve played during their 15-6 start to the calendar year.

One potential consequence of such a move would have been to shake up the 1-2 punch at center. Kevin Garnett and Andray Blatche serve as the lone traditional big on the floor virtually the entire game. Blatche showed Wednesday what he’s capable of doing, going for 25 points and six boards in 31 minutes.

By having Garnett and Blatche as a big, the Nets always have at least four – if not five – players capable of stretching the defense out to the 3-point line, which has allowed them all kinds of space to go to work offensively. That would have changed had they added a more traditional big to the mix who was more effective close to the rim.

3. Deron Williams finally came away with his first win in Utah in three tries, though he faded a bit after a hot start, finishing with 19 points and seven assists.

In lieu of a trade, the biggest acquisition the Nets could make for the stretch run is for Deron Williams to play like a star again. If he can, they have a chance to make some noise. If not, it’s going to be tough to escape from the first round.