Hey Otis Smith, you watching the game? Behind a monster effort by Brook Lopez, to the tune of 38 points on 17-for-28 shooting, the Nets snapped their 11-game losing streak in Dallas by taking down the defending champs. The key to this game was the great start New Jersey got off to by taking a 28-23 lead after the 1st quarter. The Nets would be able to hold that lead for about 2 quarters but ended up giving the Mavs their first lead of the game with around 2:20 left in the 3rd.
The Nets were able to rebound from blowing their lead, which was as big as 13 points, by taking a 10-point, 89-79 lead with 5:35 left in the game on a slick Lopez lay-up. Then came a 8-0 Dallas run that tightened the Nets' lead to two points. The Mavs ended up taking the lead yet again a minute later on a Jason Kidd 3-pointer. Normally, the Nets would have folded after that point in the game but they went with what was working the whole game, the entry-pass to Brook. Just moments after Kidd's three, Brook got fouled on a lay-up attempt and calmly sank both his free throws, returning the lead to the Nets.
Here is when it got really dicey. With 25 seconds left, Kidd missed the go-ahead three but the Nets would promptly turn it back over to Dallas, giving them a chance to regain the lead. They would not be able to do this as DeShawn Stevenson, just hours after receiving his championship ring from last season, smothered Kidd on yet another 3-point attempt as the former Met point guard clanked it against the backboard as he missed the shot.
Tonight's game showed just how important Brook was to this Nets team and why he so missed earlier this season. Even though Deron Williams couldn't find his outside shot, the Nets were in good hands as Brook took over and (basically) singlehandedly won this game for the Nets. Sure, newcomer Gerald Green, Kris Humphries, and even Sundiata Gaines made huge contributions to the win, the lead couldn't have been held without the consistency of Lopez's offensive arsenal.
Some other observations I had from the game: I think its pretty fair to say that Brook has fully healed from his foot injury and has returned to his form from last season, a season in which he was very successful. I know the rebounds weren't there yet (6), but shooting as well as he did and playing solid defense shows that he can be relied on to carry this team when necessary...Marshon Brooks cooled down from his recent stretch of good performances with a dud statline of 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists...Anthony Morrow did have 15 points but he was incredibly inefficient (5-for-15 shooting) from the floor. I'm just its just an isolated game but I really hope it doesn't carry over into future games...Gerald Green, the recent call-up from the D-League, was a x-factor in the game and made some crazy dunks and 3-pointers which reminded me of his first stint in the NBA when he won the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He also played good defense and seemed to fit into the Nets' system pretty well...Hump, Gaines, and Johan Petro all didn't do much in the scoring column (10, 0, 2 respectively) but they provided the intangibles that teams need to win games, especially against the NBA's elite. Each of those guy had at least seven boards and dabbled in the other categories when necessary.
Looking Ahead
The Nets get a bit of a break as they next play in Boston against the Celtics on Friday night. Much-needed and much-deserved.
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