A quick recap tonight of the Nets' best win since trading for Gerald Wallace two weeks ago. Against a playoff-bound Indiana team that had previously beaten the Nets 10 straight times, a beaten-up New Jersey squad (without Anthony Morrow and Jordan Farmar, along with the rest of the injury crew) came out with a passion and intensity that hasn't been seen often at home this season. Sure, Paul George had his customary 22 points on 8-13 shooting but other than him, the Nets played swarming defense that held Danny Granger to five points, Roy Hibbert to five points, and even Darren Collison to nine points.
Normally, the Nets would give up around 105 points to an offensively-sound team like the Pacers but tonight was much different. After coach Avery Johnson chewed out his team after an ugly blow-out loss to Utah at home on Monday, his crew responded for an even 100 points on nearly 50 percent shooting. Deron Williams was on fire for 30 points and 11-19 shooting while Marshon Brooks broke out of his slump for 17 points, with most of those points coming on drives to the paint.
Well, as you would expect, not everything was perfect for New Jersey last night as, you guessed it, there were more injuries. Shelden Williams was sent to the hospital with an apparent eye injury he suffered on a hit from Tyler Hansbrough in the 2nd quarter. The outlook isn't great for Shelden according to some of the Nets beat-writers in Twitter but nothing is known right now. Jordan Williams suffered from concussion-like symptoms and, like She-Will, wasn't able to finish off the game. It wasn't clear when J-Will got hurt but his condition isn't known right now. The Nets need these guys to stay relatively healthy because without them, Kris Humphries and Johan Petro would be the only healthy power forwards and centers left on the roster.
Looking Ahead
The Nets head out to the West Coast to take on the new-look Golden State Warriors and former YES Network broadcaster Mark Jackson at the helm. Let's keep this momentum going.
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