Game 13 Preview: New York Knicks (9-3) at Brooklyn Nets (8-4)

Before being traded to the Knicks, there was much speculation--and nearly a deal in place--stating that Carmelo Anthony was going to be a Net and open up the Barclays Center with the team. Like with Dwight Howard, it was nothing more than speculation.

When: 7:00 pm; Monday, November 26th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: TNT

Tonight's game may have been postponed nearly four weeks, but that doesn't mean it has lost any of its flair or any of the excitement that it's going to bring to both teams and the Barclays Center. The first-ever NBA regular season matchup of two New York City teams is momentous as a milestone for the league, the city, and these two teams, especially the Nets, in their maiden season as a NYC basketball team. The storylines are galore: Jason Kidd playing against the team he led to two Eastern Conference championships, Carmelo Anthony playing against the team he was almost traded to like three times, the fight for "Best Team in NYC" award, the fight for the Atlantic Division crown (Knicks are currently in 1st, Nets in 2nd), among many others. However, once it comes down to it, all the matters is the score when the clock hits 0:00 in the fourth quarter (or in the last overtime period they play, just in case).

As many of you know, the Knicks got off to a ridiculously hot start to the season, winning their first six games. Not even strength of schedule could be cited as the reason for the winning streak, as the Knicks beat the defending champion Heat and always-tough Spurs on the bookends of the six-game stretch, with wins over the 76ers (twice), Mavericks, and lowly Magic filling out the rest of the games. And this was all done without Amare' Stoudamire, who was, and still is, out with a knee injury. Contrary to preseason belief, the Knicks were unstoppable early on, draining tons of three-pointers per game at ridiculous clips, led by Carmelo, J.R. Smith, and even Raymond Felton. It defied logic, but won games.

Then, a loss to the Grizzlies (sitting at 9-2 right now) in Memphis shocked the Knicks right back to Earth and eliminated their chance at a perfect season. They rebounded well, taking care of the Pacers and Hornets but had a rough stretch through Dallas, giving up 122.5 points per game in back-to-back losses to Dallas and Houston and Jeremy Lin. Finally, an easy win over the hapless Pistons yesterday at the Garden brought them to their current record of 9-3. An up-and-down season to be sure, with more ups than downs so far for Mike Woodson's club.

Game 12 Preview: Portland Trail Blazers (6-6) at Brooklyn Nets (7-4)

The Blazers drafted Damian Lillard (above) with the 6th-overall pick they received from the Nets in exhange for Gerald Wallace. So far, that trade has worked out pretty well for both teams.

When: 3:00 pm; Sunday, November 25th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network
  
When the Nets traded their lottery pick (which became the 6th-overall selection)--along with the expiring contracts of Shawne Williams and Mehmet Okur-- in the upcoming 2012 NBA Draft to the Portland Trail Blazers on March 16th of last season for Gerald Wallace, there was considerable derision and disagreement with the decision from the Nets perspective. Bloggers, writers, TV and radio analysts, and others mocked how silly it was for the Nets, a rebuilding team, to give up a sure lottery pick for an aging Wallace with the option to sign anywhere in the NBA once his contract was up that summer.

We all know how that trade turned out; the Blazers drafted Damian Lillard from Weber State with the pick and the young pint guard has been a revelation for Portland, scoring 20.2 points and 6.0 assists per game just 12 games into his rookie campaign. His Blazers are only 6-6 so far, but they are rebuilding and Lillard has certainly shown that his talent warranted the high draft selection and that he will be a mainstay in the backcourt in Portland for a long time, playing at an All-Star level most likely.

Gerald Wallace isn't near an All-Star berth at this point in his career, but he has done exactly what the Nets have needed and expected him to do, and more. The trade was completed by Billy King with the foresight that the Nets team he would be rebuilding would have a defensive deficiency and he needed someone like Gerald in the starting lineup to serve as the lone defensive specialist in a group of offensive-focused players. There's nothing wrong with valuing offense over defense, it's just that all successful and contending teams in the NBA have a balanced mixture of both. Of course, the Nets representation of offensive and defensive balance is Gerald anchoring the defense by guarding the opposing team's best wing player, lightening the load on his teammates and just helping his team win in general by limiting how much the other team scores on a nightly basis.

Game 11 Preview: Los Angeles Clippers (8-3) at Brooklyn Nets (6-4)

We have a wonderful point guard battle tonight. Which one wins will probably determine the game's outcome.

When: 7:30 pm; Friday, November 23rd, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network
 
The Nets look to shake off their brutal end to their annual West Coast Thanksgiving road trip by beating another Western Conference foe tonight at Barclays Center. The Clippers will be the fourth-straight California team the Nets will be playing, after beating the Kings on Sunday night and consequently falling to the Lakers and Warriors on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Wednesday's loss was especially tough for Brooklyn as they had a 13-point first half lead squandered as Golden State took advantage of the absence of Gerald Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse--and of the Nets' terrible perimeter defense--to score 61 points in the second half to control the game and eventually win it.

Los Angeles also had a tough loss on Wednesday night, losing to the Thunder in an overtime affair in Oklahoma City. Down 10 points at half, the Clippers tied the game, sending it into overtime after outscoring the Thunder by a score of 33-26 in the fourth quarter. A few quick three-pointers by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook early in the extra period got OKC off to a great start, and netted them a four-point lead they wouldn't relinquish. The defeat ended the Clippers' six-game winning streak and dropped their record to 8-3 on the year.

Game 10 Preview: Brooklyn Nets (6-3) at Golden State Warriors (6-5)

The Nets have been waiting for Joe Johnson to start playing like the Joe Johnson they traded for. Against the defensively-challenged Warriors would be a great start.

Update: Gerald Wallace (rest) will not play tonight. Keith Bogans is starting in his place. Jerry Stackhouse won't play either (rest).

When: 10:30 pm; Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

Where: Oracle Arena; Oakland, CA

TV: YES Network
 
The Nets try to begin a new winning streak and move above .500 on their West Coast trip tonight in Oakland against the surprising Golden State Warriors. Former YES Network Nets TV color analyst and former NBA point guard Mark Jackson is at the helm of the Warriors, who are coming off an overtime win in Dallas over the Mavericks on Monday night. Stephen Curry led Golden State in that game with 31 points, to go along with six rebounds and nine assists. Since the trade of Monta Ellis to Milwaukee last year, Curry has had to assume the point guard duties and when not injured, he has done that job well. Also in Monday night's win, David Lee went off for 17 points and 19 boards while rookie Harrison Barnes scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

As you probably already know, the Nets played last night as they watched their five-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of 95-90. The defense played by Brooklyn in that loss was very good, but the normally-apt offense wasn't, as the Nets struggled to hit open perimeter shots the entire game, which eventually cost them at the end.

However, that defeat is in the past and the Nets must look forward and focus their energies on the Warriors, who have a winning record so far this season. Even with center, and centerpiece of the Ellis trade, Andrew Bogut out due to an ankle injury, Golden State is still a very scary team to play considering how explosive they can be on the offensive end and in rebounding as well.

Game 9 Preview: Brooklyn Nets (6-2) at Los Angeles Lakers (5-5)

BOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When: 10:30 pm; Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

Where: Staples Center; Los Angeles, CA

TV: YES Network
 
Tonight, the Nets look to extend their improbable five-game winning streak against the far-and-away toughest team they have faced during the span of that streak. Of course, that team is the newest NBA superteam, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets and Lakers were mentioned a lot together this summer as Brooklyn's most-prized potential catch, Dwight Howard, ended up being traded to LA after just a little too much wavering on the star center's end. Howard made it clear that he wanted to be a Net multiple times throughout the arduous and tortuous ordeal known as the "Dwight-mare". However, he made some mind-boggling decisions--and non-decisions--which led to his acquiring by the Lakers as part of a four-team deal that sent Andrew Bynum to Philly, Andre Iguodala to Denver, and Arron Afflalo to Orlando, along with some other pieces of course.

The Nets were so close to getting Dwight at multiple times throughout the wooing process that many with the franchise were ready to give Brooklyn a point guard-center pairing for the ages, D-Will and Dwight, but it was not meant to be. That means there will certainly be players in tonight's contest playing with a little edge on their shoulder, with a little more hustle. Like Brook Lopez, whom the Nets were ready to ship to Central Florida for Howard, or even MarShon Brooks, another rumored asset offered by Brooklyn to Orlando. And even the two main players in the scenario itself, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard. D-Will had his own decision to make this summer--Dallas or Brooklyn--and he chose Brooklyn, somewhat assuming that he would have Howard to play with at Barclays Center when the season tipped in November.

Game 8 Preview: Brooklyn Nets (5-2) at Sacramento Kings (2-7)

We know his name is Tyreke Evans. The only thing we don't know is what position he is.

Update: According to the Nets' beat writers on Twitter, Gerald Wallace is playing tonight. We love you Keith Bogans, but go back to the bench where you belong!

When: 6:00 pm; Sunday, November 18th, 2012

Where: Sleep Train Arena (really?); Sacramento, CA

TV: YES Network
 
Tonight we have a matchup between teams that are at completely different ends of the NBA spectrum right now--and different coasts of the US. The Nets, coming off of a nationally-televised win on Thursday night over the Boston Celtics, have won four games in a row and will probably be getting starting small forward Gerald Wallace back from injury. The Kings, on the other hand, have lost their last four games, most recently falling to the Atlanta Hawks in Sacramento at the absurdly-named Sleep Train Arena. The last loss led veteran players Chuck Hayes and Francisco Garcia to call a players-only meeting to hash out the team's struggles. Closed-door meetings nine games into the season is never a good time. 

Sacramento isn't a very good team, but they probably aren't as bad as their early-season record indicates. They have a bunch of really good pieces, like position-unknown Tyreke Evans, forward-center DeMarcus Cousins, and forward Thomas Robinson (5th overall pick out of Kansas in June's draft). However, a lot of their talented players have some glaring problem or disadvantage that limits their success. For Cousins, it's his notoriously bad temper, which led to a one-game suspension a few days ago for confronting Spurs' broadcaster Sean Elliot after a game. And for Tyreke Evans, it's that he has no true position. He's too big to play the point and too small for power forward while not being just quite right for shooting guard or small forward. To say he's an enigma as a basketball player would be an understatement.

Game 7 Preview: Boston Celtics (5-3) at Brooklyn Nets (4-2)

Kevin Garnett is scary both on and off the court.

When: 8:00 pm; Thursday, November 15th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: TNT (Marv Albert is doing the play-by-play!)
 
Three-game winning streaks haven't been all that common for the Nets in recent years. Other than one they had from March 28th-31st of last season, the franchise's last streak of that length was all the way back in the 2008-09 campaign, when they finished up their annual West Coast Thanksgiving road trip with three straight victories against the Kings, Jazz, and Suns. Now, the Nets find themselves in that unusual--yet still completely awesome--position of having won their last three games in a row and can extend that streak to four games if they can hold off the Celtics tonight in Brooklyn. Granted, that won't be an easy task as Boston owns the Nets, winning the last three meetings and, going back even further, winning 18 of the last 20 games between these two squads.

Boston is on its own three-game winning streak right now, with wins coming against the Bucks, Bulls, and the Jazz. In the most recent victory, coming last night at home over Utah, the Celtics improved their season record to 5-3 behind a 23-point performance by Paul Pierce, who was helped out with twin 16-point games by reserves Jeff Green and Leandro Barbosa. Both the Nets and Celtics are on top of their games right now, but those hot streaks haven't come without their fair share of consequences. Of course, those consequences are key pieces not being available due to injury.

Game 6 Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers (2-5) at Brooklyn Nets (3-2)

Some around the NBA ridiculed the Cavs drafting guard Dion Waiters with the fourth overall pick in this summer's Draft. After seeing how he and sophomore sensation point guard Kyrie Irving are playing with each other early on this season, those critics are probably eating their words.

When: 7:30 pm; Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network

The Nets and Cavaliers are very similar teams in their general talent distribution, but very different in total amount of talent. Each team's focus is certainly on their backcourt, led by strong point guards and shooting guards. Obviously, the Nets have Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, a pair who have been around the proverbial block in the NBA and have attained veteran status. The Cavaliers have Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters at the 1 and 2, whom they acquired in the 2011 and 2012 NBA Drafts respectively. Deron and Joe have the experience and are the more-established pairing while Irving and Waiters have youth on their side, and are arguably more explosive than both D-Will and Johnson. These four guards duking it out later tonight at the Barclays Center will be fun to watch, and whichever backcourt outplays the other will probably determine the winner of the game.

The Nets are actually catching Cleveland at a pretty good time, considering the Cavs are playing their sixth, and final, game of a brutal road trip which has taken them to LA and Oklahoma City, among other places. A road trip which they are currently just 1-4 on and a road trip which they want to end as soon as possible, inviting the possibility of a let-down game by a team that just wants to go back home immediately. That's certainly an advantage in Brooklyn's favor but, as we have learned with the Nets in recent years, they can't take ANYTHING for granted against a lower-level team. Too many times have the Nets lost to awful, awful teams that have they have rightful reason to be losing to. They can't have that happen a lot this season if they are going to be a playoff team. No chance.

Game 5 Preview: Orlando Magic (2-3) at Brooklyn Nets (2-2)

Ever since Joe Johnson was traded to the Nets this summer, he hasn't had a traditional "Joe Johnson" performance where he scores 20+ points and completely takes over a game. The Nets might not need that performance to beat the Magic, but it would certainly be nice to see.

When: 3:00 pm; Sunday, November 11th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network

The Nets were able to comfortably beat the Magic on Friday night, and this afternoon we get to see if Brooklyn can do that again, this time at home in Barclays Center. Tonight's game is the Nets' first afternoon matchup of the season and we can hope that the unconventional 3:00 pm start time doesn't mess with the positive energy and surging confidence the team most likely has after last game's romp over Orlando.

Injuries are starting to catch up to both of teams, making their rotations a bit more screwy than they would be if they were at full strength. I forgot mention to mention in my preview of the last meeting between these two that the Magic are still missing Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington, both aging but still productive offensive forwards, due to injury. Also, Jameer Nelson--who missed Friday's game with injuries to his hamstring and groin--probably won't be available to run the point for Jacque Vaughn's squad tonight, leaving the point guard duties yet again to E'Twaun Moore.

The Nets are also suffering from their own injury woes early on in this season as Gerald Wallace is still day-to-day with the ankle injury he suffered in the season opener and MarShon Brooks is a game-time decision with his own ankle ailment, suffered in Friday's shootaround. Not having Wallace's defensive presence--as already shown in two losses Brooklyn suffered in his absence--is really detrimental to the Nets' success as a team and missing Brooks' instant offense capability off the bench isn't great either. Not huge, crippling injuries to be sure, but significant enough to open a door for the lowly Magic to slip through and upset the Nets tonight.

Game 4 Preview: Brooklyn Nets (1-2) at Orlando Magic (2-2)

Arron Afflalo was the biggest piece that the Magic got in the trade with the Lakers, 76ers, and Nuggets that sent Dwight Howard to Los Angeles. 

UPDATE: MarShon Brooks sprained his ankle at shootaround today and is a game-time decision for tonight. Gerald Wallace is still out and Josh Childress is finally healthy enough to play. The injury carousel keeps on turning.

When: 7:00 pm; Friday, November 9th, 2012

Where: Amway Arena; Orlando, FL

TV: YES Network

The Nets and Magic were said more in conjunction with each other last season regarding off the court business arguably more than any other pair of teams in the entire NBA. The Dwightmare situation surrounding former Magic center Dwight Howard and the on-and-off trade request that he constantly reiterated for the better part of the last two seasons. The trade talks shifted to the Nets last year and  really picked up around the trade deadline and over this past offseason. Obviously, Howard ended up going to the Lakers in a four-team deal, leaving certain enmity between the front offices of both of these teams.

It's not very easy for a team to rebuild from the loss of a franchise player like Howard, and the Magic's current roster exemplifies that statement perfectly. Orlando doesn't have any player close to resembling a star or even a most-significant player. Jameer Nelson is a suitable point guard who can score and lead an offense but is on the downside of his career and is too injury-prone. Arron Afflalo, acquired from the Nuggets in the Howard trade, is a very good scorer but doesn't play much defense and is better in a secondary role, not necessarily as the #1 option on a team. 

As Nelson and Afflalo are the best options for the Magic, and coach Jacque Vaughn (a former Net), as potential leaders, it is clear they lack any player that can be on-court directors of the Magic. The Nets had this problem in the 2009-10 season and half of the 2010-11 season, after they traded Vince Carter and before trading for Deron Williams. The Nets had no visible leader and their on-court success (rather, lack of it) was worsened by that fact, exemplified by the team's near-historically bad 12-70 record in the 2009-10 campaign. Until Orlando finds their next leader, they will most likely toil in the mediocrity that tends to follow a faceless organization.

Game 2 Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1) at Brooklyn Nets (1-0)

A Band-Aid: A perfect symbol of the 2012-12 Minnesota Timberwolves

UPDATE: Gerald Wallace (ankle) and Josh Childress (ankle) are both out for tonight's game. Keith Bogans will start in place of Wallace.

When: 7:30 pm; Monday, November 5th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network/NBATV

We've already won one game as the Brooklyn Nets, why not go for two? That's the question the Nets will be asking themselves tonight as they take on the injury-plagued Minnesota Timberwolves in the second regular season game ever at the Barclays Center. Both the Nets and the T-Wolves won their season opener's--the Nets' against the Raptors and the T-Wolves' against the Kings--and both will be looking to stay above .500 early on the 2012-13 NBA season.

Another similarity between these two teams is that they played their last game against the Raptors, to varying levels of success. As mentioned above, the Nets defeated Toronto on Saturday night by a score of 107-100, led by Brook Lopez' 27 points and 19 points and nine assists from Deron Williams. 

Minnesota wasn't as lucky. 

At the Air Canada Centre last night, they were handled with relative ease by the hometown Raps by a score of 105-86. As they did against the Nets, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan led the offensive effort for Toronto, each scoring 22 points on the night. The T-Wolves--led by 17 points from Andrei Kirilenko and 15 points from Nikola Pekovic--just didn't have an answer for the Raptor backcourt, a fact certainly exacerbated by J.J. Barea suffering a mild concussion in the second quarter. Further hurting the already-injured Wolves' backcourt, Barea wouldn't return in the game and his status is questionable for tonight's game.

Game 1 Preview: Toronto Raptors (0-1) at Brooklyn Nets (0-0)

Finally, the Barclays Center court will see some NBA regular season action tonight

When: 7:30 pm; Saturday, November 3rd, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network


Ok folks, it's really here. No, actually. Unless some other event beyond our control strikes the NYC Metro area in the next few hours, there will be basketball played at the Barclays Center--regular season NBA basketball--involving the Brooklyn (!) Nets and the Canadian Prehistoric Creatures Toronto Raptors. As you all must know by now, tonight's game was originally supposed to be the Nets' second game of the 2012-13 NBA season, as their November 1st game in Brooklyn against the Knicks was postponed to November 26th because of Hurricane Sandy.

The Raptors' first game of the season, played on Wednesday against the Pacers, wasn't affected by the storm. Toronto fell 90-88 to Indiana at the Air Canada Centre as Kyle Lowry, picked up by the Raptors from the Houston Rockets via trade over the summer, scored 21 points, grabbed seven boards, dished out eight assists and even nabbed five steals as well in the losing effort. Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon added in 16 and 15 points respectively for the Raps on the game.

Anyway, lets go back to the Nets. Tonight's game, albeit against the Raptors instead of the higher-profile Knicks, is much more than a singular game, or a tallymark in either the W or L column. It represents the culmination of years and years of planning by Nets' management to move the embattled franchise from the doldrums of New Jersey to the bright lights of the Big Apple. A win doesn't mean that much, a loss doesn't mean that much. The truth is that for tonight, that youth sports cliche of "All that matters is that you play the game" rings true. The Nets are playing a regular season home game at the Barclays Center and that's all that matters.

Preseason Game 6 Preview: New York Knicks (2-3) at Brooklyn Nets (3-2)

The Coliseum; certainly no Barclays Center

When: 7:30 pm; Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

Where: Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum; Uniondale, NY

TV: MSG Network

Radio: None


One week and one day (ok, eight days) from now, these two teams will play each other at the Barclays Center in both the Nets' and Knicks' season-opener and for the Nets, the first regular season game in their franchise's very limited history. However, today, the game they face each other in a game doesn't count at all in an arena that isn't even home to a NBA team, the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. 

The Coliseum calls itself home to the New York Islanders, a NHL team for those of you who don't know. That league, like the NBA at this time last year, is currently in a lockout so for the near future, tonight's game will be the only professional sports contest left to be held there in 2012, at least until the NHL work stoppage ends.

Like the Nets, the last preseason game the Knicks played was a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks lost to Philly by a score of 98-90 on Monday night while the Nets fell to the 76ers 106-96 last Friday. In their loss to Philly, New York actually got 23 points from Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton each at Melo's former college arena, the Carrier Dome, where he played while at Syracuse and where Monday's game was at. On Friday night (a game which I actually didn't recap for the site, sorry), the 76ers were paced by Thaddeus Young, who hit 11 of his 15 shots on the evening to score 24 points, while also collecting nine rebounds.

Preseason Game 5 Preview: Philadelphia 76ers (3-1) at Brooklyn Nets (3-1)

Tornike "Toko" Shengalia didn't score in the Nets' blowout loss to Boston in Brooklyn yesterday, hopefully tonight against Philly he, and the team, fare much better.

When: 7:30 pm; Friday, October 19th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network

Radio: None

The Nets sucked yesterday in their 30-point home loss to the Celtics in a game that reminded of the team's extremely unsuccessful 35-year stint in New Jersey. The game was in Boston control throughout and put a very sour note on the Nets' preseason after a very solid 3-0 start for the team. They look to rebound, both figuratively and literally, tonight at the Barclays Center against the Philadelphia 76ers, the team they beat in their 1st preseason game in Atlantic City, NJ last Saturday.

The 76ers are a little healthier now than they were on Saturday, as we will probably see Jason Richardson and Dorell Wright tonight as that pair didn't play against the Nets in Atlantic City. However, Andrew Bynum is still out with a knee injury for Philly. The Nets are also a bit healthier now as Tyshawn Taylor and MarShon Brooks have made their preseason debuts since the last matchup between these two teams and are certain to get some solid burn tonight.

Preseason Game 4 Preview: Boston Celtics (1-4) at Brooklyn Nets (3-0)

Andray Blatche going up for a lay-up against the Celtics on Tuesday. The summer pick-up has been great for the Nets so far in the preseason coming off the bench, averaging 17 ppg and 7.3 rpg so far in three games.

Update: MarShon Brooks is likely to play tonight to make his preseason debut, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
  
When: 8:00 pm; Thursday, October 18th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: TNT

Radio: None

The Nets, holding an unlikely 3-0 record in the preseason as of right now, look to extend that wonderful mark in the 2nd-game of a home-and-home with the Celtics tonight at the Prudential Barclays Center in Newark Brooklyn. The starters, after a one game respite, will be back in the starting lineup facing off against a Celtics starting-five that is a veteran, but scary, bunch of players. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett may be 35 and 36 years old respectively, but that isn't even close to meaning that they won't continue to kill the Nets this year and they seemingly do every time these two teams face each other on the court.

Last game, the Nets' back-ups managed to do a pretty decent job of guarding the talented Celtics starters, with the only major exception being Paul Pierce, who scored 29 points on the game with 20 of those coming in the 1st half. The defense did a solid job on Tuesday of getting hands in the face of Boston shooters, much better than they did on Monday against the Wizards. Holding a contending team like the Celtics to under 100 points when none of your five starters enter the game is a very hard thing to do, regardless of whether the game is played in the preseason or in the regular season.

Preseason Game 3 Preview: Brooklyn Nets (2-0) at Boston Celtics (1-3)

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce may be the resident future Hall-of-Famers on the Celtics roster, but Rajon Rondo has arguably become their most important player.

When: 7:30 pm; Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

Where: TD Garden; Boston, MA

TV: NBA TV

The Nets head to Boston to take on the Celtics tonight at the TD Garden, looking to start off the preseason with a 3-0 record. Tonight's inter-division matchup won't nearly have the intensity of yesterday's Barclays Center debut as Avery Johnson announced earlier that none of the team's starters will play at all, with Coach Johnson wanting to let them rest and recover from the team's first-ever home game in Brooklyn.

That means the Nets will boast a starting lineup of C.J. Watson, Keith Bogans, Josh Childress, Reggis Evans, and Andray Blatche for the evening. Interestingly enough, four of those five weren't with the team last year, showing how much the bench has been turned over from the 2011-12 campaign. Another thing of note is that Nets' Georgian power forward, Tornike Shengalia, is likely to make his team debut in Boston, and will probably play around 20 minutes.

As you all probably know, the Nets won last night against the Wizards in the first NBA game ever played at the team's new home in the Barclays Center. However, the Celtics weren't as fortunate. They got absolutely gob-smacked by the 76ers in Philly on Monday night, losing by 32 in a poor all-around effort that Doc Rivers, coach of the Celtics, had to be extremely disappointed with. Boston committed 20 turnovers, shot a dreadful 61% from the free throw line, and allowed nearly 50% shooting by the opposing 76ers squad.

Preseason Game 2 Preview: Washington Wizards (1-2) at Brooklyn Nets (1-0)

Wait, the Brooklyn Nets are playing actual NBA basketball against another team here tonight? Awesome. And it's going to be on TV and radio? Sick. And I'm going to be there? Even better. Conclusion: I'm excited, and you should be too.

When: 7:30 pm; Monday, October 15th, 2012

Where: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES Network

Radio: None

Another first happens tonight as the Barclays Center, the Nets' much-anticipated new home arena, is christened yet again. Of course, the first NBA game to ever be played at the Barclays is tonight's Nets-Wizards preseason tilt. Sure, it's not the regular season and it's certainly not November 1st's much-hyped regular season opener vs the Knicks, but it is basketball. And it's basketball at our new home, the new home for our team and only for our team.

The last two places the Nets have played regular season home games at, the Prudential Center in Newark and the Izod Center/Continental Airlines Arena/Brendan Byrne Arena, were both in New Jersey and weren't solely occupied by the Nets. Whenever the Nets played at either of those arenas, the New Jersey Devils were tenants at the same time. But why does that matter, some might ask. Obviously, it doesn't matter during games per se but it certainly adds to the aura and mystique of a team's home games if the fans and players on the court all know that multi-million (or in the Barclays case, billion) dollar work-of-art is just for one team's use, and one team's only.

The Nets don't have that problem anymore, as tonight marks the first time in team history that they will be playing a home game in their arena, one built for them and for them alone to play in. Changing out the ice from a Friday night Devils game to prep the arena for a Saturday night Nets game? Nope, no more. Having a 1:00 pm Sunday matinee so the arena can be ready for a primetime hockey match? Long gone.

Was being co-tenants with other teams in an arena the cause for the Nets' recent struggles on the court? Definitely not, but it helps the fanbase and the players connect intimately to a team that is their own, and the arena's own.

Oh yeah, the game. I didn't forget.

Preseason Game 1 Preview: Brooklyn (!) Nets (0-0) at Philadelphia 76ers (0-0)

It's here, took long enough.

When: 7:00 pm; Saturday, October 13th, 2012

Where: Atlantic City Convention Center; Atlantic City, NJ

TV: None

Radio: None

Folks and fellow Nets fans, it's finally here. Tonight, Saturday the 13th of October in the year 2012, is the official date of the 1st-ever game played by the Brooklyn Nets franchise. No, it isn't being broadcast on TV anywhere. No, it's not being played in Philly, or in Brooklyn for that matter. No, Andrew Bynum, MarShon Brooks, Tyshawn Taylor, and possibly others won't be playing due to injuries. It just is what it is.

And what might that be? Oh, that's Nets basketball. Sure, we won't have highlights or any clue on how hard Gerald "Crash" Wallace played defense or how well Deron Williams shot the ball outside of the the box score. That's certainly a let-down but honestly, this preseason game being played in a place known more for gambling and crime (i.e: Boardwalk Empire on HBO starring Brooklyn native Steve Buscemi) than basketball is more of a symbolic entity than a game to make conclusions from.

It symbolizes the end of the offseason and the return to legitimate, inter-team games and most importantly, a birth. Not a physical birth, but an emotional birth, especially for those of us die-hard Nets fans who dealt with the low points in New Jersey and are finally going to get the chance to experience some damn high points for once in Brooklyn. Nearly everything is new with this team: the jerseys, most of the players, the arena, the name, the identity, etc. But one thing hasn't changed and that is, of course, the deep attachment we feel to our Nets, which makes us a fan.

Game 66 Preview: Nets (22-43) at Toronto Raptors (22-43)

Goodbye, see you guys in Brooklyn

That's all folks. In the last game of another much-maligned Nets season, the team takes on the Toronto Raptors, another lottery team, in what is officially the last game ever of the New Jersey Nets. Tonight will be bittersweet for anyone that is a Nets fan because we have to wait until October of next year for basketball in Brooklyn in addition to the fact that the last time that Deron Williams is on the Nets could be tonight as he might leave the team this offseason as a free agent. However, the biggest feeling that Nets fans should be feeling is excitement because, as mentioned above, the next Nets game after tonight will not include the New Jersey Nets but instead it will be the Brooklyn Nets.


Oh yeah, the actual game. In terms of playoff chances, this game means nothing for both teams but it has incredibly coincidental lottery implications. The Nets and Raptors have exactly the same record right now so the winner's lottery chances will be worse than the other. Honestly, that's why I don't necessarily want the Nets to win because I would rather take the slight increase to our chance of getting our 1st-round pick this year than a meaningless April win. Sorry for all the people who want the Nets to get that elusive 23rd win of this condensed season. 


Background on Toronto

Toronto, like the Nets, is missing a ton of their good players due to injury so there really isn't much healthy talent to talk about on this Toronto team right now other than  DeMar DeRozan, James Johnson, and possibly Ed Davis. Another thing to note; former Net Ben Uzoh is on Toronto and might even start tonight. If you don't remember Uzoh's relatively short tenure with the Nets, then you didn't miss much. In 42 games last season, the Tulsa graduate scored just 3.8 points per game in around 10.4 minutes per. Not exactly lighting up the scoreboard, huh?

Game 65 Preview: Philadelphia 76ers (33-30) at Nets (22-42)

This guy (Kenny Anderson) will be at the ceremony while Jason Kidd will make an appearance via video. We really could have drafted Dikembe Mutombo instead of Anderson but of course the Nets drafted the guy with the shorter and much less effective career. Good riddance New Jersey!

Well, here it is. Tonight will be the last NBA game in New Jersey for the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets and probably the last one in the state for a long, long time, if not forever. I will be at the game and am less excited about the actual game (Philly has something to play for while the Nets haven't for a few weeks) than I am about the half-time ceremony honoring the many characters/basketball players and personnel that played a big part of the team's crazy 35-year tenure in the Garden State.

After tonight, the next Nets home game will be in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, hopefully with Deron Williams (and maybe Ersan Ilyasova or Ryan Anderson? Eh, maybe not, I might be getting my hopes up.) Whoops, back to the actual game. D-Will and Shelden Williams probably won't be able to go while Gerald Wallace looks to be good to go. The 76ers don't have any major injuries.

Background on Philadelphia

The Nets beat the 76ers in Philadelphia just 10 days ago so not much has changed with this team since them. They are still oddly centered around the bench players to a certain extent with key contributors in Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes all out of the starting line-up. The way to beat Philly is to contain the bench because when the bench is limited, the starting line-up becomes less effective and voila, the 76ers become beatable.