Crushing End to an Ugly Week for Brooklyn Nets

After suffering three straight losses prior to tonight's game, the Brooklyn Nets at 16-19 were still in the playoff mix and respectably just under .500 and a game ahead of last season's record at this point before going on a terrific pre-All Star run that changed their season.

So facing another woeful Philadelphia 76ers team, with a pitiful 5 wins against 29 losses, Brooklyn had to feel like they could end this miserable week on a positive note. The Barclays Center was not filled to capacity and although it was only off by 1,600 seats out of a total of 17,732, it felt like more. Premium season tix and high-enders seemed to be sitting this one out and even though there are always folks to fill "celebrity" row, it seemed like a different level of VIP, no shade.

The Nets faithful were in full throat though and they expected what we all did, that their team would control this game from start to finish and come away with a much needed victory...unfortunately somebody forgot to tell the Sixers.

Brooklyn started off a little slowly. But, with a competent starting lineup featuring Mason Plumlee who continues to impress with his basketball I.Q. and versatility, and Jarrett Jack who brings a professionalism and consistency to the point that has been sorely needed, you were looking for the Nets to handle their business.

Brooklyn Nets center, Mason Plumlee, point guard Jarrett Jack

Philly started with a 3 from two-guard Robert Covington. The Sixers spent the first 4 minutes of the game with the lead for one of the two times they would enjoy it all night. Behind Plumlee, Johnson and Jack who played the entire 1st quarter, the Nets took the lead halfway through the first with balance scoring from all the starters and took their largest lead of 9 points, into the second on 60% shooting Brooklyn 32, Philly 23. Conversely, the Sixers were only shooting 45% from the two but 75% from 3-point range, which kept them within shouting distance.

Joe Johnson was on, hitting all three of his attempts from the field, with one of those a 3-pointer and it looked like the makings of game that could be broken open early.

Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson

And even though Coach Hollins put in a new line up, with the exception of Lopez, to start the 2nd Quarter of Teletovic, Morris, Bogdanovic and Anderson, they were able to maintain their 7 to 9 point lead through the first 6 minutes of the second quarter but could never seem to shake the always athletic and scrappy 76ers loose.

With another Covington 3, a missed layup by Teletovic and a Wroten bucket off a MCW (Michael Carter-Williams) assist, the Sixers trail by only two points 40-38 and Hollins takes his 2nd timeout and brings back Plumlee, Jack & Johnson for Lopez, Morris and Bogdanovic respectively.

Despite the subs, Alan Anderson is the only Net who could find his shot, hitting two jumpers to stretch the lead back to six. Unfortunately, only to see MCW hit his only 3 of the half followed by a tip in by center Nerlens Noel and Brooklyn ends up nursing just a one point advantage at the half 46-45.

The third quarter looked a lot like the 1st, with Plumlee, Lopez, Jack & Johnson carrying the load and even upping the lead to as much as 11 points, 58-47 with 7 minutes left. The Nets eventually took a seven point advantage into the 4th despite the team shooting dropping dramatically down to 48% FG. However, where they were being severely outplayed was at the 3-point arc, going from 33% to 20% and crashing at 16.7%. In contrast, the Sixers after coming down from the impossible 75%, maintained a very respectable 46% through the remaining 3 quarters.

The fourth quarter lead for Brooklyn looked vulnerable. Coach Hollins was still juggling his lineup, keeping Plumlee on the bench for huge stretches. The Nets' inability to put together back-to-back buckets let the 76ers continue to hang around and gave them growing confidence. Philly took only their second lead of the game with less than a minute left in the game at 88-86. When Brook Lopez tied the game at 88, everyone in the building knew what was coming. Plumlee had been reinserted and although he had a career high in rebounds at 15, he would need help on the final play.

As he had done on the previous big scores for Philly, their best player, Michael Carter-Williams took the ball from the right elbow at the foul line down the lane and attacked the basket. When Mason Plumlee came over to defend, there was no one rotating to cover Sixers forward Luc Mbah a Moute, who scored the game winning bucket at the cup. The Nets go down to the hapless 76ers 90-88 and given the recent losing streak, the crowd's fears were realized.

Deron Williams Re-Aggravates Sore Left Side and Exits Game

In their last ten games, the Brooklyn Nets are 6-4.

It's better than average, good for most teams right?

Well if you don't count the last two consecutive losses to the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks (both heart-breakers), then you're probably comfortable with the Nets progress thus far this season.

Sooner or later the Nets are going to have to decide what team they are going to be for the remainder of this season.

Can they catapult themselves towards the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference? Or will they mirror the team they once were during the 2012-13 season that enjoyed a short trip to the playoffs, eventually sent home in the first round in seven by the Chicago Bulls.

One game/win does not define a season, but the New York Knicks are in rebuild mode and the Nets are the city's only hope as far as competitive basketball is concerned.

With the precipitation featuring snow recently, the Brooklyn Nets have allowed the unfavorable weather beyond the comforts of the Barclays Center to affect their game, and it showed tonight hosting the Boston Celtics.

With the exception of the first quarter, the Nets struggled offensively for the rest of the game and fell to the lottery-bound Celtics, 89-81, their third straight loss.

The Nets are now three games under .500 at (16-19) while the Celtics improved to (12-21).

It just wasn't their night.

Expending a month's worth of energy in Monday's overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks, 96-88 could have something to do with it, as well as, completing a 10-game stretch which included three back-to-backs.

"The energy was low and I was fearful of that coming in," said Brooklyn Nets Coach Lionel Hollins during his post-game press-conference.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins speaking with the media in a postgame press conferenence.

"We just played back-to-backs and one of them was overtime, and now we go back to another back-to-back, so we have a back-to-back, a day off, game, a day off and a back-to-back."

Hollins also expressed that the current schedule along with Deron Williams and his injury status (re-aggravating his sore left side in the second quarter against the Celtics), has forced Jarrett Jack and Joe Johnson to play more minutes than he would have liked.

In the Dallas overtime loss, Jack logged in 44 minutes and Johnson logged in 45.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Jarrett Jack

Tonight, Jack logged in 39 minutes producing 15 points and four assists while Johnson contributed 17 points in 37 minutes.

Despite the Nets boasting four players in double figures, including Mason Plumlee who recorded his 7th double-double of the season with 16-12, as a whole, the home-team struggled on the offensive end the entire night as the Celtics out-scored the Nets in every quarter besides the first quarter (2nd: 21-14, 3rd: 29-23, 4th: 20-19).

Oh there's more.

The Nets shot 40.5% from the field, shooting 21.4% from behind the arc and 69.2% from the charity strike.

"When you are consistently at 39%, it's going to be a struggle to score every game," Hollins told the media post-game.

It gets worse!

The Nets committed 17 turnovers opposed to the Celtics 6.

As poor as the Nets offense was, they did compete on defense, but their efforts just weren't enough for a team who was younger and sported fresher legs.

And about those fresher legs, Celtics guard Avery Bradley showed off.

With the departure of Rajon Rondo, Bradley took advantage, torching the Nets for 21 points, shooting 3-5 from three-point range.

Tyler Zeller played sidekick to Bradley's exploits, as the Celtics second leading scorer with 18 points of his own, oh and another thing: every player who checked in for the Celtics recorded points.

The Celtics bench outscored the Nets bench, 34-18.

At the end of the day, it comes down to making shots and the Nets were unable to keep up with the hungrier and younger team.

They looked fatigued and un-enthusiastic.

Tonight, the Nets played with what the Knicks are made of which is just plain old bad.

In his post-game press-conference, Hollins, combated the negatives with his own observations of where his team is now opposed to where they were in the beginning of the year.

"We are playing much better," Hollins expressed.

"We've made progress, were moving forward, I think our culture is better, our togetherness is better, our defense is certainly better, we just have to figure out a way to make shots throughout the course of the game."

It seems like the Nets most recent struggles on the court stems back to the root of what their foundation as an organization is built on: The Big Three.

With the exception of Johnson, Williams and Brook Lopez have missed significant time on the court this season and their absence from this team as leaders, with their presence, continues to take its toll on the Nets, in the present and immediate future.

How long can Johnson and Jack continue to play excessive minutes without suffering injuries or just overall fatigue.

Their games will suffer which will eventually compel the remaining roster of the Nets to carry their load as starters, which isn't their role.

Jack was brought here to provide a formidable guard option off the bench along with Alan Anderson, and due to Williams injuries, his role has increased.

The Nets have to make a decision with their $99 million dollar-man in D-Will.

To trade or not to trade?

Williams re-injuring his sore left side during the second quarter of tonight's game does not help the possibilities of trading the former star at all.

As for the able bodies, Johnson and the crew are looking for the formula to solve their answers.

"I think we've had a few different lineups-us as players, trying to still learn and fine tune it for one another, so this team needs a little more time than we expected," Johnson said post-game.

Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets Shooting Guard

"We just got to keep working hard, keep trusting one another and keep believing in one another."

The positive similarities in Johnson's and Hollins' post-game quotes regarding team chemistry are encouraging but losses like tonight are exactly what can disrupt that chemistry.

The Nets have to take care of their home-court and beat the teams that are inferior.

This weekend, the Nets will participate in another back-to-back. They play Philadelphia at home on the 9th and then will travel to play the streaking Detroit Pistons on the 10th, who are a perfect 6-0 since waiving Josh Smith.

The Nets need to win those two games.

Following Philly and Detroit, the Nets schedule features a ten-game stretch where they will face the likes of the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies (home-home), and the Washington Wizards (back-to-back; and away-home). The Nets then do a west coast swing to play the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers (back-to-back), and Utah Jazz. They come home to play the Portland Trailblazers (Monday, Jan. 26), then back out to play the Atlanta Hawks (Wednesday, Jan. 28) and back home on Friday, January 30 to face the Toronto Raptors.

It can get very ugly.

But that's why it's Wednesday, were not there yet.

Mason Plumlee and Jarrett Still Starting and Still Shining

Jarrett Jack and Mason Plumlee continue to start for the Brooklyn Nets; while Deron Williams and Brook Lopez provide their services off the bench.

It wasn't supposed to be that way, but injuries to both stars have kept them away from the court recently, and Jack and Plumlee have stepped up in their absence, so here we are.

It continued tonight against the Sacramento Kings with Plumlee and Jack in the starting lineup, opposed to Williams and Lopez.

There's a synergy there and the Kings experienced the dynamic duo's exploits tonight as the Nets, were able to sustain their late second quarter surge throughout the second half, pulling out a 107-99 win in front of a sellout crowd.

The Nets scored their highest point total (by quarter) of the game in the second with 30 points and the most important scores occurred in the closing minutes.

With 4:20 left, and the Nets leading by a deuce, 46-44, Plumlee and Co. organized a 11-0 run which improved their lead to double-digits, as they entered the intermission period up 13, 57-44.

Brooklyn Nets point guard, Jarrett Jack

Plumlee scored half of the points in the run, which included two slams, while Alan Anderson and Jack accounted for the other six.

Plumlee and Jack also scored 10 and 12 respectively, leading the team in scoring individually into halftime.

At some point, you have to ask yourself where are Williams and Lopez?

After all, they did play and provide stability off the bench, but the more Williams and Lopez play in the roles they are currently reflecting, the more they are becoming after-thoughts.

Williams and Lopez, who subbed for Jack and Plumlee respectively in tonight's contest, have me questioning whether or not the crowd is cheering their arrival into the game or the play of the two they have come to replace on the floor.

Just a thought.

If you're wondering, Lopez scored 11 points with six rebounds while Williams chipped in six points and three assists.

The Nets improved to (14-16) overall on the season while the Kings dropped to (13-18), after defeating the New York Knicks just two days ago in OT, 135-129, which really isn't news by the way.

Unfortunately for the Kings, they were unable to sweep the state of New York tonight, as Brooklyn seems to be the only team that matters in the mecca, as far as basketball is concerned.

With the way the Nets are playing collectively, this alignment seems to be the recipe for success.

Plumlee, who had the challenge of facing up against DeMarcus Cousins (7th in All-Star balloting for front-court players with 117,003), one of the best young bigs in the game, held his own scoring 22 points with 4 rebounds, while Cousins produced a double-double in 24 and 14.

Jack and Joe Johnson both scored 16 points.

Brooklyn Nets shooting guard, Joe Johnson

Since Jack and Plumlee replaced Williams and Lopez in the starting lineup, the Nets are 4-1.

It's a small sample size but you cannot argue with results.

To be honest, if Jack and Plumlee started the season, they could've been viable candidates to make the All-Star team as alternates on a team where no-one else deserves the honor.

Another key stat in tonight's game was the fact that Plumlee got to the line eight times, sinking 10 of 16 free throws.

"They got it to me on the block a little bit more and in transition I got fouled a bit," said Plumlee post-game.

"They wanted to foul, so they called them, and I got to the free throw line."

It seems like the only facet of Plumlee's game that is lacking is a face-up game and a 15-foot jumpshot, which is what makes Plumlee's development thus far and production such a surprise.

Although Plumlee and Jack were the stars of the game, the play of the game award goes to Kevin Garnett who flashed back to his Minnesota days for one play late in the third.

With 16.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Kevin Garnett rebounded a miss shot from Kings guard Ray McCallum and led a two-man fast-break, in which Sergey Karasev served him up an alley-oop slam, which Garnett completed emphatically, much to the delight of the crowd.

"I know I'm like 150 years... I can actually dunk the ball," said Garnett regarding his slam-dunk.

"You can't start in the league if you can't dunk."

Garnett finished with 10 points on the night.

With all the success the Nets are experiencing as of this moment, something has to be done about Williams and Lopez.

Two of the highest paid players on the team have accepted their new-found roles as bench players but how long can this last to this team's benefit.

There are a number of players around the league that can produce the numbers that Lopez and Williams are averaging off the bench for a discounted price.

Just saying.

Jack, Johnson Try to Keep Nets in the Game

The Brooklyn Nets were feeling pretty good about themselves going into last night's contest with the Indiana Pacers, coming off three consecutive wins earlier this week. And, a big part of it has been the play of Jarrett Jack, as the Nets were 3-0 with Jack in the starting lineup.

After exchanging some opening buckets, Sergey Karasev, the big 6'7" guard in his ninth start, makes the first of his two 3-pointers to get the Nets on a little bit of an early run taking their first lead at 5-4.

Add a couple of free throws by recent hero, Mason Plumlee and jumpers by the offensive "Heavyweight Champion", Jack Johnson and by that I mean the duo of Jarrett Jack and Joe Johnson, Brooklyn scores the next six points unanswered to go ahead 11-4, three minutes in and it had the feeling like Christmas was going to continue for the Nets.

In only his third game back for the Pacers, George Hill had scored Indy's first two points and stayed aggressive throughout the opening quarter, grabbing 3 rebounds, hitting a big three pointer to keep them close midway through the first.

At the same time, Jack continued his fine play, running the offense, getting in the lane and scoring, Lopez comes in for the first time for KG and Joe Johnson hits his only 3 of the quarter to stretch the lead to 6 points and with another Jack floating jumper, the Nets re-establish their largest lead of the early going and the evening, eight points up 19-11.

As Coach Hollins would say in his postgame press conference, we shot well to start and then missed shots. Exhibit 1: Brook Lopez, looked flat footed and listless as he missed all of his four FG attempts. And considering Mason Plumlee's more stellar play, Lopez could be on the market in short order.

Despite abysmal offense and half-hearted defense, as Coach commented after the game, the team never stopped playing and competing and as a result made a valiant come back from 9 down to close the second quarter only 3 points behind the Pacers (50-47 ) going into the half.

Unfortunately the numbers say everything about the first half: NETS 32.6% FG Shooting, 31% 3 PT shooting, while PACERS 44.2% FG Shooting, 67% 3 PT shooting. Indiana scored 5 points off 7 turnovers and Nets scored nothing (0) off 4 turnovers.

Deron Williams who continues to be the subject of trade rumors, did not check in until the end of the first quarter and was part of a dismal offensive showing by the bench throughout the game.

Again, Head Coach Lionel Hollins, was very clear when asked what contributed to the poor outing, "when you expect to get a spark off the bench and they go 4 for 27, you're going to lose."

Lionel Hollins, Head Coach, Brooklyn Nets

Then Hollins was asked, what did he see that presented such problems for his team?

He responded, "It's basketball, you put the ball in the basket and you guard somebody."

It became apparent even with Hibbert a non-factor, the Nets had no answer for David West, CJ Watson, and Rodney Stuckey and found themselves down by 14 at the end of the third quarter, 79-65.

The only NETS bright spots were the play and leadership of Jarrett Jack, as a consistent and productive scorer, although he needs to get to the line more. One free throw attempt is not enough for someone who penetrates the paint, as well as, he does and 2 assists is too few against 5 turnovers. And Karasev sets a new career high with 14 points.

The fourth quarter turned quickly into a rout, as the Pacers duplicated their 3rd period 11-point outscoring of the Nets and had the lead up to 27 points before both teams emptied their benches and finished with a 25 point victory, 110-85 over Brooklyn. While Coach Hollins felt like the team never stopped trying to compete, he could not explain the inept shooting except to say it was a good week winning their previous three games and these nights can happen.

Considering the Pacers desperation to make up for a beating they suffered in their last outing, they simply wanted it more and played that way. Even at 13-16 they're still in second place in the East Atlantic Division. Hopefully, the Nets can end the year on a positive note with Sacramento on Tuesday and Chicago on Wednesday and find their groove, as they did last season at the start of the New Year in 2015.

So there's good reason to keep hope alive, Happy New Year!

Johnson and Jack Combine to Help Nets Defeat Nuggets 102-96

Before tip-off against the Denver Nuggets this evening, Mason Plumlee, starting in place of Nets center Brook Lopez, wished everyone in attendance at the Barclays Center a Happy Holidays.

With the way Plumlee has been playing lately, his holiday season will be happier than most.

Plumlee's inspiring play has relegated the role of Lopez's status from starter to role player, and that might not be all.

Recently, NBA trade rumors have placed the Nets big three, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Lopez on the trading block, according to ESPNNY.com and SBNation.com.

Due to Plumlee's emergence, Lopez could be headed out of town, and tonight's display explains it all.

The late scoring of Johnson, and Jarrett Jack, the Nets defeated the Nuggets, 102-96. However, the player of the game award without question goes to the man in the middle, Plumlee. He made a number of key plays down the stretch.

Plumlee scored 19 points in addition to 13 rebounds, recording his 5th double-double of the season, making plays on both ends of the floor along with two steals and three blocks.

Plumlee's activity not only contributed to the Nets win but helped lead the Nets down the stretch, as he was the source of the action, in a series of plays during the final quarter which helped the Nets seal the deal.

And it all started at the 9 minute mark where Plumlee escaped to the phone booth and eventually saved the day.

With 8:46 left in the fourth, Plumlee converted an easy dunk, assisted by Jack, which brought the Nets within five as the Nuggets led 85-80.

Plumlee, then blocks Nuggets rookie Jusuf Nurkic at the rim and at the other end completes a tough reverse-layup, assisted by Joe Johnson, with the foul, as the Nets closed the gap to three, down 85-82 which brought the 17,080 fans in attendance to their feet.

You could feel the energy in the air, as Brooklyn stood up for the second time this quarter in addition to the beginning of the fourth when the Brooklyn PA requests the crowd to do so.

Plumlee gave the crowd no reason to sit and continued his exhilarating play.

On this night, he could do no wrong.

With a little after seven remaining, Plumlee met JaVale Lindy McGee at the rim for another denial, forcing a jump-ball between the two players.

The Nets would then win the tip gaining another possession where Johnson connected for two from 15 feet, giving the Nets their first lead since late in the third quarter.

In the final six minutes, Plumlee hauled in six crucial rebounds which helped the Nets secure the win, while giving Johnson and Jack opportunities on the offensive end as they would go on to score 14 points collectively, ending the Nuggets threat.

There's no doubt that Johnson's late out-burst from the perimeter and Jacks creativity off-the-dribble showed up on the scoreboard but the crowd recognized who made the hustle plays and rewarded Plumlee graciously from one of his rebounds to each basket made.

In general, the Nets offense picked up where they needed it the most, executing a 13-7 stretch in the closing moments.

"I think it just goes back to energy and effort," Jack said post-game.

"Usually when those opportunities present themselves is because you've worked hard on the defensive end and created some havoc."

Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack

And so they did.

In that stretch, the Nets increase in defensive pressure forced the Nuggets to miss six shots in which they would've had the opportunity to tie or stop the bleeding of the Nets run.

"Second-chance opportunities, letting them get offensive rebounds, us not executing on the offensive end and them making shots-basically that was the end of the game," Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler expressed.

"That was working for most of the game, but the last five, six minutes, they outplayed us."

And sure enough, Plumlee is the primary reason, spearheading the Nets late-game execution from a blue-collar perspective making the necessary plays.

Winning plays to say the least.

When I asked Coach Hollins during his press-conference whether or not Plumlee's play of late is making it difficult for the other big's to see the floor in big moments, Hollins said:

"It was an easy decision to leave him in there, whatever the situation warrants, that's who's going to be in the game."

If Plumlee keeps this up, there might not be any more situations left for anyone on the Nets roster over 6'9.

In his answer, Hollins also made a hint to the media as to why no-one asked him about Brook Lopez, who came off the bench for 6 points in 8:15 minutes of play.

This is also the same Lopez who subbed out of the 4th quarter for Plumlee with 10:34 remaining and never returned.

In this brief two-game winning streak, the Nets are exhibiting a toughness and an effort that has been consistently inconsistent throughout the course of this season.

And it is coming when their big-three have been the main subject of trade rumors with Lopez playing limited minutes and Williams recording DNP's.

Jack isn't missing Williams at all providing a steady hand at the lead guard position with the increase in minutes, pacing the Nuggets for 17 points and 8 assists, barely missing his second straight double-double of the season.

Johnson also came up big when it mattered most, scoring a team-high 27 points.

Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson

Even though Johnson is still too-cool for school, (I've never seen him sweat or dive on the floor EVER!) he is still more than capable of winning games.

It seems like all the Nets are benefiting and here's a fun-fact in tonight's game: every Net that entered the game tonight scored.

Cheers to that.

Despite the win, the Nets did give up 26 fast-break points, and were out-rebounded by the Nuggets 51-39, but tonight they persevered.

Ty Lawson penetrated the Nets defense at will, scoring a team-high 29 points with 9 assists complimented by the "Manimal," in Kenneth Faried who also exploited the Nets defense for a double-double in 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Yet again, it didn't matter.

Plumlee is on fire, like an uncomfortable stick of Big-Red chewing gum and Hollins has taken notice.

"Mason made a conscious decision to go and just play and not worry about what I say, if I yell at him, if I take him out of the game-just go play," Hollins said during his post-game press conference.

"He's doing some stuff that I haven't seen Mason do since I've been here, and it's good to see."

Hey! Maybe the Nets don't need ALL of the big three to get the job done.

Just watch Jack and Plumlee play and you will understand why.

Nets Win 110-105 Nail Biter Against Pistons Minus Deron Williams

At some point, the losing that the Brooklyn Nets have been exhibiting lately has to stop right?

It's only fair.

Going into tonight's game, the Nets were on a three-game slide, having lost to the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. All three of these teams are aiming for superiority in the Eastern Conference.

There's no shame in struggling against those teams, but when you're playing three players in excess of just under $300 million dollars, we would expect this team to win more often than not, right?

Tonight's opponent, the Detroit Pistons, can force three overtimes with the New York Knicks (not a good thing at all) sporting a wonderful and respectable (5-22).

For the Nets facing the Pistons didn't look good since Deron Williams and Brook Lopez would sit-out this evening both nursing a strained right calf and a lower back strain respectively. As it turned out, it didn't matter.

The Nets beat the Pistons, like they were supposed to, albeit a nail-biting, 110-105 win snapping their three-game losing streak.

The Nets improved to (11-15) on the season while the Pistons regressed to (5-23).

Sorry Detroit, but who cares.

The Nets jumped out to a comfortable lead in the first quarter striking early and often against the Pistons.

In the first quarter alone, the Nets shot 60% from the field due to a consistent effort in moving the ball around the perimeter.

Jarrett Jack, who started tonight in D-Wills place along with Joe Johnson and Kevin Garnett, each did their part in finding their teammates for 10 assists in the first quarter, which helped the Nets secure an early double digit lead heading into the second, up 28-18.

That score alone gave me the impression that this could be a laugher for the Nets, but it wasn't.

For some reason, losing teams have a lot of pride when they have nothing to play for other than the lottery and the Pistons struck back.

Struck back meaning 33 points scored in the second and outscoring the Nets by eight points.

In the final two minutes of the second, the Nets blew a nine-point lead.

The wrath of D.J. Augustin, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Drummond, who combined to score the last seven points of the second quarter, was just too much for the Nets to handle, as their lead shrunk to two, owning a 53-51 advantage over the Pistons heading into halftime.

Up next was the most important half which decides the final outcome of every sporting event, and the Nets had their hands full against the lowly Pistons, down the stretch.

To begin the fourth quarter, the Nets made it very clear that they wanted a smooth final 12 minutes and in the end almost blew it.

They looked like the Knicks in some stretches, but eventually left the hardwood with a result the Knicks have a hard time securing these days.

A win.

Darrius Morris contributed a solid performance in limited minutes, finding Mason Plumlee on the break for an alley-oop, which erupted the sellout crowd of 17,732 in attendance, giving the Nets an 85-80 advantage with a little over 10 minutes left in the 4th.

Then Teletovic finds the basket and Johnson finds Plumlee for an easy stuff right under the rim.

Tight defense and a couple more plays later courtesy of Morris, Plumlee, and Teletovic have the Nets staring at a 15-point lead with 5:47 remaining in the final quarter.

The Nets took control of the game with a little over six minutes left in the 4th, but Nets Head Coach Lionel Hollins prefers his players to be uncomfortable, having to deal with the situations that arise in a possession-to-possession game because that's what Hollins enjoys the most: competition.

"I think if I were playing, I would prefer to be in a close game than in a blowout," Hollins said during his post-game press conference and his wish was granted by the Basketball Gods, without question.

The sense of urgency with the game near its final moments signaled the Pistons as the comeback effort was in full effect.

Mr. Pope, assisted by Brandon Jennings drained a three-point shot cutting the Nets lead to 12, 98-86 with 5:15 remaining in the 4th.

Kennedy Meeks penetrated the paint for two of Detroit's 42 points inside, now down 10, 98-88 with 4:44 left.

Mr. Pope drained another three, Drummond attacked the basket with ease and Meeks and Jennings came up successful when it mattered most to put the Pistons in a position for an upset, down four, 102-98 on a Jennings step-back jump-shot at the 1:19 minute mark.

It gets worse in what follows because this is what scary movies are made of.

Drummond had his way on the low-post as the Nets failed to confront the big-man with a physical defensive presence inside, which almost cost them the game when Jennings found Drummond for an easy two, as the Pistons trailed the Nets by two, 104-102 with 41.2 remaining till the final buzzer.

The Pistons fouled without many other options sending Johnson to the line where he sunk both free-throws, putting the Nets up 106-102, 12.5 seconds left.

Pope sinks yet another three bringing the Pistons to within one, 106-105 with 9.8 seconds remaining.

Detroit fouls again sending Johnson to the line where he adds two more points to his 16-point effort and a couple seconds later Garnett ends the Pistons threat corralling a rebound and sinking a pair of his own when fouled.

"It's what it is," said Hollins regarding the Nets having to work hard for tonight's win in his post-game press-conference.

"It's what competition is all about," he continued.

In the win, Jack starred for the Nets recording his first double-double of the year with 15 points and 10 assists complimented by Plumlee, who has excelled in Lopez's absence, posting his own double-double in 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack

"I thought that he did a great job of being poised and getting us in stuff," said Hollins regarding Jack's performance.

"Tonight he knew that he was going to play a lot so he was really good."

What's more important in the grand scheme of things for the Nets is the fact that they had six players score in double figures along with Jack and Plumlee, which included Garnett, Johnson, Teletovic and Bojan Bogdanovic who all scored, 10, 16, 13 and 14 respectively.

They also shot 52.6% from the field.

As for the other team, Pope had fun lighting it up from the perimeter with a team high 20 points while Drummond continues to develop into one of the better young big guys in the NBA with 18 points.

"He's big, and he's strong," said Plumlee speaking on behalf of Drummond's presence in tonight's game.

Fortunately for the Nets, Drummond's exploits weren't big enough to prevent the Pistons from dropping their fourth-straight game.

In a game in which the Nets had to have they delivered.

With trade rumors surrounding the centerpieces of this team's core, wins are their only option, losing is not.

Trade Rumors Swirl Nets May Deal Williams to Sacramento Kings

Maybe it's too late for the Nets roster to save themselves as management has talked with the Sacramento Kings in a potential block-buster trade that will relocate their 98 million-dollar man in Williams.

If that's the case, tonight, the Nets exhibited a team that won without the services of that man.

It is only one game, but a win is a win right?

Mason Plumlee Has Good Game Despite Nets Loss

Despite the most recent trade rumors surrounding the Brooklyn Nets big three of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez, the Nets have been fairly focused on the immediate task at hand, which involves winning games.

They are not in the basement; but the thought is that Nets management feels that this culmination of talent, specifically, bringing in Williams and Johnson to join Lopez has been a failed experiment and perhaps, demolition is the best possible direction to pursue.

And, tonight's game results didn't help.

Winners of two straight, the Nets returned home from a one game road-trip win against the Charlotte Hornets, and were unable to continue their good fortunes tonight falling to the Heat, 95-91.

At the 1:47 mark in the first quarter, the game was delayed because of a ceiling leak over celebrity row at the Barclays Center. There was some talk after that perhaps the leak had an unsettling effect on the Nets.

The Nets are now three games below the .500 mark at (10-13) on the season, while the Heat improved to (12-13), one game below the .500 mark.

This is also the second straight win for the Heat against the Nets this season. The last two meetings are scheduled for January 4 and March 11 in Miami. Hopefully, Miami in the winter will have a better effect on the Nets.

In a game where Chris Bosh received a DNP due to a strained left calf, the Nets caught a break and failed to take advantage.

The injury bug also affected the Nets as Lopez was out with a lower back strain.

With Bosh's injury, you would expect that the Heat would need the other member of the Big 2 in Dwyane Wade to carry the Heat offensively, and early on Wade delivered.

Through the first fie plus minutes of the first-half, Wade accounted for all of the Heats first 10 points converting all of his shots from the perimeter.

Wade would enter the intermission period leading both teams in individual scoring with 17 points at the half.

Although Wade found early success on the offensive end, the Heat's early double digit lead, which they enjoyed throughout the duration of the first half, stemmed from the depth of their bench.

Chris Anderson, Mario Chalmers, Shawne Williams, and Shabazz Napier all had their moments and combined to score 22 points, as the Heat led at the half 55-45.
As far as the home-team, Mason Plumlee, in the starting line-up for Lopez did not disappoint scoring 13 first-half points converting 6 of 8 shots around the rim.

Opposed to Miami's bench, the Nets found minimal help from their reinforcements; Mirza Teletovic, Alan Anderson, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jarrett Jack totaled 11 points heading into halftime.

Fortunately for the Nets, two more quarters remained, in which they would seek out the solution in cooling off the Heat.

In the beginning of the third, D. Williams and Co. found that solution.

During the first four minutes of play, the Nets orchestrated a 12-3 run behind baskets made by Kevin Garnett, Plumlee, Sergey Karasev, and Johnson. They cut a 10-point deficit to one, trailing the Heat 57-58.

At this point, I, along with the rest of the crowd figured that the Nets would continue their push and eventually take control of their home-court.

The Heat responded with a run of its own.

Sharpshooter Shawne Williams connected from behind the arc seconds before the conclusion of the third quarter as the Heat built another double digit lead. The Heat entered the 4th quarter 76-66.

Somehow, someway the Nets organized a series of plays which led one to believe that they could re-write the script of their fate in tonight's affair, but one play down the stretch made the difference.

After Wade's turn-around jump-shot assisted by Chalmers found nothing but net to give his pals a 92-83 advantage with 2:16 remaining in the 4th, I thought the Nets chances in possibly securing a win were slim-to-none.

And then this happened.

Plumlee's two points made at the free-throw line brought the Nets closer, 85-93, and a feeling of life.

Then, a Plumlee steal, leading to a three-point shot by Johnson, added a spark. Suddenly, the Nets are now within five, 88-93 with a minute left till the end of regulation.

And a missed 3-point attempt by Luol Deng allowed the Nets to inch even closer as Bogdanovic drained a three in the corner, on one of D. Williams' 11 assists, pulling the Nets to within a basket, down 91-93 with 35.1 seconds remaining in the 4th.

Fans were energized, feeling that the Nets have come too far, albeit late in the fourth to lose this one, but that's exactly what they did.

Once again, the Heat made just enough plays to break the Nets spirits and leave Brooklyn, 2-0 this season.

The Nets couldn't catch that one break they needed to put them over the hump and here is the play that spelled the difference in tonight's game.

The Heat are up two with 35.1 seconds left so it's pretty obvious who would receive the ball in this situation to ensure a Heat victory.

None other than the 3-time champion in Wade, who missed a three point attempt only for Deng to hall in the rebound in which Bogdanovic was called for.

Game, set and match.

Wade scored a team-high 28 points complimented by Deng who recorded 18 of his own.

For the Nets, Plumlee, in Lopez's absence compiled 21 points supported by a solid 15 points and 10 assists performance by D. Williams and 16 points from Johnson.

Despite the Nets poor shooting in this game at 39% from the field, they still had a chance at the end to prevail. Nets Head Coach Lionel Hollins has the answers for his team's struggles this season.

"You have to be a good team," Hollins said during his post-game press conference.

"Were struggling to be that right now," Hollins continued. "We're trying to be. We're working at it, we've made progress, but we're not there yet."

Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins talking with the media.

And who could argue with that statement?

Even Johnson agreed with his head coach in expressing his own assessment of tonight's context during his post-game interview with reporters in the Nets locker room.

"I just think we're only helping each other sometimes on defense, night-in and night-out, and it hurts us," Johnson said to the media.

"Our pick-and-roll defense was pretty good, but we gave up a few easy baskets tonight and we have to do better."

Brooklyn Nets shooting guard, Joe Johnson

Reviewing the game's stats, I believe the Nets lost this game because they could not neutralize the Heats bench.

Wade will get his and is capable of getting his on any given night and it was up to the Nets to figure out how they could corral Wade along with the rest of the Heats supporting cast tonight.

The Heat's bench out-scored the Nets bench, 35-24.

Chalmers, S. Williams, and Napier all scored in double-figures registering 10, 10, and 11 points respectively.

What's even more crucial in tonight's loss for the Nets is the road ahead.

In the next two opponents, the Nets will travel north of the border to take on the Atlantic Division leading Toronto Raptors and then towards the mid-west to compete against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Raptors are winners of their last three games while Cavs are 8-2 in their last ten games.

If that isn't convincing enough, the Raptors are 19-6 while the Cavs are 14-9.

Kyle Lowry is emerging as an elite point guard in the NBA and Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love are catching their stride in Ohio.

That's why the Nets needed this game.

A loss tonight could translate into a three-game losing streak over the next couple of days for the Nets.

"We need to go up there and get a win," said Plumlee regarding the next opponent in the Raptors.

"Whatever we have to do doesn't matter; we just need to get a win."

Ya think?

Nets Lose to Cavaliers 110-88

On a night when the Barclays Center hosted a king, a prince, and a basketball game, the Brooklyn Nets picked the worst day to not prevail. On an historic night, the Nets received a royal beat down in front overseas company, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

LeBron James aka "King James" and his royal court, the Cleveland Cavaliers, came to the Barclays Center to win a battle, and win they did, 110-88. One could argue that the short-handed Nets made it easy for the Cavs. The Nets missing troop members were: center Brook Lopez, out with a bad back, and shooting guard Joe Johnson; he has the flu.

The first two quarters, the Nets played competitively, but during the third quarter, the tide changed. The Nets were leading 61-60; Kevin Love attempted a pair of free throws made one and tied the game and turned around on the next possession to put the Cavs up 63-61. The Cavs ended the period with a 24-6 run.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Cavs were up 85-67. And, in a flash, something happened that has never happened at any NBA basketball game. British royalty was introduced to American musical royalty. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Prince William and Kate Middleton, were ushered onto the court to meet Jay Z and Beyonce.

From that point on, the chatter in the arena was less about the game and more about the meeting of two power couples.

Directly following the game, LeBron James gave Prince William and Kate Middleton a gift that included a box of cupcakes and a jersey for the baby on the way.

There were no photo opps with Nets players, just LeBron.

Well, LeBron is the greatest NBA basketball player of our time, but can you imagine a party going on in your house and you're not invited.