Nets Beat Back Thunder 116-85

Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are out for the Oklahoma City Thunder which means the Brooklyn Nets will catch a break in their home opener right?

Wrong.

"It's another NBA game and a game that counts," rookie forward Cory Jefferson said to What's The 411TV prior to the tip-off. "They are missing some of their key players but we still have to go out there and handle business."

He's absolutely right.

The Nets can't take anybody for granted. It doesn't matter what the current roster of their opponents reflect. In their regular season home opener, the Nets did the right thing. They took care of the hobbled Thunder 116-85 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,732 at the Barclays Center.

That's what they were supposed to do.

It was also a star-studded home opener which included Grammy award-winning R&B recording artist Ashanti, who sang the national anthem and hip hop artist Fabolous was also present announcing the starting lineups for the Brooklyn Nets.

Regarding the contest tonight, this wasn't a break for the Nets, it was a vacation, target practice, whatever "easy street" activity you would like to call it.

What's significant for the Nets and their personnel was the fact that this was the regular season debut for Nets center Brook Lopez, who sat out the first two games of the season with a sprain in his right mid-foot. Lopez contributed 18 points and six rebounds, an encouraging performance.

The Nets scored early and often and reminded the Thunder what the presence of stars like Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are capable of producing, when healthy.

In the first half, Williams and Johnson combined for 20 points.

Lopez in his first action of the season added seven points and four rebounds while rookie guard Bojan Bogdanovic provided some marksmanship from deep, connecting on two three-pointers scoring 8.

Eight of the ten available players for the Nets all scored as the Nets entered the intermission period up by a comfortable 19 points, 59-40.

Yes, almost 60 in 24 minutes of play.

When it's not your night, it shows and the Thunder made it very obvious that Durant and Westbrook are desperately needed if this team is to have any shot of competing in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

"We did a lot of good things in the first three games, and we didn't do that tonight," said Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks following tonight's game.

In the last two deciding quarters, more of the same continued.

The Nets were the favorites in this match-up and they played like it.

In the third quarter alone, the Nets enjoyed leads of +14, +18 and +23.

With 42.8 remaining in the third quarter, Deron WIlliams participated in a defense to offense sequence that just displayed the dominance the Nets enjoyed on both ends of the floor.

Off of a Williams missed three-point shot attempt, the Thunder's Kendrick Perkins collected the rebound and one bad pass later was intercepted by Williams who converted an uncontested layup which put the Nets up 85-62.

It was that kind of night, and with the offensive success the Nets enjoyed, the starters were able to rest for the majority of the 4th quarter as the bench finished off the remains of what was left of the Thunder.

Williams finished with 17 points and nine assists while Joe Johnson supplied 13 points and six rebounds.

Reggie Jackson was the lone high scorer for the Thunder recording 23 points.

Look, the Thunder are a shell of themselves right now and although this outcome was expected there are some legitimate positives that the Nets can take from this performance and apply it to the future games they will confront.

Positives like Brook Lopez exiting this game among the top two overall scorers for the Nets tonight along with reserve guard Alan Anderson, who also chipped in with an efficient 7-8 shooting from the field for 18 points.

"It was great seeing him out there," Nets forward Joe Johnson said about Lopez to the media following the game. "I think his presence alone opens up the floor a lot more for guys like myself and Deron, and he looked great tonight."

Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets Shooting guard/Small Forward

Positives like the bench scoring 50 points to compliment the starting five in a rout.

"Our bench was amazing for us tonight," Williams said in the post-game media sessions. "To come out of the game and get a lift from our bench, that's what we need."

Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets Point Guard

Positives like shooting 52.4% from the floor, 47.8% from behind the arc and connecting for 89.5% from the charity strike.

"We shot the ball extremely well," said Head Coach Lionel Hollins during his post-game press conference. "We moved the ball, we attacked and they just couldn't stay up with us."

Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Lionel Hollins

And, one more positive was the exploits of rookie starting guard Bojan Bogdanovic, hailing from Croatia.

"He played well and he was much more aggressive tonight" said Head Coach Lionel Hollins about Bogdanovic. "I have confidence in him and I want him to play his game."

The Thunder coming to town also meant the return of Brooklyn's own, Sebastian Telfair now starting for the Thunder due to injuries of Durant and Westbrook.

"It felt good before the game started," Telfair told the media during the post-game sessions. "It is always good to come back to my roots, playing in front of my family and for some of my fans."

The biggest takeaway the Nets can use from this game and apply to their future opponents is confidence.

The offense flourished.

The defense denied any offensive consistency.

Tonight was evidence of what the Nets are capable of when they are clicking on all cylinders.

The challenge is to do their due diligence when playing a team that shares the same aspirations in team goals that they promote.

The Nets will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, November 5, the New York Knicks on Friday November 7th and the Orlando Magic on Sunday, November 9th. Following this home stand is a west-coast road-trip featuring the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers.

How will the Nets respond to the teams on its West Coast swing?

That will be an important stretch to see how these Nets measure up against some of the best teams the NBA has to offer.

The Nets won this game because it was what they were supposed to do. However, the games scheduled in the coming weeks will be telling.

Only then will we see what the Nets are really made of.

Carmelo Anthony Makes History

Things went so well this Sunday evening for New York Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony; he made history and led his team to victory.

That usually doesn't happen on the same night.

Anthony became the 40th player to join the NBA's 20,000 points club, finishing with a team-high 28 points to lead the Knicks to a thrilling 96-93 win over the re-branded Charlotte Hornets.

Unfortunately, the Hornets were hit with the injury bug.

A member of their young core in forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a rib contusion mid-way into the first quarter after falling awkwardly in trying to corral a rebound from Knicks guard, Shane Larkin.

I must say that I love the new look Hornets re-branding returning to the NBA because the Bobcats logo and branding was horrible.

Just seeing those Jerseys reminds me of Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, but anyway the Knicks won.

The early ball-movement of the Knicks offense was very encouraging and along with solid team defense, the Knicks were able to build an early 15-5 advantage on an Anthony made three-pointer with 7:42 remaining in the first quarter.

More of the same ball movement trend leaked into the 2nd quarter in which the Knicks took the largest lead of the game, leading 45-30 with 4:37 remaining until halftime.

Iman Shumpert starred in the first half contributing 11 points doing most of his damage from outside.

His defensive tenacity, over-zealous at times, regulated him to the bench as he gained his second foul with 6:41 remaining in the first quarter.

He would contribute the game-changing play later in the game.

With basketball being a game of runs, it was only a matter of time until the Hornets got their feet wet and familiarized themselves with their surroundings.

As the Hornets cut the early lead to single digits, the ball-movement the Knicks exhibited throughout the first half vanished which then resulted in a game of possessions.

The Hornets cut the Knicks early double digit lead and trailed by two points, going into halftime down 50-52.

It was homecoming for the Hornets All-NY back-court, Lance Stephenson and Kemba Walker who did everything in their power to spoil the Knicks second home game of the year.

With the Knicks unable to preserve their early lead and the Hornets evenly matching up with their opponents, the second half of this game produced plenty of gut-wrenching moments for both fans of both teams.

It was a back-and-forth affair. You score, I score.

The biggest lead held by either team in the second half was three points.

That explains it all.

The Knicks can never win comfortable and give their fans an easy night off.

Everything the Knicks do is designed to provide a difficult task for themselves as well as their fan-base.

From that perspective, they definitely delivered.

Al Jefferson plagued the Knicks all night long scoring inside with ease with the only capable defender being Samuel Dalembert, who troubled Jefferson by forcing the low-post scorer to his left.

Due to Dalembert's defense, Jefferson was taken out of the game offensively as he produced a scoreless fourth quarter.

It was all up to the back-court hailing from New York City, who both came up short in the deciding quarter.

Stephenson was less aggressive and played the role of facilitator while Walker was limited to a two-point fourth quarter courtesy of Knicks reserve guard, Pablo Prigioni's defense.

There's a reason why he's still on this roster.

Even with the limited production of the Hornets back-court, the Knicks struggled to put the Hornets away and found themselves in a hole with the game hanging in the balance.

A made jump-shot by Hornets reserve guard Gary Neal and a Walker reverse lay-up granted the Hornets a 93-90 lead with 2:49 remaining.

It was make or break time for the Knicks and they chose wisely, executing timely hoops which proved to supply the damage necessary in order to achieve the victory.

Down by three, Knicks guard Iman Shumpert connected on a three-pointer which tied the game at 93-all with 2:06 remaining till the end of regulation.

All the Knicks needed now was a stop: Check.

How about a basket to put the Knicks ahead by someone who was brought here for these moments worth $122 million? Check.

Anthony has provided clutch baskets throughout his career and did not disappoint the Knicks fans in attendance tonight.

Guarded by Hornets forward Marvin Williams, Anthony sank an elbow jumper from the triple-threat position giving the Knicks a 95-93 lead with 1:24 remaining in the fourth.

Game-over.

Other than Anthony's historic night, Amare Stoudemire displayed flashes of his old-self adding 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Larkin also played well contributing nine points, five assists and two steals.

For the Hornets, Walker finished with 16 points while Stephenson compiled 14 points, 8 assists and 9 rebounds, two assists and one rebound away from a triple-double.

If Stephenson can improve his outside shot, he will be scary.

The Knicks shot 50% from the field and totaled 23 assists.

Last year, this would have been a game that the Knicks would have lost without a doubt.

This year's team is much improved.

My biggest takeaway from this game was the coaching.

Knicks Head Coach Derek Fisher has a presence and is pushing the right buttons early on.

No less than 30 seconds off the clock in the 4th quarter and Fisher elects to call a timeout as Hornets center Cody Zeller rose for an uncontested dunk.

Fisher was disgusted with the defense and showed no tolerance for the defensive effort on that play specifically.

That's what the Knicks need.

They need to be held accountable.

All in all, the Knicks are 2-1 and their next opponent is no walk in the park as the Knicks will host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

That means the explosive exploits of guard John Wall and forward Paul Pierce, Knicks public enemy no.1.

The road gets tougher but for now Anthony is the 40th member of the NBA's 20,000 point club.

Congrats.

In my last post, I dedicated my publication to one of the stars that the NBA boasts presently: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.

The injury bug targeted Thunder superstar forward Kevin Durant, who suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot.

Due to the injury, Durant will be out of commission until late November, possibly December-missing a month's worth of NBA action.

My last post was about what I expect Westbrook to display because of the opportunity that revealed itself with Durant's current predicament.

I talked about how Westbrook would have the responsibility of sustaining success with the Thunder until Durant was cleared to return to the floor.

Now, Westbrook will not have that opportunity.

Westbrook suffered a small split in the second metacarpal of his right hand when he collided with his teammate, Kendrick Perkins, going for a rebound in Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Now he's hurt.

Westbrook will be sidelined for the next four weeks and has had successful surgery to repair the broken bone in his right hand which took place on Saturday.

You just couldn't take it easy could you?

You were so excited to do it all by yourself.

That's why we were excited to tune in because we knew we would be provided with watching the entirety of Westbrook's game.

What led to his injury is what makes him great.

It would've been exciting to see the 1-on-1 point guard match-ups that would test Westbrook's decision making without having the best security blanket of Durant's presence to lean on to when he makes mistakes.

What's left of the Thunder is a young group of players who have no-one else but themselves to look to with each win and expected losses in the Western Conference.

This will give Thunder GM Sam Presti the chance to re-evaluate everybody, including head coach Scott Brooks.

With both Durant and Westbrook injured, if Brooks can pull off a Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls Head Coach), and keep the Thunder stable until the cavalry arrives then his job should be safe.

With Durant and Westbrook out, it gives us viewers the opportunity to observe forward Perry Jones. He was the 28th pick of the 2012 draft, projected as a lottery pick that I was high on coming out of Baylor because of his ability to put the ball on the floor at 6'11.

Serge Ibaka's touches will increase which should allow him to continue the upward trend of his offensive game.

And, then there is Brooklyn's own Sebastian Telfair. He should receive the minutes required to prove that he is here to stay. Telfair is back after a year in China and no longer the phenom, now 29 years-old and hopefully wiser.

What's intriguing is that the remaining players on the Thunder's roster seem to be eager to show the world that Westbrook and Durant aren't the only players on the Thunder that can play.

Hopefully, they will get that chance, meanwhile, stars sell and Westbrook's injury diminishes the Thunder's stock.

The Oklahoma City fans are wonderful and will stick by this group.

Westbrook's injury highlights the biggest threat to the NBA and something they have no autonomy over: the health of its stars.

The most recent news surrounding one of the NBA's greatest players is disappointing.

Sunday, October 12, The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that their most prized asset, superstar forward Kevin Durant, the reigning MVP of the league has suffered what is known to be a Jones fracture in his right foot.

Ouch!

According to CBSsports.com, the injury usually requires surgery which could alter the plans of Durant and Co. and puts the hopes and dreams of a title chase on reserve until he returns to the hardwood.

This injury will sideline Durant for 6-8 weeks, definitely missing the start of the 2014-15 NBA season.

On October 21, Durant held a press conference and said all the right things because rarely does he not. "..It was unexpected, but going through so much in my life, it's another bump in the road that I knew I had to get pass," Durant said during his press conference.

He also expressed that he wanted to take the best route with this injury because he has never been injured before and elected to have surgery influenced by his doctors who have his best interest.

It is understood that Durant will miss time on court right?

Agreed.

What does that mean for the Thunder and the remaining roster? It obviously provides more shots for the players who aren't accustomed to scoring on a consistent basis while adding more shot attempts for the players that Durant plays alongside of in the starting lineup.

It also means that a particular someone on this Thunder roster will have an enhanced role once the ball tips-off on this NBA season.

It means that the Thunder will have to keep the ship afloat in Durant's absence. Without a doubt, it means being fortunate to witness the Russell Westbrook show.

Now of course Westbrook would like to begin the year with his partner in crime; it's the only life he knows. For the majority of his career he hasn't spent much time playing without Durant opposed to Durant and his individual career experiences thus far.

In the first round of the 2012-13 NBA Playoffs against the no. 8 seed - the Houston Rockets, the then no.1 seeded Thunder witnessed Westbrook injure his knee courtesy of Rockets guard Patrick Beverley, who collided with Westbrook on a steal attempt.

That injury, a day later revealed itself as a slight tear in his right meniscus, which required surgery eliminating his participation for the remainder of the 2012-13 playoffs.

Fast-forward to last season.

Prior to the beginning of the 2013-14 NBA season, Westbrook underwent a second surgery on his right knee.

Reports surfaced that Westbrook would miss the first two weeks of the season and in reality only missed the first two games.

Following the Christmas holiday, Westbrook elected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on the same right knee, delaying his return to the court until after the All-Star break.

In Westbrook's absence, the Thunder ascended behind the remarkable production of Durant who did more than hold down the fort, he won the MVP award.

The "Durantula" endured 2/3 of a playoffs series, a playoff series and a portion of a season without Westbrook's assistance.

Now it's Westbrook's turn.

It's going to be interesting to see if the Thunder and it's coaching staff improve the offensive flow in applying more creativity in the offense, involving more players than the playing off the "Durant-Westbrook Isolation" strategy.

That means you Scott Brooks, the Thunder's Head Coach.

It is going to be interesting to observe how Westbrook manages without his best pal. How will he own the responsibility of the franchises direction in Durant's medical leave.

It's interesting because Westbrook is the type of player with the mentality who welcomes this challenge. He wants this task.

He will not run from it, he embraces it.

This is the same player who although acknowledges that this is Durant's team, views himself as the no.1 primary option.

That's why we love Westbrook.

The 2010-14 "Big Three" of the Miami Heat featuring Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all knew their roles.

Wade and Bosh sacrificed their individual production because they were aware of who they were playing alongside.

It was LeBron's team and we all knew that.

When I watch Westbrook play, I do not see someone who is interested in deferring to the greatness of Durant, even though certain situations arise in which he should do so.

I see someone who goes after it to a fault. Someone who wants it so bad that you cannot blame him when he makes a mistake; you have to accept it.

You can't question Westbrook's heart, desire or motive, which is why it will be interesting to see how Westbrook, a 3-time All-star fares in the time Durant will miss.

In addition to the All-Star appearances, Westbrook has been selected to three All-NBA second teams, years 2011-13.

At the age of 25, Westbrook holds career averages of 20.1 points per game, 6.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds. Westbrook is a top-ten NBA talent because he won't settle for anything less.

He would probably say he is the best player in the league to which you can obviously present an argument despite the fact that you would understand where he is coming from.

So the main and primary question for the Thunder is: can Westbrook provide stability for the Thunder in the ultra-competitive Western Conference while Durant recovers?

This is why we, NBA journalists and enthusiasts love the NBA.

Its not just about the players, but the story-lines and obstacles that some of the greatest players in this league will have to confront in their careers from time to time.

Translation: Must-see TV.

As soon as Wednesday October 29, at the Portland Trailblazers, the Thunder will be must-see TV.