Do Any Teams Down 2-0 Have a Chance to Win Their Series?

The NBA Playoffs have lived up to the billing thus far, with --- games going into overtime through two games in all of the series. Some series have gone back-and-forth, but there are also a couple teams are staring down 0-2 holes. 85 percent of teams go on and win once they open up a 2-0 lead; only 16 teams have come back from an 0-2 deficit in an NBA playoff series, most recently being done by the Memphis Grizzlies last season against the Los Angeles Clippers. Will any of the teams facing that deficit become the 17^th team to do it? Here are their chances of breaking through and taking control of the series.

Chicago Bulls – The Bulls came into the playoffs riding high, as they rode their chemistry and defense to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Both things have abandoned the Bulls in the postseason thus far, as they are in an 0-2 hole to the Washington Wizards, despite having the home court advantage.

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Coming into the series, many people believed the Bulls held a serious advantage in the paint, as the trio of Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson has been the backbone of the team all season. No one told the Wizards this, as they have actually been the ones benefiting from the play of their big man, with the resurgent Nene leading the way. Nene has gone for 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists and 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the first two games. He has been able to affect the game of Noah, disrupting Noah with his brute strength.

The Bulls should still feel comfortable that in the end Noah and their other big men will get the most of the Wizards bigs, but the problem they face then is slowing down the Wizards perimeter players. John Wall and Bradley Beal make up one of the best young backcourts, and are thought of by many as potentially the best backcourt in the NBA within the next few seasons.

Wall has yet to get going, combining for only 10 field goals in the two games, while turning the ball over eight times. The Bulls will regret not getting at least one, if not both of these games at home, as they cannot pin their playoff hopes on Wall putting up underwhelming games four more times.

Not in the Bulls favor is that Beal looked much more comfortable in Game 2, leading the way for the Wizards with 26 points. He made big time shots in the fourth quarter as well, canning two of his four three point makes to keep the Wizards deficit at a manageable margin in the fourth quarter. Beal, like Wall and Nene, give the Wizards a player that create offense for himself and get a basket when they need it most. That is something the Bulls lack, as D.J. Augustin was the player keeping them in the game tonight.

Even worse for the Bulls, the Wizards are now heading home with all of the momentum and a 2-0 lead. The Bulls have proven they play well in the face of adversity, but this is a task that seems too tall to climb. The Bulls became the 24^th team in NBA history to go down 0-2 starting the series at home, and only three teams previously came back to win the series. The Bulls should avoid the sweep, but becoming the fourth team to come back from that kind of series deficit does not look to be in their future.

Charlotte Bobcats – The Bobcats gave the Miami Heat everything they could in Game 2, yet the result was the same as Game 1; a loss. The end score was closer, but in the postseason morale victories are useless, and that is all the Bobcats came away with from the first two games of the series is a morale victory.

Lynne Sladky-AP Photo

When you get 22 points from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who hadn’t scored more than 11 in game since November 15^th, you are thinking positively. Add in the fact that Al Jefferson had 18, Kemba Walker with 16 and Gerald Henderson scored 15, and you would say the Bobcats had a pretty good shot at the victory.

Unfortunately for them, the Heat have the best player in the world in LeBron James and he put up a monster game of his own, scoring 32 points with eight assists and six rebounds.

With big man Jefferson injuring his left foot in Game 1, the Bobcats miniscule chances of pulling off the big upset became nonexistent. Couple that with the fact that the Heat are a perfect 17-0 against the Bobcats since James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade, getting a victory in this series would be something to celebrate for the Bobcats. A win on their home court in the playoffs would be nice for the fans, and the best they should expect, as the Heat have the Bobcats number and the Bobcats are without a lot of firepower with Jefferson hobbled.

Houston Rockets – Coming into the postseason, this was a series circled by many to be the most entertaining of the first round. Matched up with the Portland Trail Blazers, this was a series many people picked to go seven games. Both teams were extremely similar, posting identical regular season records and playing similar styles. Unfortunately for the Rockets, they do not have LaMarcus Aldridge.

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Aldridge has been a monster through two games, scoring 89 combined points between Game 1 and 2. The Rockets have had no answer for Aldridge, as he has dominated all over the court. He is 17-26 from the paint, 16-31 from the rest of two point shots, and 2-2 from three point line. These are not all open shots, but Aldridge has supreme confidence right now and does not look like he will be slowed down anytime soon. He is the reason why the Blazers are up 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time since 1977, coincidentally the same year they won their only championship.

The Rockets blew a golden opportunity to tie this series up, as Aldridge was the only player who shot the ball well for the Blazers in Game 2, and Dwight Howard finally showed up. He scored 32 points to go with 14 rebounds, yet that was not enough to get the Rockets a victory. Houston even dominated the paint, outscoring the Blazers by 38 in the paint, yet they still found a way to lose the game.

Things are not looking up for the Rockets right now, and have the deck severely stacked against them. The one thing that can get the Rockets back on track is James Harden. All season they have relied on Harden to lead their up-tempo attack, but through two games in the post season he has struggled. The struggles have caused the Rockets to change how they play, running the offense through Howard on the interior in Game 2 instead of getting out in transition.

The Rockets need Harden to play how he played throughout the regular season if they are to have any chance of making this a series again. With how similar the teams are, the Rockets have the best chance of coming back from the 2-0 deficit they face of any team on this list. That is not saying much, as teams down 2-0 are in a big hole, but when you have firepower of the level of the Rockets anything is possibly. It just is not very likely, but for the fans sake hopefully they get it going as the two games in this series have made for the most entertaining series thus far in the post season.

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What we've learned from the 1st-round of the NBA Playoffs

The NBA regular season is entertaining due to seeing all 30 teams put out their best effort day-in and day-out. With that being said during the 2014 NBA Playoffs we've begun to learn that the regular season isn't as important as we first thought. In hindsight, teams aren't as formidable and players are gaining respect on a national level. Class is in session and we've learned a lot about multiple teams and players through week one of the postseason.

Predicable?

For years we've heard people call the NBA playoffs predictable because traditionally the higher seed would decimate the lower seed and it's always easy to have an idea of which franchise will be holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy late into June. The thoughts of predictability led viewers to prefer the NCAA Tournament, NHL Playoffs and NFL Playoffs as they aren't predictable.

Surprisingly, the 2014 NBA Playoffs have been far from predictable with multiple games ending in over times, 4-point plays that make you rub your eyes asking yourself “Did he just do that?”, star performances and more. What no one predicted or saw coming was road teams winning 9 of the first 16 games with two sweeping the first two games on the road (Washington & Portland). Also it's the first time in NBA history road teams are 9-7 through the first two games of the postseason.

Superstar players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are expected to put up insane stats but it has yet to happen however Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 44.5 PPG and 13.0 RPG on the road. No one expected him of all people to breakout this early in the playoffs — his 89 points through two games the most since Allen Iverson's 90 points through two games in the '01 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. It took eight years but Aldridge has finally received a invitation to join the "elite players" group which wasn't expected. 

Regular Season Impact: 

San Antonio Spurs Head coach Gregg Popovich won the Coach of the Year Award after leading his team to a regular season best 62-20 record.  It's Popovich's third time winning the award joining Pat Riley and Don Nelson as the only coaches to receive the prestigious award that amount of times.

Now it's great for Popovich to win the award, it shows that more coaches can regularly rest their players during the regular season as he did in San Antonio with not one player playing 30 minutes per game. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did pick-up Popovich's method and rested his "Big-3" throughout certain points of the season. Popovich winning C.O.Y is going to promote more teams to rest their key players throughout the regular season and looking at it from a fans perspective, it's going to suck seeing million dollar sitting on the bench healthy, especially if your a season ticket holder.

The consistent winning of the road team is a NBA record and raises the question, Why compete during the regular season? The 2014-2015 NBA Season could be in jeopardy because teams like the Indiana Pacers put in max effort for 82-games to secure homecourt throughout the East section of the playoffs just to lose in Game 1 to the only playoff team with a losing record which was the Atlanta Hawks.

Early Collapse?

Ever hear the song "Started from the Bottom" by Drake? Yea well a few teams have started at the bottom and are staying because their whole team isn't there. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers have been exposed for their weaknesses which could lead to their demise.

The Chicago Bulls entering the playoffs were thought of as "The team you don't want to face" but right now with the way they are playing against Washington Wizards, that assumption by many has become invalid. Chicago is known for their great defense and were thought by many to be able to put the clamps on the Wiz's offense. Bill Russell said is best, "It's all about getting buckets" and the Bulls can't do that. It doesn't matter how good your defense is, if you can't put the ball in the hole then expect to be bathing in the sun early. No disrespect to D.J. Augustin and Kirk Hinrich, but they should not be your leading scorers through two games in the NBA Playoffs. Along with their lack of offense, Chicago has been exposed for their lack of depth as their starters are over played; most notably Jimmy Butler who played all 53 minutes in Game 2 and has only had a 4:54 minute break through two games.

You've heard the cliche "If it ain't broke don't fix it", but apparently Kevin Pritchard and Larry Bird saw a mistake in something perfectly good. When long-time Pacer Danny Granger was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers it made us say two of the Ws "what and why" because it was a shock as Evan Turner came to town. Andrew Bynum came to town also and fast forward to today and the championship hopes in Indiana are becoming as slim as the Charlotte Bobcats' chances to eliminate the Miami Heat. The panic button for the Pacers should've been hit repeatedly because now they have problems with Evan Turner and Lance Stephenson reportedly getting into a scuffle, Roy Hibbert doing his best Kwame Brown impersonation, Andrew Bynum having knees worse then a 80-year old and Paul George's off the court issues.

The Houston Rockets were chosen by many as championship contenders with the pairing of Dwight Howard and James Harden as they were thought of the second coming of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. While they might achieve something close to Shaq and Kobe, both Howard and Harden have issues they need to resolve. Harden is struggling through two games as his shooting woes have led him to 29.8% shooting and 26.3% from the 3-point line but as for his sidekick Dwight Howard, well he's been dominate averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.0 rebounds through two games. You'd think with Howard making a mockery of his opposition that Houston would lead or at least tie the series, but Harden's insufficient shooting is the reason why the Rockets have a huge problem being down 0-2. Houston should not be running their offense inside-out because it's hindering the success of others. Also worth noting is that Harden's temper is as thin as Mohawk when he verbally attacked a reporter after Game 2.

Since 2011 we've talked about Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Their relationship reminds me of a married couple that has so many flaws but for someone they stay together. Both are great players at their respective positions but they will not a championship by living outside the paint. Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal have said it the best, "You don't live by the jumper you die by the jumper" and right Westbrook is digging OKC's grave next to other teams that thought they could win a ring by consistent shooting. In Game 2 Westbrook and Durant combined for 56 shot attempts (28 a piece). Now Durant can take 28-shots but Westbrook can't and that might seem like a double-standard but it's true. Durant is a 4x scoring champ and likely MVP for a reason and Westbrook is just a sidekick with great athletic ability. OKC may go far but they won't win it all unless Westbrook learns that his hand isn't always hot.

Show some respect:

Respect is earned not given and Al Jefferson has earned it rightfully from us all. A few minutes into the Charlotte Bobcats' playoff game, Al Jefferson heard a pop in his foot and was diagnosed with plantar fascia. Plantar fascia is a painful injury according to those who have had it and "Big Al" Jefferson is a 7-foot burly man who is currently playing through it. Jefferson hopped his way up and down the court against Miami because he's determined to get Charlotte their first ever playoff win. The injury was so bad that Jefferson needed to take a injection to even walk but had the heart of a champion to keep fighting. 

Jefferson entered AmericanAirlines Arena the same way he left which was in a boot for Game 2. Before tip-off he needed to take another shot to play and did and just like in Game 1 he was hobbling up and down 94-feet. Jefferson has earned the respect from anyone following the series because he could easily be shutdown for the season with that injury but refuses to go down without a fight.

Wrap-up:    

In general we've seen a great start to the NBA playoffs with nothing turning out as many expected it to with teams becoming exposed for their weaknesses and collapsing at the wrong time. As we get deeper into the 1st-round their are just so many questions; Will the Chicago Bulls get swept by a young Wizards team? Will the Indiana Pacers have the biggest collapse in NBA history? And can Russell Westbrook realize that OKC won't a ring with him shooting 20+ shots? These are all feasible questions to think about as we progress to crowning a champion.

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5 Players With Most to Prove In Playoffs: Eastern Conference

The NBA Playoffs are finally upon us, and there are some teams and players with something to prove. Younger players making their much anticipated first appearances in the postseason and even some veterans that still have something to prove in their stored careers. There are plenty of viable picks that could be made, but here are my top five players and teams that have something to prove in the postseason in the Eastern Conference.

John Wall, Point Guard, Washington Wizards: Wall, the former first overall pick from the 2010 NBA Draft, will be making his first appearance in the postseason this year. He has been under the microscope since the moment he was drafted, and plenty of people were already labeling him a bust. Durability issues mixed with poor results on the court had people questioning the Wizards draft decisions once again.

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But, after recovering from his surgery last season, Wall led the Wizards to near-.500 basketball the rest of the way. The promise showed that season lead to the Wizards going all in this offseason, trading for Marcin Gortat from the Phoenix Suns. The results have been extremely positive this season, as Wall played in every game this season, and increased his shooting percentage immensely, making 35.1 percent of his three point attempts. He knocked down 108 this season, more than doubling his career total, as he made only 49 the previous three seasons.

With a capable three-point shot, defenses had to respect Wall’s jump shot and he took advantage, ravaging opposing defenses in the paint. With lighting fast quickness, Wall tore teams apart in the paint, shooting 55 percent from within 10 feet of the basket. His outstanding court vision also helped get his teammates involved, resulting in a career-high 8.8 assists per game.

A career season across the board has gotten people back on Wall’s bandwagon, and he will have the biggest stage of all to prove the remaining doubters wrong. This will be the first time the Wizards are on national television since 2010, so this will be the first time many people get to see Wall in action since his college days leading Kentucky.

Al Jefferson, Center, Charlotte Bobcats: Much like Wall, Jefferson has put together an outstanding season, but not to much fanfare. He has flown under the radar, but is a big reason why the Bobcats are in the playoffs for the second time in franchise history, along with his sidekick Kemba Walker.

Chuck Burton/AP Photo

Jefferson is the player being highlighted here though, because many people dismissed this signing over the offseason. They said it was a waste of money for the Bobcats, as they were still far from contending and this wouldn’t move the meter much. They were extremely wrong though, as Jefferson put together a monster season, averaging 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per game; ask anyone if they knew and more often than not the answer is no.

Jefferson has thrived alongside Walker, much like he did alongside Deron Williams when they were teammates with the Utah Jazz. Jefferson has an arsenal in the post rivaled by very few, if any players in the NBA.

It will be a tall task knocking off the two-time defending champion Miami Heat, but Jefferson can single handedly get the Bobcats a win. If Roy Hibbert is able to pick the Heat apart, Jefferson should have a field day.

DeMar DeRozan, Shooting Guard, Toronto Raptors: Much like Wall, DeRozan was a highly regarded pick in 2009, as the ninth overall pick by the Raptors. Once Chris Bosh left via free agency after his rookie season, a lot of the responsibility to make up for his production fell upon DeRozan.

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty

Armed with little more than supreme athleticism, DeRozan failed to make up for the production of Bosh. It did not help that Andrea Bargnani didn’t live up to his expectations, but DeRozan received just as much blame as well. So, the Raptors decided to take on Rudy Gay last time to help take some pressure off of DeRozan.

But, like in Memphis, Gay did not produce as much as the Raptors had hoped and they moved him to the Sacramento Kings. The onus once again fell upon DeRozan, and this time he took it in stride and ran with it.

DeRozan put up career highs across the board in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, three point shooting percentage free throw makes. DeRozan has become a respectable shooter, making his elite athleticism that much more potent. The increase in production has led to DeRozan being able to get to the rim more, resulting in his franchise record free throw performance this season.

The Raptors are not expected to go anywhere in the playoffs this season, as many people expect the lower seeded Brooklyn Nets to take them down. DeRozan will have much to say about that, as he will look to lead the Raptors to their first playoff wins since the 2007-2008 season.

Paul Millsap, Power Forward, Atlanta Hawks: If there is going to be a major upset in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, there probably isn’t a team riper for the picking than the Indiana Pacers. If the Pacers are going to be picked off, Millsap is the man to be leading the charge.

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Millsap, much like his former running mate Jefferson, was a signing that was met with much criticism. The former power forward/center combo for the Jazz never carried the team in the way many people thought that they would, but as solo players both have began to pick up steam.

Millsap put up respectable stats for the Hawks this season, averaging a career high 17.9 points and 3.1 assists per game. He has also added the three point shot to his game, making 76 this season, compared to 31 the prior seven season with the Jazz. The stats are even more impressive when you factor in that his front court mate, Al Horford, played in only 29 games this season.

The Hawks are being disregarded by almost every basketball person in the world, but they have actually had success against the Pacers this season, splitting the season series. Surprisingly, Millsap was pretty quite offensively in all four games, scoring seven or less points in three of them. Where he made his mark was on the glass, where he grabbed double-digit rebounds twice.

The odds are long that the Hawks will pull the upset, but they will be giving the Pacers everything they have. They are the ultimate underdog and have proven they are not afraid of the Pacers. If they are to put a scare into the Pacers, Millsap will be the man leading the way.

Paul George, Small Forward, Indiana Pacers: George came into this season with massive expectations. After showing out against the eventual champion Miami Heat and the best player in the world in LeBron James, George was on the path to stardom. It may have been a little early do so, as George’s production cratered once the going got tough for the Pacers this season.

Mary Schwalm/AP Photo

The Pacers began losing, and George failed at being the leader he was appointed to being. Things got rocky, as locker room talk began leaking into the media, making things more awkward. The end result was the Pacers playing uneven basketball, and people beginning to not believe in them.

George himself dealt with some off-court distractions, and it seemed to affect his play on the court. His shooting percentage plummeted throughout the season, dropping every month from November through March. He ended the season shooting 42.4 percent from the field, a number far to low for a player as athletically gifted as George, as he attempted 469 shots from 10 feet-<3 point line this season and only 283 shots at the rim.

People have begun to turn on George fast, but he still has some silver linings in his stats. The shot ratio was poor, but George still managed to make and take the most free throws in a season in his young career. So while the superstar talk may have been a bit premature, the fact people are jumping off his bandwagon this quickly is a bit surprising. George still has talent, and there is no better place to showcase that than here. It would go a long way for George and the Pacers to blow the Hawks out of the water to get confidence back as they go deeper in the postseason and face better opponents.

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Al Jefferson: The great season nobody realizes

Written By Clevis Murray 

"Big Al" Jefferson was signed by the Charlotte Bobcats this past July to a 3-year, $40.5 million contract and is arguably the best free agent signing in the franchise's young history and probably their second best player in franchise history next to Gerald Wallace. He is currently having the best season of his career since the 2008-2009 season when he was member of the Minnesota Timberwolves and averaged 23.1 points and 11.0 rebound.  After Jefferson suffered a Torn ACL in his right knee, it looked as if would never become a 20/10 player ever again.

Jefferson is a Back-To-The-Basket player and is only one of the few remaining in today's NBA. With his 6'10" 289 pound frame he has great agility and footwork when posting up. He isn't sucked into the trend of big guys taking mid-range and 3-point shots. Jefferson realizes that not many people post up that much anymore saying "I have a game that a lot of people don't have anymore."

This season with Charlotte he has revived the franchise as they are having one of their best seasons in franchise history as they are currently 7th in the East with a 29-33 record (.468). The 29-year old veteran is one of only five players this season to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Jefferson this season has a 23.3 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) which is 14th among qualified NBA players and 3rd among centers. He's also 2nd among centers in usage rate with 26.7 (USG). His 6.5 turnover ratio (TO) is first amongst big guys which is understandable since he attracts double teams and is able to pass the ball out to the 3-point line for his teammates to shoot from behind the line. Jefferson is the defensive anchor for Charlotte as they are 7th in the NBA in defensive efficiency (DEF EFF) per 100 possessions with 101.4. To add "Big Al's" great efficiency, he is 2nd among centers in scoring per 48 minutes with a spot on average of 30. 

He's been gaining help from 2008 Basketball Hall Of Fame inductee and Charlotte Bobcats assistant coach Patrick Ewing saying

"Patrick, he told me the first day I met him that he knew I was a great offensive player, but that I've got to be motivated to become a better defensive player because that's the way we're going to win. When you've got a Hall of Famer telling you that, there's no excuse. You've got to do it. When he can believe in you, it makes it that much easier to believe in yourself. It's been amazing to have him around."

When Jefferson was signed by the team in July not many people were too fond of the idea of bringing in a almost 30-year old center that wasn't the same player since tearing his ACL in 2009 and also that the team should've stuck with brightening their future through the NBA Draft. The thing with Charlotte is that they haven't had much luck in the draft with most of their players either being busts or no longer with the team as in Raymond Felton (2005), Sean May (2005), Adam Morrison (2006), Brandon Wright (2007), Jared Dudley (2007) and D.J. Augustin (2008). The team has made a few good picks though in the past three seasons with Tobias Harris (eventually traded on draft night), Gerald Henderson (2008), Kemba Walker (2011), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2012), Jeff Taylor (2012) and Cody Zeller (2013). 

Al Jefferson has helped Charlotte surpass their win total from the past two seasons combined which was 28 and is making everyone that said him going to Charlotte was a bad move now reconsidering their words. The 10-year veteran has done nothing more than speed up the rebuilding process. 

Kemba Walker believes Jefferson was the perfect guy the team needed as he recruited Big Al in free agency saying

"He's that guy that we need on this team, Not only basketball-wise, off the court as well because he's been through a lot. He's been on winning teams, he's been on losing teams. He's that guy in the locker room that you need. When guys are down, he's the one picking everybody up, so I was excited that we signed him."

When he was drafted back in 2004, Danny Ainge called him a "star" in the NBA and despite never being selected to the All-Star game he hasn't let that hurt his game as he continues to play like one on a consistent basis. Since the All-Star break Jefferson has led his team to a 6-3 record while averaging 27.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 54.6% from the field in 35.3 minutes as he is trying to help his team clinch their second ever playoff berth. Jefferson has had three standout games in the past months when he scored 40 points (career-high) with 18 rebounds against the Lakers, had 38 points and 19 rebounds which went unnoticed because LeBron James went berserk and had a career-high 61 points, and lastly when Jefferson scored 34 points in a blowout win against the best team in the East which are the Indiana Pacers.

The Charlotte Bobcats and Al Jefferson have something in common that many people might not know about, and that is advancing pass the first round. Charlotte made their playoff debut in 2010 against the Dwight Howard led Orlando Magic but were swept and haven't made a appearance since. As for Big Al, he's made it to the playoffs only twice with Boston in 2005 and Utah in 2012. Both Charlotte and Jefferson were doubted by the entire basketball community this season and now with the season almost over, their doubters are becoming their supporters. 

It's very easy to say that without Al Jefferson the Charlotte Bobcats would not be in the position they are in now as he is estimated to help his team gain 11 more wins (ESWA) according to ESPN.

A few reasons why Al Jefferson is having a great season in which nobody is talking about is because he's playing in Charlotte which has a population of about 775,000 and with their small population it equals less notoriety. Also since the Bobcats have had a .189 winning percentage the past two seasons it's a team that has become known for losing and also the Bobcats aren't good enough to be seen on national TV. Jefferson also isn't a dazzling player on the court as he lets his game do the talking for him saying "I've never been the type of player kids want to go see at the park, I've never been that above-the-rim type of player like LeBron and Blake Griffin."

When's the last time you seen Big Al on the highlight reel? The casual NBA fan isn't too interested in hook shots, up and unders or spin moves. Other small market teams like Indiana and Oklahoma City have exciting players that are typically above the rim or just flat out professional scorers in Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Surge Ibaka and Paul George. 

True basketball fans realize the type of player Al Jefferson is and are giving him his props for what he does because what he does on the court is as beautiful as a Leonardo Da Vinci or Vincent Van Gogh painting. All fans that have watched the game back in the day are cherishing Al Jefferson because he is the last of a dying breed that is going extinct very fast.

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Nets Road-Trip Concludes with Overtime Loss to Bobcats

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 27th, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte Bobcats Post Game Recap

Final Score: Nets 111 Bobcats 116

For the third straight game on their road-trip the Nets played an overtime game, but like Monday against the Pelicans the Nets came up short in the extra session. The loss moves the Nets (37-33) on the season, which is 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Deron Williams

The availability of Deron Williams was questionable heading into Wednesday’s game, as Williams was feeling under the weather, but Williams was able to play very well in the overtime loss. Williams was able to score a team-high 29 points on 11 for 21 shooting, which included him going five of 11 from three point range. 18 of Williams’ 29 points came in the first quarter that the Nets were able to win 28-24. Williams was also able to extend his steal streak to 20 games with one steal to go along with seven assists and four rebounds.

Positives:

Brooklyn’s bench was able to give them some good production without one of their main guns in Marcus Thornton, who was out with a back injury. Mirza Teletovic was able to pick up the scoring the Nets were missing without Thornton, as Teletovic scored 22 points off the bench on six of 12 from three-point range to go along with his four free throws, as Teletovic didn’t register an attempted shot inside the three-point line. Alan Anderson was also in double figures, as he notched 10 points on three of eight shooting.

Joe Johnson was able to help Williams with the scoring load in the starting lineup, but it was only those two in double figures. Johnson finished with 18 points on seven for 16 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. Johnson went four of seven from three-point range, as the Nets as a team were firing away going 17 for 37 from deep, and in the last two games have attempted a franchise record 77 three-point attempts.

Negatives:

As expected the Nets had no answer at all for Bobcats Center Al Jefferson, who put together a monster game. Jefferson finished with a game-high 35 points on 15 for 27 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, as for the third straight game the Nets have given up a big double-double to an opposing teams big man. The need for Kevin Garnett to get healthy is becoming more and more apparent.

sportsspyder.com

Jefferson wasn’t the only player to hurt the Nets, as they got some good guard play from Kemba Walker and Chris Douglas-Roberts. Walker scored 20 points on eight for 21 shooting to go along with 12 assists, five rebounds, and one steal in 45 minutes. Former Net, Douglas-Roberts provided a boost off the Bobcats bench with 16 points on six for 14 shooting with five rebounds.

Next up for the Nets will be a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Nets will look to keep their great play at the Barclays Center going.

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W2W4: Brooklyn Nets vs Charlotte Bobcats March 26th, 2014

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 26th, 2014

W2W4: Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte Bobcats

Pre Game News and Notes

The Brooklyn Nets after two straight overtime games will be heading to Charlotte to play against an Eastern Conference playoff hopeful in the Bobcats. The Nets are just 1.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division, and the Raptors will also be playing on Wednesday against the Celtics.

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Match-Up of the Game: Al Jefferson vs. Mason Plumlee

In the last two games the Nets have been roughed up on the inside by opposing team’s big men, and on Wednesday they will be going against one of the best Centers the NBA has in Al Jefferson. Jefferson has come on in his first season with the Bobcats, as he is averaging 21.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. After the games that Samuel Dalembert and Anthony Davis put up the last two games, it seems that the Nets will have their hands full yet again against Jefferson, as it will be a tough night for Plumlee. Plumlee has been doing well filling in for Garnett, as in March he is averaging 7.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, but he is undersized and inexperienced to be asked to stop Jefferson.

- Really Banged Up

On the final game of their three-game road trip the Nets are all of a sudden very banged up with injuries, as yet again Kevin Garnett will be out with back spasms, and yet again Andrei Kirilenko will be out with a sprained ankle. In the loss to the Pelicans, Marcus Thornton was forced to leave the game early with a back injury, and didn’t seem overly optimistic that he would be able to play on Wednesday, but is listed as a game-time decision. On top of all the injuries, Deron Williams is also listed as a game-time decision, as he is battling an illness, which if he can’t go the Nets may find themselves very short-handed.

- Season Series

So far this season the Nets are up (2-1) in the season series against the Bobcats, and Wednesday gives the chance for the Nets to win a season series against a possible Eastern Conference playoff team. The Nets have won both games at home against the Bobcats, but in November were defeated in Charlotte 95-91. In that loss it was a very different looking Nets team, but with all the injuries and the uncertainty of Williams playing, the Nets will be in for a tough game against a hungry Bobcats team.

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Pierce Leads Nets Past Bobcats

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 12th, 2014

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Bobcats 89 Nets 105

The Brooklyn Nets were able to pickup a nice win at home against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night in their home game before the All-Star break and the upcoming Circus road-trip. The win moves the Nets to (24-26) on the season, and are still three games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

espn.go.com

Easily the best player for the Nets in their victory on Wednesday night was Paul Pierce, who in just 22 minutes left his mark on the game. Pierce had a game-high 25 points behind a great night shooting the basketball, going nine for 11, which included him going a perfect five for five from three-point range. Pierce scored 14 of his 25 points in the third quarter, as the Nets put away the Bobcats in the third, outscoring them 35-19. Pierce also had the highest +/- on the Nets going +26, as when he was on the court not much went wrong for Brooklyn.

Positives-

On defense the Nets did a great job against the Bobcats two main scorers in Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, who both played below their normal against Brooklyn. Walker, who was questionable to play on Wednesday with an achilles injury, scored 16 points, but struggled shooting the ball, as he went just six of 17 from the field. Without having a true Center, the Nets figured out how to slow down Al Jefferson, who came into the game averaging 20-10. On Wednesday Jefferson did get a double-double, but was held to just 12 points on five for 13 shooting, which was huge for the Nets to keep him in check.

Andray Blatche was able to lead a bench unit that has been so great in the Nets turn around this season. Blatche scored 13 points on six for 11 shooting, with five rebounds, one steal and one block in 24 minutes. Mirza Teletovic was also good again off the bench, as he also scored 13 points, as he shot five for 11 from the field, with three three-pointers and eight rebounds.

Negatives-

Mason Plumlee, who was coming off against his best game of his career in their win on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans, only played 10 minutes against the Bobcats. In the 10 minutes of game-time, Plumlee scored just two points, with zero rebounds, in what was a polar opposite game from Sunday’s great performance.

Next up for the Nets will be a trip to Chicago on Thursday for their final game before the All-Star break against the Bulls. The Nets are just (2-9) on the second half of back to backs, and the availability of Kevin Garnett is unknown, as he will likely get his rest day.

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W2W4: Charlotte Bobcats vs Brooklyn Nets 2-12

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 12^th, 2014

W2W4: Charlotte Bobcats vs Brooklyn Nets

barclayscenter.com

The Brooklyn Nets will be hosting the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night, as it will be the Nets final game at home before the All-Star Break. The Nets will be heading into Wednesday's game with a (23-26) record, which is three games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

- Small Lineup vs Big Al

The main goal for the Nets in this one will be the tough task of trying to stop one of the leagues best Centers in Al Jefferson. Jefferson was the Bobcats big pickup in the off-season, and he has lived up to the big contract he received. This season Jefferson is averaging 20.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, and in January and February he is averaging more than 23 points per game. Getting the task of guard Jefferson will be Kevin Garnett to start, then Andray Blatche and Mason Plumlee coming off the bench.

- Kemba's Status

Bobcats Point Guard Kemba Walker has been playing very well this season so far, and along with the addition of Jefferson is one of the main reasons that the Bobcats have the playoffs in their sights, but on Wednesday Kemba might not be able to play due to an achilles injury. With the All-Star break coming up and hopes of a playoff run in the second half of the season, it would make sense that if Kemba isn’t 100% to give him this game off so he has a lot of time to heal.

- First Half of Back to Back

Wednesday being the last home game for Brooklyn before the break, they will look to finish strong at home, which has been great to them lately, as they’ve won 10 of their last 12 games in the Barclay’s Center. With the Nets team age, the second half of back to backs have been tough, and Thursday they will be traveling to Chicago to play the Bulls, so getting a win over the Bobcats on Wednesday is needed. Thursday will begin the Nets circus road-trip, so after Wednesday night they wont be back in Brooklyn until Monday March 3^rd.

- No Joker

Brooklyn will be without Power Forward/Center Reggie Evans for the next two games, as he will be away from the team due to personal reasons. Evans hasn’t been in the rotation much at all this season, but going against Jefferson, Evans could have had some use to provide some muscle and size to at worst at least use some fouls. Without Evans to it will also be something to watch for on Thursday night whether or not Garnett will sit against the Bulls, which would leave the Nets with virtually no size against the Bulls talented front court.

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Bobcats Snap Sluggish Knicks 5-Game Winning Streak

Tuesday, January 14^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Bobcats

Post Game Recap

When your best player’s reaction to having a game the following night after an overtime victory is “Oh Sh*t,” it does not paint a good picture. Tonight the worst happened for the Knicks as the Bobcats were able to run them off the floor, 108-98. The Knicks were gassed from an overtime victory last night against the Phoenix Suns and it showed tonight as they looked to be facing an uphill battle right from the opening tip. The Knicks were unable to get any flow going and had no answer for what the Bobcats were doing throughout the game. Being tired is not an excuse as every team plays back-to-backs; the problem was the Knicks seemed to be looking ahead to the big match up Thursday night against the Pacers. Another thing to watch for heading into Thursday night is J.R. Smith's standing with the team. He registered his second DNP-Coach's Decision in the last four games.

Player of the Game: Amar’e Stoudemire

With the Knicks struggling to score with Carmelo Anthony not being able to get going, Stoudemire came in and got it going off the bench. Stoudemire scored 17 points on a very efficient 6-10 from the field and 5-5 from the foul line. Stoudemire scored in a variety of ways, knocking down jumpers and throwing down thunderous dunks. He also grabbed four rebounds and had two assists. It was encouraging to see Stoudemire perform so well on the second night of the back-to-back. Coming into the season it was thought that Stoudemire would be getting rest in games like tonight but he is giving the Knicks everything his body is able right now. Stoudemire is one of the hardest workers in the NBA and to see him having some success again is quite a sight.

Chuck Burton/AP Photo

-Positives

With the Knicks offense reeling in the first half, the bench was able to produce a spark and some score. In addition to Stoudemire, Tim Hardaway Jr. gave the Knicks good minutes off the bench. Hardaway Jr. scored 12 points and had a nice pass for an alley-oop to Tyson Chandler. Hardaway Jr. played so well in the first half that assistant coach Herb Williams said his play was the reason J.R. Smith was relegated to the bench for the first half. That cannot be the whole story for Smith being benched for the second time in four games but could have played a part.

The offense tonight, albeit stagnant at times, was not the reason for the loss. The Knicks shot the ball relatively well, shooting 48.1 percent on the night. They made 39 baskets and assisted on 21 percent of them, a good ratio. They also turned the ball over only nine times; fatigue was the Knicks biggest problem tonight on the offensive end no the Bobcats.

-Negatives

Chuck Burton/AP Photo

The Knicks overall offensive numbers were solid but it was a struggle throughout the night for them to score. The Knicks were visibly tired as they struggled to knock down jump shots, going 6-17 from the three point line. The Bobcats let the Knicks fire away from deep as the Knicks settled for the lazier shots instead of getting into good position to score. The lack of aggressiveness on the offensive end resulted in a 33-18 free throw differential in favor of the Bobcats.

The Knicks were unable to slow down the Bobcats top guns in Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker. Jefferson dominated the first half as the Knicks had no answer inside for the versatile big man. Jefferson finished with a season-high 35 points and eight rebounds. The second half, specifically the fourth quarter, Walker took over. Walker scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, going 4/4 overall and 2/2 from the three point line in the last 12 minutes with two assists. On the night he finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists as he routinely torched Raymond Felton throughout the night.

As a whole the Knicks starting unit gave them nothing throughout the game; Iman Shumpert was the only one of the group to not finish with a negative +/-. Andrea Bargnani looked lost in the shuffle with Chandler returning to the lineup and Felton was unable to make up for his porous defense on the offensive end like last night against the Suns. Mike Woodson needs to figure out a formula to get these guys clicking on the same page. There are a lot of parts right now that need to be meshed together and the Knicks need to figure out it sooner than later.

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