The Nets end road trip in disappointment
The Nets end road trip in disappointment. The trip started as one would expect. A blowout of the Houston Rockets and a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets rested half the team in Milwaukee and still almost beat the Giannis-less title contenders. Unfortunately, almost doesn’t count. JV activated the full squad to face the Timberwolves on the second half of a back-to-back. A game the Nets should win, and did, in overtime. The next road win came against the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets. Two defensive stops against the reigning MVP secured the W. And with two wins in a row in hand, the Nets traveled to Oklahoma, to end the road trip against a team they should beat.
Decisions, decisions, decisions…
Oftentimes the thing that separates a serviceable player from a good player is decision-making. Even when a player has considerable talent, decision-making can keep that player from making that next step. From being in and out of rotations to a bonafide starter. Maybe even flirting with all-star selections. Take Cam Thomas for example. No one knows if he will ever be an Allstarr but, I think that most people would agree he has more talent than Lu Dort. However, Dort is a much better decision-maker and works a lot harder on the defensive end. One could say that a reason for Thomas’ lack of minutes is due to a double dose of poor decision-making. His own and his head coach’s. Because JV still hasn’t figured out his rotations. And if that isn’t costing us games, it’s not winning us games either. A third person joining the bad decisions party is Spencer Dinwiddie.
In Dinwiddie we trust
Spencer Dinwiddie has been excellent for the most part, since returning to Brooklyn. He had a career-high in assists during this road trip. And at times his dribbling and drives to the basket have been electrifying. At other times his dribbling has been just that. Dribbling, no result. When a player has 9 assists in the first half, it seemingly makes sense to put the ball in that player’s hands again in the second half. When Dinwiddie was in Dallas, he had free reign during the Doncic-less minutes. He had to make things happen, especially when he was the most talented offensive player on the floor. If one looks at the usage rate in Oklahoma, it looks like Dinwiddie thinks that he is the most talented offensive player on the current roster. JV as well. The fact is, he isn’t. He might not be the second. Don’t get me wrong. Dinwiddie should be second in usage. Some games first. His usage shouldn’t be a crazy amount higher than Bridges. As it was against OKC.
Out of something
The Nets started the game slow but then took control of the first quarter. They were up by 9 at the end of the opening period. At times, Brooklyn had things rolling in the second, going up by 16 points. Dinwiddie ended the period with 11 assists, the team had 20. The ball was moving and everyone was chipping in. Unfortunately, the slippage started at the end of the second quarter. The Thunder went on a 6-0 run to close the gap to 10 points. Things only got worse for the Nets in the third. Lu Dort caught fire, making 5 threes in the period. Brooklyn turned the ball over and got beaten by 18 points. The team was clearly getting frustrated, exemplified by a Dinwiddie scream after a missed call by the refs. OKC ran away with the game as the Nets ran out of everything. They ran out of poise, turning the ball over and over again. They ran out of ball movement, with only 5 assists in the second half. Maybe they just ran out of steam.
The king of the 4th
Going 3-2 on a road trip is far from bad. The unnecessary loss against OCK balanced out an unexpected win against the reeling Nuggets. And, to be fair, OKC has won 6 out of their last 7. What is concerning is that coach Vaughn seems to be of the mind that the Nets made the right plays in Oklahoma. If a 5 assist second half, 20 turnovers and Bridges not getting enough touches is called making the right plays, the playoffs are going to be ugly. Speaking of playoffs. Brooklyn will head home now for a tough, and potentially deciding, 4-game homestand. The Nets will play the Sacramento Kings, who are the second seed in the West. Next up is another matinee with Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The final two games of the homestand are against the Cleveland Cavaliers. These games are crucial. The Nets must be in the 4/5 seed matchup if they want to have any chance of making it past the first round. If the team continues gelling and getting better, there is no reason not to make it.