• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

April 22, 2015, Queens, NY  “Need” may be too strong a word; however, if the Nets are looking to “win” this series against the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks, getting a road victory goes a long way in getting them (Nets) there.  Eighth seeds don’t beat one seeds.  At least that’s what history shows.  It has only happened four time since the opening round became best-of-seven.  The Hawks are far from invincible even though they are a 60-win team.  They have “Coach of the Year” Mike Budenholzer as a strategic anchor, and as an organization, they embrace and incorporate “analytics” (take that, Sir Charles Barkley) as well as any professional team in sports.  But a close examination of the Nets’ roster shows that they are more than formidable; they are capable.  Capable of beating the Hawks.

Deron Williams scored 13 points in 32+ minutes, along with dishing only two assists in game one.  Clearly, he is capable of giving you 18-20 points and getting 7 assists.  Brook Lopez shot 6 for 7, scoring 17 point.  Great percentage, but far too little touches.  Lopez also pulled 14 rebounds (6 offensive).  If he gets between 12-14 touches, put at least 20 in the scoring column.  Alan Anderson’s stat line was full of “ones”: 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 personal foul, 1 steal, and 1 turnover.  He had 5 points and played nearly 16 minutes (15:33 to be exact).  Anderson is coming off of an injury and is working himself back into game shape.  Undoubtedly, he will be able to contribute more in game two.  Bojan Bogdanovic played 32 minutes and shot 2 for 8, scoring 5 points.  He’s unlikely do duplicate that level of shooting and scoring futility.  A bounce here, a few more made free throws, and the Nets can defeat the #1 seed. 

Some people are “smarter than they look.”  Some teams are better than their records.  We know that Hall-of-Fame football coach Bill Parcells states emphatically that, “You are what your record says you are.”  We got it Bill.  There’s a substantial grain of truth to that logic; however…  However, your record indicates how your have performed over a given time.  It (your record) doesn’t always reflect who you are at the given moment.  Here’s an illustration.  You have two teams with .500 records.  One team lost all of the games in the first half of the season and won all the games in the second half of the season.  The other team did the opposite. (won all of the games in the first half of the season and lost all the games in the second half of the season).  Are these teams remotely the same even thought they have the same record.  Whom would you rather play in a playoff series, the former or the latter?

The Nets went 13-6 down the stretch.  Atlanta is a regular-season tested team, but we can’t vouch for them in the playoffs–not yet.  The Nets are one win away from completely reversing the dynamic of this series.  According to many experts, a series doesn’t begin until the “away team” wins.  Well, let the series begin tonight with a Nets victory on the road.

Tonight’s game will be broadcast on NBA TV beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at cliffb@puresportsny.com

By Vernon McKenzie

Graduate of New Institute Of Technology with a BA in Communications with a focus on Television Radio. Owner and Executive Producer of PureSportsNY

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