May 1, 2015, Queens, NY You don’t usually win or lose because of one player but Darn, Deron, you’ve got to give as much as you receive (which is $19, 754,465 this season and $21,042,800 next season), or at least somewhere in the vicinity. That also goes for you, Joe Johnson, who got paid $23,180,790 this season and gets 24,894,863 next season. Alan Anderson is the “real steal” at $1,276,061 this season with a player option for next season at $1,333,484. He will definitely test the market and get a hefty raise.
But the lead was just buried. The Brooklyn Nets lost to the Atlanta Hawks in game six at Barclays Center in a blowout loss of 111-87. The Nets and Hawks outscored each other two quarters apiece, but it was the scoring deficits that accounted for the Hawks 24-point win. The first quarter was somewhat competitive at the start, but the Hawks took an 11-6 lead and closed the quarter on a 7-3 run to go up, 36-23. In the second quarter, the Nets came back and cut the lead to six by halftime, 51-45, outscoring the Hawks 22-15. Then came the third quarter that proved to be the death knell for the Nets. The Hawks scored 15 consecutive points and blew the game open, 74-48, on a Kyle Korver three-pointer with 6:39 left in the quarter. The Nets found themselves down 92-66 entering the fourth quarter, and at that point, the only intrigue regarding the score would be if the Nets would lose by 30+, 20+, or 10+ points. The Nets outscored the Hawks in what would be their final quarter of the 2014-2015 season, 21-19, but that was far too little and far too late.
Brook Lopez, who probably played his last game in a Nets uniform, score 19 points on 7/15 shooting, and grabbed 7 rebounds. Darn, I mean Deron Williams scored 13 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, had 4 assists, and 4 turnovers in 27 minutes of action. Joe Johnson shot 5 for 13 from the field for 13 points, and Jarrett Jack added 11. Bojan Bogdanovic went 2 for 9 scoring 8 points, and Alan Anderson ended up with 6 points on 2 for 10 shooting.
Paul Millsap led a balanced scoring attack for the Hawks with 25 points (plus 9 rebounds and 6 assists) along with Kyle Korver’s 20 points (6/10 3-point shooting). DeMarre Carroll scored 20 points in 24 minutes of play on 7/8 shooting, and Al Horford contributed 18 points. Jeff Teague laid a goose egg in the scoring column, but he dished out 13 assists (one turnover), to go with 2 steals and 1 block in 24 minutes.
While the Nets won a paltry 38 games in the “Least-ern” Conference, their playoff run can not be considered a disappointment. They extended the series to six games when conventional wisdom predicted the Hawks would sweep them. Now, it’s up to GM Billy King to make some moves so the 2015-2016 begins with a feeling of optimism rather than despair.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at cliffb@puresportsny.com.