Official Game Thread: Nets 96 Miami 101 Final

[Da big3]

that was a damm foul...

[Rich Rane]

In two overtimes in as many nights, Devin injured, and Frank back on the bench, it could have been asking a lot for the win. Was a win possible? Sure.

[vincecarter4pres]

WTF was that?!!!!!!!

As much as I have been infuriated by Opie's coaching tonight, VC's shot selection and non-agression was some bad play for the ages.

Oh well, can't win every road game and Miami seems to have our # and on top of that, I have to agree with you NetsForce, it shows that the team is coming along well to compete like this against Miami without the Dude.

[St_Patrick_Nets]

although it was a horrible shot selection by vince, it was also a foul that would have surely been called if wade was the shooter

hate losing this way again with the heat!!!

[NetsForce]

In all honesty I thought the bad foul calls went both ways this game... I'd still say the Heat had a slight edge in them but they were the home team so no big deal.

What did annoy the hell out of me were the Miami announcers at first I thought they were doing a wonderful job but then they started to try and paint the Heat like they were some sort of underdogs beating an over-the-top Nets team and I had to LOL.

[Da big3]

In all honesty I thought the bad foul calls went both ways this game... I'd still say the Heat had a slight edge in them but they were the home team so no big deal.

What did annoy the hell out of me were the Miami announcers at first I thought they were doing a wonderful job but then they started to try and paint the Heat like they were some sort of underdogs beating an over-the-top Nets team and I had to LOL.

on top of that they were up and arms, on one offensive foul by carter, when wade was gettin all the wussey calls, and they saiid nothin about it...

[vincecarter4pres]

In all honesty I thought the bad foul calls went both ways this game... I'd still say the Heat had a slight edge in them but they were the home team so no big deal.

What did annoy the hell out of me were the Miami announcers at first I thought they were doing a wonderful job but then they started to try and paint the Heat like they were some sort of underdogs beating an over-the-top Nets team and I had to LOL.

I have to agree with the overall officiating of this game, it was just all around bad, not heavily favored for either side and I was suprised the normal D Whistle calls actually weren't getting called.

On a side note, I am starting to really hate Mike Fratello as a commentator for the Nets.
It's like he is the anti-homer or the opposition homer.
He has an excuse for every obvious missed call that favors the other team and he praises other teams players when they do nothing to warrant it and usually when they get away with something that obviously should have been called.
I know he is new and he was probably never a NJ or Nets guy, but it is sickening.
Ian and Jim and even Marv are pretty impartial and unbiased, which is pretty good.
They still subliminally pull for the Nets, but they call the game very fair.
Fratello on the other hand seems to actually be secretely rooting for the other team, whatever team that is that we might be playing.

He's pretty funny and I always liked him on nationally televised games, but I am growing to hate him as a Nets' announcer.

[NetsForce]

Ian and Jim are still my favorite Nets commentators.

[Serpo]

Man i was so pissed when Wade had that and one in OT on Yi .....

Yeah we weren't supposed to win this without Harris but it still sucks to come that close and still lose.

[Birth of the Cool]

how funny that the Nets win the two preseason games vs Miami and lose all 3 when it counts.

Deja vu from their previous encounters - Nets lead, lead, lead, Wade being controlled, 4th quarter and Wade goes bananas and wins the game - rinse & repeat. Not a big Wade fan but every game vs Nets he has stepped up in crunchtime and played great and yesterday did so on both ends of the floor, unfortunately Vince can't match Wade's firepower and def. can't contain Wade when he decides he's going into the paint.

Their have been some games where VC shot low % but took good shots that just didn't go in - which I don't mind at all - but this was not one of these games. I wonder if the smaller & more mobile Heat frontcourt bothered VC more than getting into the paint against bigger slower frontcourts but then again he was getting points when he did attack the paint.... He really forced some shots & on a few looked like he released the shots quicker then he wanted to. When the Nets offense sputtered I was begging for a VC low block post up but it came too late for my liking - kept going top of the key iso, even switching the play to hot hand Dooling....mix it up. Offensive sets get to predictable. Also VC always looks to score, whereas many other players look to draw the foul - that last play when two Heat players desperate to stop Vince it would have been nice to see & quick pump fake to try & draw the foul but that's hindsight I guess. Vince's efficiency has been up & down & down lately & he's settling a bit more these days - hope he's not gassing already. Still a lot of season left. Just another reason why Lopez emergence and playing a bigger part in the offense may save VC's legs (along with Devin's spectacular play).

I have to give props to Dooling. He was solid coming into the starting role. Had to play heavy minutes. Hit some big shots. Had that nasty fake behind the back pass dunk. Easily the best player for the Nets this game.

Lopez had a solid game. He had early foul trouble & what really hurt was in the 2nd half when they gave him some great looks in the post he got stripped a few possessions in a row which made Frank & Co., go away from calling his number again for awhile. Of course what will be most remembered is the three blocks against him in crunch time - he makes them or gets fouled and maybe the outcome is different. He had 6 of his shots blocked....and he was going up strong the last few times but w/ one hand. I know some have said they were fouls but I thought they were great great blocks, I give credit to the Heat spec. Wade for it.

Also impressed by Simmons. He hit his shots & when they weren't they he manufactured offense - first time this year I saw this guy actually dribble with effectiveness. He was right there with Dooling in best player for Nets.

Obv. for the Heat Wade was brilliant in the 4th and that's all he needed to take the game away from the Nets but this Diawara guy was driving me nuts. His shot has great arc and he was hitting everything. There was that one 3 in the right sideline with almost no time left (end of 3rd IIRC) and after that I said man Heat are gonna win this...Nets had a 4 or 5pt lead and some momentum and this last second 3 gets the Heat comfy again....man he was making me angry yesterday...good for Heat fans.

At least Milwaukee, Chicago & Philly lost too. Yes I'm playoff spot watching already - haha.

[rusty_b]

...On a side note, I am starting to really hate Mike Fratello as a commentator for the Nets.
It's like he is the anti-homer or the opposition homer.
He has an excuse for every obvious missed call that favors the other team and he praises other teams players when they do nothing to warrant it and usually when they get away with something that obviously should have been called.
I know he is new and he was probably never a NJ or Nets guy, but it is sickening.
Ian and Jim and even Marv are pretty impartial and unbiased, which is pretty good.
They still subliminally pull for the Nets, but they call the game very fair.
Fratello on the other hand seems to actually be secretely rooting for the other team, whatever team that is that we might be playing.

He's pretty funny and I always liked him on nationally televised games, but I am growing to hate him as a Nets' announcer.

Tell me you're not serious...

You don't think that reaction is a little over the top? I've watched every Nets game this year and I can't recall one play that I remember thinking along the lines of "Come on Mike, stop your Nets hating!"

The YES network did an outstanding job replacing Mark Jackson with Mike Fratello in my opinion. Mike - a former NBA coach - brings that knowledge and that insight to the table in every game he commentates on. Sure, sometimes he brings up some negative parts of the team's play, but so he should. This team is far from perfect.

Now this RealGM noob is going to stop typing, lol.

[SteveNets15]

i rather hear Eagle and spanarkle.Fratello is so boring

[S.I.C. GM]

Frank gets ejected Anderson plays
Frank coaches Anderson doesnt play.
Is FRANK showcasing Najera?

Did Hassel guard Wade at all during this game? Put CDR on Wade. Maybe he could tried to keep up with him or slow him down. Frank TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

When is Frank going to realize - You have a LOW POST OPTION ----- USE IT.
STOP WITH THE LOPEZ PICK AND ROLLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAVE HIM POST UP EVERY POSSESSION!!!!!!!!!

CAN SOMEONE TELL FRANK MIX UP THE OFFENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YI SHOULD GET SOME ISOs. He looks quicker then most of the PF guarding HIM. HAVE HIM DRIVE TO THE RIM!!!!! TELL VC TO DO THE SAME!!!!!!

FRANK SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SAME OLD MISTAKES!!!!!!! SAME PREDICTABLE OFFENSE AND DEFENSE!!!!!!! How long to you be patient with someone the makes the SAME MISTAKES for FOUR YEARS!!!!!!!

[vincecarter4pres]

Frank gets ejected Anderson plays
Frank coaches Anderson doesnt play.
Is FRANK showcasing Najera?

Did Hassel guard Wade at all during this game? Put CDR on Wade. Maybe he could tried to keep up with him or slow him down. Frank TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

When is Frank going to realize - You have a LOW POST OPTION ----- USE IT.
STOP WITH THE LOPEZ PICK AND ROLLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAVE HIM POST UP EVERY POSSESSION!!!!!!!!!

CAN SOMEONE TELL FRANK MIX UP THE OFFENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YI SHOULD GET SOME ISOs. He looks quicker then most of the PF guarding HIM. HAVE HIM DRIVE TO THE RIM!!!!! TELL VC TO DO THE SAME!!!!!!

FRANK SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SAME OLD MISTAKES!!!!!!! SAME PREDICTABLE OFFENSE AND DEFENSE!!!!!!! How long to you be patient with someone the makes the SAME MISTAKES for FOUR YEARS!!!!!!!

Opie still coaching here and especially if he gets another extension(I believe next season is his last under contract) is one of the only really bad decisions Rod has made.

Yes, he should have pursued some other MLE type FA's a lot harder in the years of past, as well as possibly broke up the big 3 earlier, but no GM or team president is perfect.

But the one glaring negative on his resume will always be his mantasy with Opie.
To beat a dead horse, with the exact lineups we had, I feel 2 out of the 3 years we had the Big 3, we could have definitely gone to the ECF at least 1 of those 2.
I don't know if we were ever good enough to go to the Finals, or win it all, but I am convinced that simply with a top tier coach we would have went and been extremely competitive in the ECF at least 1 of the 2 years we went to the 2nd round.
At least we would have had a chance at a title.