The Nets LongBall Defense is Elite with numbers to prove it.

[F3LON]

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/02/0 ... f:nbahpt6d

The following article explains how much better the Nets are playing defensively without Lopez.

Good read

[F3LON]

Livingston
Anderson or DWill
Johnson
Pierce
KG

has a def ratings of 89.4

Allowing less than 90 points per 100 possessions is elite defense. The Pacers have the best defense of the last 37 years, and they’ve allowed 93.9.

[F3LON]

Through Dec. 31, the Nets ranked 30th in 3-point defense, allowing their opponents to shoot 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. In 2014, they’ve ranked 15th (35.7 percent). And opponents have shot just 31 percent from 3-point range against the two starting groups.

Those two groups have also forced 19.4 turnovers per 100 possessions, a rate that would lead the league. In fact, the Nets do lead the league by forcing 18.6 since Jan. 1. Livingston, Williams, Pierce and Andray Blatche have all averaged more than a steal per game since Jan. 1.

[F3LON]

MIRZA'S IMPACT


The Nets have scored a ridiculous 127.3 points per 100 possessions in 102 minutes with Blatche, Mirza Teletovic and Andrei Kirilenko on the floor together.

Bench Mob!!!!

[MrDollarBills]

And we're below .500 still.

[MGrand15]

And we're below .500 still.

Quality post....

When did we start using these lineups?

When did AK47/Mirza/Blatche start playing together?

How is the fact that we're below .500 relevant to anything posted in this thread?

[F3LON]

And we're below .500 still.

Who cares?

We are more then likely going to win 2 of the next 3 putting us two below .500 going into the AS break.

The players are going to have a few days off to get healthy (DWill and AK especially) and reset their focus on the second half playoff push.

Sure we suck on the 2nd game of back to backs but there is no back to backs in the playoffs. This article shows that the Nets can play playoff basketball. I dont think we have any chance vs Indy but we match up well with Miami.

Depending on what we get for Bogdanovic we might make a decent run in the playoffs.

Cheer up mate.

[MrDollarBills]

I applaud your optimism.

[MrDollarBills]

And we're below .500 still.

Quality post....

When did we start using these lineups?

When did AK47/Mirza/Blatche start playing together?

How is the fact that we're below .500 relevant to anything posted in this thread?

The Nets would be above .500 by now if any of this mattered. Don't get your under garments in a bunch.

[MGrand15]

Well we're 13-5 when using the small ball lineup + our record is better than that when AK47 is playing in those situation. So how does this stuff not matter?

Do you think our record in December/November is going to effect us in the playoffs?

In 18 games, we've proven that the small ball lineup works really well against every team that isn't Detroit (which plays 3 guys over 6'9, 1 elite post scorer, 3 really good rebounders) - not many teams will give us those type of troubles.

[MrDollarBills]

This team has looked terrible even in wins. Stop it. The record is fool's gold.

[624]

MIRZA'S IMPACT


The Nets have scored a ridiculous 127.3 points per 100 possessions in 102 minutes with Blatche, Mirza Teletovic and Andrei Kirilenko on the floor together.

Bench Mob!!!!

That Deron, Mirza, AK, and Blatche lineup is easily the most fun to watch.

[MGrand15]

This team has looked terrible even in wins. Stop it. The record is fool's gold.

Terrible?

You seem like you'll never be happy.

Outside of Philly (where injuries played a major factor, our starters dominated and our bench made it a close game) and Boston (an admittedly emotional game for everyone), what game have we looked TERRIBLE that we won?

Starting off shaky doesn't make for a terrible game. San Antonio was a 16 point game in the 4th quarter and our starters didn't play heavy minutes. Dallas is a Western Conference playoff team and we led that one completely down the stretch. By as many as 11 with 4 minutes to go in the game.

A bunch of these games were 10+ point victories and our starters didn't even play major minutes. Terrible is a MAJOR stretch. A bad start like the SAS or DAL game doesn't mean it was a terrible game.

Do you count our 1 pt loss to the Pacers as a good looking loss? Or the Toronto game where we definitely should've won? That loss looked great against a playoff team, right?

The numbers don't really lie. When we're at full strength (with KG + AK47) and we're playing small ball, we're very good. No fool's gold about it.

[MrDollarBills]

I should have stated "lately". They have not looked good.

I don't think that we're very good. If we were, we'd be out of the hole, and we wouldn't lose to the Raptors, Pistons, and also take a drubbing like that against OKC where we didn't compete.

[Prokorov]

Well we're 13-5 when using the small ball lineup + our record is better than that when AK47 is playing in those situation. So how does this stuff not matter?

Do you think our record in December/November is going to effect us in the playoffs?

of course our record in dec/matters and will effect us in the playoffs(if we make it, which isnt a lock). Because of that start, we very well might not have home court, and might have to play a better opponent leading to a first round exit.

In 18 games, we've proven that the small ball lineup works really well against every team that isn't Detroit (which plays 3 guys over 6'9, 1 elite post scorer, 3 really good rebounders) - not many teams will give us those type of troubles.

we are 6-4 in our last 10 games. thats not unreal basketball, especially when you consider our wins came against 2 tanking teams(boston, philly) and against a spurs team missing its 5 best players. and we also have not been great since deron williams has returned.

we had a great 9 game run in janurary. but since those 9 games we have simply been average.

[therealbig3]

Well, anyway, looking forward, I still expect us to win 45ish games and grab the 3rd seed.

I'm apparently a Deron hater now just because I can't help but say how unhappy I am with his play, but I still kind of expect him to turn it around and play better, and in turn, the team will play better.

Our schedule the rest of the way:

Charlotte
@Chicago (b2b)
@Utah
@GS
@LAL (b2b)
@Portland
@Denver (b2b)
@Milwaukee
Chicago
Memphis
@Boston
Sacramento
Toronto (b2b)
@Miami
@Washington
Phoenix
Charlotte
Boston
@Dallas
@NO (b2b)
@Charlotte
Cleveland
Minnesota
Houston
@NY (b2b)
Detroit
@Philadelphia (b2b)
@Miami
@Orlando (b2b)
Atlanta
Orlando
NY
@Cleveland (b2b)

That schedule is REALLY soft. We'd need to go 22-11 the rest of the way to win 45 games, and I honestly think it's very possible to see a 24-9 finish.

[Prokorov]

Well, anyway, looking forward, I still expect us to win 45ish games and grab the 3rd seed.

I'm apparently a Deron hater now just because I can't help but say how unhappy I am with his play, but I still kind of expect him to turn it around and play better, and in turn, the team will play better.

Our schedule the rest of the way:

Charlotte W
@Chicago (b2b) L
@Utah W
@GS L
@LAL (b2b) L
@Portland L
@Denver (b2b) L
@Milwaukee W
Chicago L
Memphis L
@Boston W
Sacramento W
Toronto (b2b) L
@Miami L
@Washington L
Phoenix W
Charlotte W
Boston W
@Dallas L
@NO (b2b) L
@Charlotte L
Cleveland W
Minnesota W
Houston L
@NY (b2b) L
Detroit L
@Philadelphia (b2b) W
@Miami L
@Orlando (b2b) W
Atlanta W
Orlando W
NY W
@Cleveland (b2b) L

That schedule is REALLY soft. We'd need to go 22-11 the rest of the way to win 45 games, and I honestly think it's very possible to see a 24-9 finish.

i dont see how we finsish 24-9. i mean, even with how we played january there isnt a 25-30 game span where we have come close to that kind of good/consistent play. Also, januray is over. it has been for a week. and we havent exactly been playing great basketball.

Last 10 games we are 6-4

we can keep using early janaury games to inflate how good we have been "recently", but the truth is the last 10 games we have been what we are: a slightly better then .500 team.

Looking at that schedule i can easily see us going 12-21 just as easily as finsighing 24-9. thats obviously a worst case but that upcoming road trip looks like a blood bath, a ton of back to backs, and some tough teams coming to barclays

realistically, we probably finsih something like 18-15 or 16-17 or something in between

[WhateverBro]

we are 6-4 in our last 10 games. thats not unreal basketball, especially when you consider our wins came against 2 tanking teams(boston, philly) and against a spurs team missing its 5 best players. and we also have not been great since deron williams has returned.

we had a great 9 game run in janurary. but since those 9 games we have simply been average.

I love the added context for the wins, but not for the losses.

Those four losses came against Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back, in which Deron practically gave them the win. OKC, who had won nine straight games coming into the game and has the second best record in the league. Against Indiana, the team with the best record in the league on the second night of a back-to-back and and @ Pistons without KG.

That sure doesn't look too bad to me.

[Prokorov]

I love the added context for the wins, but not for the losses.

Those four losses came against Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back, in which Deron practically gave them the win. OKC, who had won nine straight games coming into the game and has the second best record in the league. Against Indiana, the team with the best record in the league on the second night of a back-to-back and and @ Pistons without KG.

That sure doesn't look too bad to me.

fair enough on one sided context. that said:

-blowing a game to toronto shouldnt be viewed as a "solid effort in a loss", considering we played awful and handed them the win

-losing the second of a B2B with KG not playing shouldnt be considering a positive or to lessen the loss, considering KG will likely be missing B2B all season as he has to this point thus far.

-Getting blown out by 30 to anyone, even a red hot team should never be viewed as a positive. a loss there, sure, you can say thats one we shouldnt have expected to win. but losing by 20-30 at home(and with that effort we likely wouldnt have beaten many teams) is pretty poor

-Indy game was a good effort in a loss, agree on that.

either way you slice it up..beat some bad teams, lost to some good teams. the end result is we were still just 6-4 over the last 10 games playing some very mediocure basketball with some REALLY shaky play late in games.

We are no longer playing excellent basketball as we were the first 9 or 10 games in january. we are playing average basketball, and thats reflected in our 6-4 record over the last 10 games.

[MGrand15]

I love the added context for the wins, but not for the losses.

Those four losses came against Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back, in which Deron practically gave them the win. OKC, who had won nine straight games coming into the game and has the second best record in the league. Against Indiana, the team with the best record in the league on the second night of a back-to-back and and @ Pistons without KG.

That sure doesn't look too bad to me.

fair enough on one sided context. that said:

-blowing a game to toronto shouldnt be viewed as a "solid effort in a loss", considering we played awful and handed them the win

-losing the second of a B2B with KG not playing shouldnt be considering a positive or to lessen the loss, considering KG will likely be missing B2B all season as he has to this point thus far.

-Getting blown out by 30 to anyone, even a red hot team should never be viewed as a positive. a loss there, sure, you can say thats one we shouldnt have expected to win. but losing by 20-30 at home(and with that effort we likely wouldnt have beaten many teams) is pretty poor

-Indy game was a good effort in a loss, agree on that.

either way you slice it up..beat some bad teams, lost to some good teams. the end result is we were still just 6-4 over the last 10 games playing some very mediocure basketball with some REALLY shaky play late in games.

We are no longer playing excellent basketball as we were the first 9 or 10 games in january. we are playing average basketball, and thats reflected in our 6-4 record over the last 10 games.

So basically in your mind - we should've been 16-2 in our last 18 games? Only losing to the two best teams in the league OKC and Indy? Anything less than that is awful?