Nov
20

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Brooklyn’s Finecast - Episode 3

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PodLogov1

Week three of Brooklyn’s Finecast, y’all. Listen below.

 

Nov
20

By

Sunglasses and Advil, last night was mad real

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I’m really not feeling up to doing an in-depth recap of that triple-OT loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and that former point guard of the Nets that was pretty okay at basketball and is actually solid at this coaching thing. In honor of the Nets play over their five straight losses, I’m going to replicate their recent performance as best I can in tonight’s recap. Inconsistent, dysfunctional and just full of sadness.

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Nov
18

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Three Man Weave: Week Four Edition

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We knew it would be a tough three-game trip for the Brooklyn Nets, with a back-to-back in Phoenix and Golden State and a Saturday night match-up against the Portland Trail Blazers. A week after beating up some bad teams at home, the Nets dropped all three of their road games to good Western Conference teams and sit at 4-5 on the young season. They’ll come home for two games against Eastern Conference opponents before testing that 1-4 road record with a trip to Oklahoma City and San Antonio to close the week.

Our experts in this edition of the Three Man Weave will address the frustrations from the teams’ win-less West Coast trip and adjustments to make before their next batch of games away from the Barclays. Provide your answers in the comments.

1.) It was a rough week; are there any signs of optimism or positives to take away from the Nets’ 0-3 West coast road trip?

Jonah Jordan: KG LOOKED ALIVE THIS WEEK! In two of the three games (foul trouble kept him out of the Golden State game) this week, Kevin Garnett was able to make an impact on the game. He has been a breath of fresh air for a Brooklyn team in a rut this week. The midrange jumper has been falling and he has been a monster on the glass. I think the matchups had a little to do with that, but this is the KG that will help this Nets team get into the playoffs.

David Vertsberger: Well, the Nets looked great at some points; namely the first quarters against the Suns and Warriors. I guess there’s something to be said about not getting blown out by any of the three teams, but it’s not a whole lot to say. Know what, nobody got hurt. Let’s be grateful of that.

Brady Jennings: No major injuries, so that’s always good. Getting Lopez back on the court with no major mishaps has to be counted as a positive. D-Will looked very good in stretches, which, as I mentioned in our preview, is pivotal to Brooklyn’s success this season. Also, Jarrett Jack had a big night going 10-10 from the field against his former team, the Golden State Warriors. If Jack can consistently come in off the bench and score at a relatively high rate, that will help Brooklyn tremendously.

2.) The Nets had moments of competence in all three road losses last week and could have stolen a game or two with more consistency, but which loss was the most frustrating?

Jordan: The most frustrating to me was the loss to Portland. The Trailblazers were down two of their three best players and Brooklyn was unable to capitalize. LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum being out meant that Joel Freeland and Meyers Leonard had to play big minutes. Everyone was missing easy shots and it killed them from the start. I really do think that the Nets should have been in control of this game from the beginning instead of playing catch up all night.

Vertsberger: Had to be the Blazers. Portland was without LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum! Those are two very important payers for them. That hurts.

Jennings: To me, the most frustrating loss has to be the 10 point loss suffered at the hands of the Portland Trailblazers. I thought Brooklyn had to win that game since Aldridge and Batum did not play. I actually expected the Nets to win that game. I didn’t expect the Nets to beat Phoenix or Golden State, mainly because I think both of those teams are pretty good, but I assumed they would beat Portland without two of their best players available.

3.) What are you looking to see from the team as they get back home and play a couple of games against the Eastern Conference this week, before going back out on the road?

Jordan: The Nets have strung together several good quarters on this West Coast run, but never a whole, consistent game. Consistency is something this team is struggling with outside of their four best players (Williams, Lopez, KG and Johnson). In my opinion, the two ‘Vics (Bogdanovic and Teletovic) need to start hitting open shots, Jarrett Jack could shoot a lot less, and Mason Plumlee needs to be utilized in the pick and roll more this week. I think the Nets will go 1-3 this week with losses to Milwaukee, OKC, and San Antonio.

Vertsberger: The simple answer is wins, right? With Wade, Deng and McRoberts sitting out for the Heat, winning three out of those four games is certainly plausible. Specifically, I’d like to see a consistent effort over four quarters. Hopefully that’s not too much to ask for.

Jennings: I’m looking to see if the Nets can at least split their 4 upcoming games.  Brooklyn is better than Milwaukee and OKC without Durant and Westbrook.  I can’t see them beating San Antonio, but a win over Miami is very possible. If Brooklyn can get scoring from someone other than Williams or Johnson they should beat Miami. Also, keeping Bosh in check will be essential. I feel like Garnett is the player who can do that. If Brooklyn can win 2 games at home before heading out west to face a decimated OKC squad and a mildly decimated Spurs team, they should feel good about this week and so should Nets fans. A 3-1 record this week is what we should see from the Nets.

 

Nov
17

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RECAP: Nets 83, Heat 95

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Miami Heat 95

Final

Recap | Box Score

 83 Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets game Monday night versus the Miami Heat told a story that is already becoming familiar in this young season. After a good first half, Brooklyn came out in the third quarter looking like a team that had their memory wiped Men in Black style at halftime, eventually losing their fourth straight game 83-95 and falling to 4-6 on the season.

This was a game Brooklyn should have won. The Heat were without Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, and Josh McRoberts and began the game colder than Ivan Drago (come on, that dude was cold blooded). The Nets defense was active in the first half, although some of it was due to the Heat’s terrible shooting. The Nets were running under most screens and rotating aggressively on any drives. While this resulted in quite a few open Miami threes, they couldn’t take advantage.

At halftime, the Nets had managed to only allow 38 points, their lowest total of the season. That’s where it all went down faster than Apollo Creed versus Ivan Drago (okay, I watched Rocky IV this morning), as the Heat then went on to put up an additional 32 points in the third quarter, their first 30+ point quarter in the last 29.

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Nov
17

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Can the Brooklyn Nets Beat a Good Team?

The Brooklyn Nets have played 9 games thus far in the 2014-15 season and are currently sporting a 4-5 record. Sure, it’s way too early to press any sort of panic button, but it might be time to start blowing the dust off that button and disinfecting it in preparation (hey, you don’t know who hit that panic button last). Read More

Nov
16

By

RECAP: Nets 87, Trailblazers 97

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Brooklyn Nets 87

Final

Recap | Box Score

 97 Portland Trail Blazers
Kevin Garnett, PF 27 MIN | 5-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 12 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 12 PTS | -1

KG took advantage of the fact that he was being guarded by Meyers Leonard for a majority of this game. He was able to stay out of foul trouble for what seems like the first time this season and was very impressive in this game. Defensively he swats at the ball like a crazy man and is kind of slow, but he was passable tonight.

Joe Johnson, SF 36 MIN | 9-18 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 20 PTS | +1

Nicolas Batum being out was beneficial for Joe Johnson. This meant that Wesley Matthews or Allen Crabbe had to guard Johnson. Both are smaller and considerably less physical then you would like for someone guarding a skilled player like Johnson. He was able to bully anyone that guarded him in the post or take them off the dribble.

Brook Lopez, C 30 MIN | 10-17 FG | 1-1 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 21 PTS | +3

Watching Brook Lopez go to work in the post in my opinion is the most enjoyable part of this Nets team. He was battling his twin brother Robin for every basket and it was awesome. I think his foot situation is hampering his defense and rebounding, but the effort is certainly there. The game is probably a little closer near the end if he plays in the final four minutes.

Deron Williams, PG 37 MIN | 6-15 FG | 6-6 FT | 2 REB | 6 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 19 PTS | -5

Getting smoked by Damian Lillard is nothing to be ashamed of it happens to a lot of other point guards. Williams went right back at the young Blazers point guard on the other end, but was hampered by foul trouble in the first half. Williams was a lone bright spot in a rough game that the Nets should have won.

Bojan Bogdanovic, SG 28 MIN | 0-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -4

The looks were there, but the shots were not falling. When Bogdanovic is on he is really good, but when he is bad he is really bad. I think playing consistent minutes like this is great for his development and we will see a more consistent Bojan soon.

Mirza Teletovic, PF 14 MIN | 1-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -10

He is no longer shooting fire out of his hands from three like my character in Skyrim and that was a huge problem tonight. It was a cold night for everyone so I’m sure he’ll go back to raining fire from the skies soon.

Jerome Jordan, C 7 MIN | 0-0 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -9

I think that Jerome Jordan should have played more in this game. In the seven minutes he played he was able to protect the rim and alter shots something the other Brooklyn bigs struggle with.

Mason Plumlee, C 18 MIN | 0-4 FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 1 PTS | -3

It’s never good when you get outplayed by Joel Freeland and that’s exactly what happened tonight. Plumlee was ineffective in the forgettable eighteen minutes he played.

Jarrett Jack, PG 26 MIN | 4-12 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 10 PTS | -9

Jack heated up in the fourth quarter after being invisible in the first three quarters. Scoring 10 points in the fourth and looking like an NBA player for a bit couldn’t wipe out the fact that he was taking and missing terrible shots for three quarters.

Jorge Gutierrez, PG 3 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 0 PTS | -9

I’m really holding out hope that Gutierrez turns out to be good. I want to hear “Hip, Hip….. JORGE” chants breaking out in the Barclays Center like Yankees Stadium when they had Jorge Posada.

Alan Anderson, SG 13 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 0 PTS | -4

If he hadn’t tried to fight Will Barton for no reason I would have forgotten he played.

Lionel Hollins

The tie he was rocking was pretty great other than that it was a forgettable performance from Lionel. Taking out Brook Lopez near the end of the game to go small with an ice cold Teletovic may have killed the comeback effort. He is also running Deron WIlliams into the ground. I don’t think playing someone coming off of substantial ankle problems 37 mpg is such a great idea.

Three Things We Saw

  1. The Nets didn’t hit a three until Deron Williams hit one with :20 seconds left in the game.. The looks were there so it wasn’t like the 17 threes they missed were awful shots. A majority were good looks, but there was a lid on the rim tonight. I think after missing a few it would have been nice to see guys like Bogdanovic and Teletovic take the ball to the basket. That kind of shooting is not going to cut it against a tough west team like the Trailblazers which was missing two of their three best players.
  2. Kevin Garnett didn’t have any assists in this game, but the way the Nets are using him as a creator in the high post is super interesting. He was hitting cutters and open guys on the three point line with ease. Him and Bogdanovic have a certain chemistry that I am not able to explain. KG probably would have had about five assists if the rest of the Nets hadn’t been so cold. I’m sure everyone can get behind KG the creator and I hope it stays in the Nets offense.
  3. The Nets offense relies on jumpshots a little too much in my opinion. Deron Williams, Jarrett Jack Kevin Garnett and the two Vic’s like to take a lot of jumpshots. Some of them are actually good shots and some of them I’m sure Lionel Hollins could do without. I think the Nets would look much better if they stopped settling for jumpshots. Robin Lopez has blossomed into a good rim protector, but there was no excuse for the Nets not taking the ball right at Joel Freeland and Chris Kaman.

Nov
14

By

RECAP: Nets 99, Warriors 107

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Brooklyn Nets 99 FinalRecap | Box Score 107 Golden State Warriors
Kevin Garnett, PF 13 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | 0

In what’s becoming somewhat of a trend, Garnett found his minutes limited by foul trouble. His 13 minutes on the court were rather nondescript. I miss crazy, in your face, all-over-the-place KG.

Joe Johnson, SF 32 MIN | 5-12 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 4 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | -10

After ripping into his teammates for selfishness, Joe hasn’t exactly backed up his words. A majority of his shots were off of isolations and weren’t exactly the most optimal looks. The Nets really need to work on generating open looks for Joe as it is tough for him to get in a scoring groove with defenders constantly draped all over him.

Brook Lopez, C 27 MIN | 7-17 FG | 4-4 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 18 PTS | 0

Brook’s first quarter: 12 pts. on 4-8 from the field, 4-4 from the line. In the next 3 quarters: just 6 points on 3 of 8 shooting, no foul shots. Brook’s first quarter provided adequate reason for optimism. He was aggressive, decisive, and looked to be developing a nice two man game with D-Will. But after the 1st he failed to continue his offensive rhythm. He also failed to provide much of a defensive presence and was thoroughly outplayed by Andrew Bogut.

Deron Williams, PG 33 MIN | 7-14 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 18 PTS | -12

Deron continued his solid play. His game wasn’t spectacular, but he got his teammates involved early and provided some timely scoring. He also had a part in keeping Stephen Curry in check, as Curry scored just 2 first half points and 17 for the game.

Bojan Bogdanovic, SG 37 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 9 PTS | -4

Some questionable shot-taking and rough defensive stretches plagued Bojan tonight. But that is expected of a rookie. He made some key 4th quarter shots to help the Nets hang around and definitely seems to be a favorite of Coach Hollins, as he led the team in minutes.

Mirza Teletovic, PF 24 MIN | 0-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 0 PTS | -2

Easily Mirza’s worst game of the young season. It was bad timing for a rough night from one of Brooklyn’s most consistent contributors, as his shot making was sorely missed.

Andrei Kirilenko, SF 4 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -5

Is that Mark Titus’ music? He must be incredibly proud of Kirilenko for pulling off the impressive 4 trillion.

Mason Plumlee, C 20 MIN | 3-9 FG | 7-8 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 13 PTS | -4

While the 13 points and 8 rebounds look like a solid stat line, Plumlee just doesn’t seem to be himself. He struggled at times finishing close to the rim and just seemed a step slow on defense.

Jarrett Jack, PG 26 MIN | 10-10 FG | 3-4 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 23 PTS | 0

Jarrett Jack was easily the Nets’ best player tonight and arguably the best player on the floor period (though I would lean toward Andrew Bogut). That’s a sentence I never thought I would type. Shooting a perfect 10-10 from the field - who saw that coming? - Jack singlehandedly kept the Nets afloat during an awful 2nd quarter, and played a big part in the 4th quarter surge.

Alan Anderson, SG 24 MIN | 1-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -3

Rough shooting night for Anderson. It seemed like he would launch a brick whenever the Nets needed to make a momentum-shifting shot.

Lionel Hollins
His team competed for 4 quarters on the road in one of the league’s rowdiest opposing arenas. While they suffered a 2nd quarter letdown after a strong 1st period, the Nets showed a lot of fight and grit on the 2nd night of a back to back. I would give Hollins an A, but the stickiness of the ball on offense is an issue. While this could be a product of the players who are running the offense, it is on Hollins to encourage better off the ball movement and to implement actions that generate a more consistent amount of open looks.

Three Things We Saw

  1. Just as we saw last night against Phoenix, the Nets got off to a very encouraging start. Led by Brook Lopez’s 12, the Nets scored 36 first quarter points. But a 22-6 Warriors 2nd quarter run culminated with the Nets taking an 11 point deficit into halftime. The Nets began to struggle with shot-making and the Warriors quicker pace proved to be too much for them to handle.
  2. I touched on it a bit earlier, but the Nets’ offense is still way too stagnant. They found themselves in consistent iso situations and rarely generated open looks off of their offensive sets. They finished the game just 3 for 16 from 3-point land. That’s not going to cut it, especially when the Nets are playing offensively skilled opponents. A weak early season schedule made their issues less obvious, but the past two games have magnified the problems. The Nets are going to struggle with quicker, younger teams; especially if they allow their opponents to set the pace.
  3. I highlighted perimeter defense as a big key for the Nets coming into this game. The Splash Brothers are a challenge for any team to handle. While the Nets kept Curry and Thompson in check for the most part (42 pts. combined on 14-34 shooting), Thompson was afforded some open looks down the stretch that proved to be costly.

Nov
13

By

Brooklyn’s Finecast – Episode 2

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PodLogov1

Welcome to this week’s Brooklyn’s Finecast, all! This time, we’re joined by special guest Tom Lorenzo, editor of NetsDaily. Enjoy!

 

Nov
13

By

RECAP: Nets 104, Suns 112

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Brooklyn Nets 104

Final

Recap | Box Score

 112 Phoenix Suns
Kevin Garnett, PF 27 MIN | 5-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 10 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | -17

KG ended with a decent stat line, and was solid and reliable. He’s becoming a 2006 Honda Civic out there; you don’t notice it that often and it’s not flashy, but it’ll get you where you want to go and you can hang some fuzzy dice somewhere.

Joe Johnson, SF 37 MIN | 7-16 FG | 6-7 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 21 PTS | +2

Johnson seemed to be trying really hard to take his own words to heart after ripping his team for lack of ball movement, right down to a comical break where he and Deron played hot potato with the ball. As always, Johnson was steady and got the Nets some points when they were needed, but his isolation tendencies came out as soon as the offense struggled. If he’s going to call out teammates two weeks into the season there better be some walks being walked out there.

Brook Lopez, C 26 MIN | 6-13 FG | 4-5 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 16 PTS | +4

Lopez seemed to be under orders to limit his shots in the first quarter and it helped the offense get into a rhythm. In the second quarter Brook was abusing Miles Plumlee down low, but spent much of the second half taking off-balance shots. He once again recorded 0 assists, thereby leaving his season (5 game) total at 1. There are 1-on-1 games with more passing than that.

Deron Williams, PG 34 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 5 TO | 14 PTS | -7

Williams looked great in the first half and seemingly forgot all about how to play basketball in the second. In the beginning there were so many good things happening when he had the ball, but he abruptly stopped passing after halftime. He could get into the lane at will, but needs to continue making smart decisions once he does.

Bojan Bogdanovic, SG 33 MIN | 4-10 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 14 PTS | +1

Bojan surprised everyone by doing a respectable job at perimeter defense, although he wasn’t getting a lot of help on screens. His shooting keeps getting better and his activity is up, but please Bojan, don’t dribble.

Mirza Teletovic, PF 33 MIN | 6-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 16 PTS | +5

The defense always seems to pick up when Mirza comes in the game and he can get hot and drop 8 points in a flash. Teletovic was one of the few Nets that continued trying to run the offense in the second half, but he may as well have been teaching them Bosnian for all the good it was doing.

Mason Plumlee, C 9 MIN | 0-2 FG | 1-4 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 3 BLK | 2 TO | 1 PTS | -2

This was one of Mason’s worst games. He came in off the bench over excited and had to sit early with 2 fouls in as many minutes. When he got back in his defensive rotations were slow and he was anonymous except for an Earth-shaking block on Marcus Morris.

Jarrett Jack, PG 24 MIN | 2-4 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 5 TO | 8 PTS | -11

Jack looked confused, even when the offense was clicking in the first half. He almost single-handedly killed their early momentum by throwing the ball to imaginary teammates. Only 8 points and 5 turnovers actually sounds better than how it looked.

Alan Anderson, SG 13 MIN | 0-0 FG | 2-4 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -9

Looked a few steps slow and was forced into the role of playmaker with Jack playing bad. Let’s just say that’s not his strong suit.

Lionel Hollins

The team looked like they could beat anyone in the first half and like they would lose to everyone in the second. I’m not sure how much praise or blame goes to the coach in this case, but it has to be at least some of each.

Five Things We Saw

  1. I don’t know what the Brooklyn Nets did at halftime, but it changed everything. I can only assume it was a particularly traumatizing video, perhaps a Jets game.
  2. The first half was everything we want to see from Brooklyn’s offense, with 5 assists on 10 field goals in the first 9 minutes and 70 percent shooting in first quarter. They went into the half with a 14 point lead after scoring 63 first half points.
  3. The second half was all that is wrong with Brooklyn’s offense, with no field goals for the first 5 minutes, lazy movement, and Johnson and Deron taking turns at isolation. They shot 5 for 22 in the fourth quarter and managed to lose a game that was easier to win.
  4. The lack of concentration on defense must be giving Lionel Hollins nightmares, which I assume are about Brook Lopez standing in the Coach’s bedroom not quite paying attention. The rotations were slow or non-existent and the Nets continue to struggle mightily with penetrating guards. Brooklyn even managed to fall asleep so severely that they allowed a Bledsoe tip-in at the rim on an out of bounds play with 0.3 seconds on the shot clock.
  5. Without knowing better I would have thought this was the second game of a back-to-back. The lack of energy and will to play within the offense in the second half spoke of tired legs. Brooklyn actually has a back-to-back tomorrow in Golden State, where they will get embarrassed if they play like this again.

Nov
11

By

Three Man Weave: Week Three Edition

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It was a nice week for the Brooklyn Nets, with wins in three of their four games and a return from injury for franchise center Brook Lopez. A loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night prevented an otherwise perfect week, but the team sits at 4-2 as it begins its three-game West Coast road trip, with a Wednesday/Thursday night back-to-back in Phoenix and Golden State, and a stop in Portland Saturday night. The Nets are finally healthy and haven’t allowed an opponent to score over 100 points since their opening night stumble in Boston, and this West Coast trip could be a nice test for the team early in the season. Our experts in this edition of the Three Man Weave will address the state of the Nets after their three-win week and entering their three-games-in-four-days road trip. Leave us your thoughts and answers in the comments. Read More

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