Sweet Music

That was an amazing performance by Devin Harris and the Nets, who are 8-7 now.

Let that soak in for a second. They're 8-7 and have a shot at being 9-7 and enjoying a 3-1 trip for the second year in a row.

Who among you thought it was possible? Be honest.  But it is after the Nets crushed Utah 105-88 in such impressive fashion.

Harris is playing like an All-Star. So is Vince Carter, who deserves so much credit for the Nets' early success, along with coach Lawrence Frank. He's pushing the right buttons and has everyone believe in him and his system.

Remember what he said at the end of last season - that he didn't get his team to buy into his system. Not this year. They're playing well and playing hard and you see the results.

Harris was phenomenal as he outplayed Deron Williams and finished with 34 points on 17 shots and 13 foul shots. Carter was great. Jarvis Hayes continues to be a steal and big-time player off the bench and Ryan Anderson's hustle and tenacity helped take the ight out of the Jazz's sails and the crowd out of the game. Normally, that's what happens to the Nets in the third period.

Not on this night. Maybe not anymore.

There's still plenty of season to be played, but you have to like what you've seen thus far and on this trip. Tonight the Nets will try to end a 14-game skid in Phoenix and come home on a major high. Who among you thought eight or even nine wins in November were possible? Be honest.

Comments

[Adam.y]

YES YES YES!!!!
Really now all these surprising wins really make you wonder just how much confidence and heart can do in Basketball......
No doubt about it last year's team was capable of acheiving more wins than this one based on talent and experience alone, but I guess Kiddy just never really believed in this team's ability to win.....

Anyway yeah this is a very plesant surprise but as I said back in the depressing days of the off-season this team can definately be the surprise team of the season.

Ok guys time to give credit where credit is due, Franky a.k.a Opie a.k.a Nets fans public enemy #1 is doing an excellent job this year:
1)He introduced a system that is working remarkebley well for us.
2)Got Devin Harris out of his shell with excellent results (from 16ppg to the 7th best scorer in the league)
3)He rejuvinated Vince this season (either that or it was just a healthy ankle that did the job).
4)Has done an excellent job so far developing Lopez,Ryan Anderson and (for the most part) YI
5)Got a team that was projected to be the worst/2nd worst in the East to a respectable seed and to believe in themselves.

[Brian]

Hey Al,

Good post, as always. You asked for honesty and here it is: I thought we were headed for 18-22 wins. But from what I've seen, this team runs, plays defense (most of the time), hustles, has good chemistry, and is thriving on depth.

Come to think of it, doesn't the bench core of Dooling, Sean Williams, Boone/Lopez, Hayes, Najera, Swift, Anderson remind you a bit of the 2002 and 2003 teams' bench? SLAM Magazine named it "The Bench Mob."

Aaron Williams, Lucious Harris, a young RJ, a young Jason Collins and Anthony Johnson made for one of the best secondary units I've ever seen.

Perhaps we're seeing another version develop.

[ispartan]

Al,

Please do not perpetuate the myth ( oft repeated by the now dementia addled Marv Albert) that the Nets normally fold in the 3rd qtr. True, it happened against the Cavs and Lakers but those are teams that run away from everyone. I think if you look at the box scores, you will see that the Nets win the 3Q as often as not.

[Fonsy]

Al,
I don't know if you've heard, but that streetballer from London has left his country & is now living under an alias in Tahiti. Why? Cause he found out Harris was hunting him down for a rematch.

[Al Iannazzone]

Ispartan,

This week aside, the Nets have struggled in the third period from an energy standpoint. I've written about it over and over. Don't know what happens but they seem flat in the third - again, before this week. Tomorrow we will see if they've cured that against a bad team.