This Is Your Captain Speaking

Vince Carter has been criticized for not caring enough about losing, but he was not happy last night. He showed it to the media and to Devin Harris.

If you’re the Nets or a Nets’ fan, that’s may be one good thing coming out of last night’s 108-88 debacle against the Wizards - Carter’s demeanor after the game.

Late in the game, while Carter and Harris were watching the end of the blowout, he had some serious words for his backcourt mate. The short version is don’t let what happened out West go to waste. Now here’s the long version.

“I still feel very confident about this team,” Carter said. “I think we accomplished a lot on that trip. I think we accomplished something that people didn’t even think we’d do. I don’t think people thought we’d win a game.

“But we feel good about our team ourselves and it wasn’t a great night, but after the game I said to Devin, even during the game when we took a timeout in the last four minutes or so, I said let’s continue to get better. The next team has to pay for it - plain and simple.

“It’s not a secret,” Carter added. “For us to play that well and build and come together and accomplish what we accomplished this past week, it’s up to Devin and myself to really set the bar and set the tone for the next game now. That’s what I feel is needed, so I refuse to let us take a step back.”

The words will be hollow if the Nets don’t come to play Friday, but you have to like them and the intent. Carter was unhappy and if you’re a Nets’ fan it’s good to see.

He’s trying to remain upbeat and supportive, yet show that he’s not happy with how everyone, including him, played.

His post-game press conference opened with a question about whether the Nets took a step backward. Carter said no, but….

“I think it’s unacceptable,” he said of the performance. “A step back? I think if we come back and give three games away then maybe it’s a step back. It’s just tough, man. We got the shots we wanted, especially in the first half. In the second half shots weren’t falling. I think our aggression more so took a step back in the second half.

 “It was a tough night. We built something so we’re going to continue to do so. It was just one of those nights. I refuse to believe that we took a step back.”

Now it’s up to Carter and Harris and the rest of the Nets to make sure it was just one bad night because we’ve all seen it before. A bad night Friday could lead to a bad night Saturday in Philadelphia and then the high from the trip is replaced with a major low.

Of course, you can point to the Nets being tired from being out West for a week, landing at about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning and their body clocks being off. It’s a legitimate factor, but it sounds like an excuse.

So the best thing now is to move on and see what happens on Friday against the Timberwolves.

“We’ve got to look forward,” Harris said. “Obviously we lost an opportunity, but we can get another one back on Friday. Just look forward to that, get a good practice in and go from there.”

***
The Nets were waiting to see how teams played them to contain Harris. They found out as the Wizards went mostly to a zone in the third quarter. The Nets said they got open shots and that they just didn’t fall.

“We got some great looks,” Harris said. “It was just one of those nights where shots weren’t falling. They tried to take away our man-to-man stuff, gave us some wide-open looks, and our guys just weren’t able to knock them down.

“I still got into the lane, just instead of me finishing at the basket they forced me to kick out for open jump-shots. That’s what we want, eventually, but guys just have got to knock down shots.”

The Nets have to be prepared because they're going to see many different defenses no, but there's no excuse for not playing defense themselves.

Comments

[rod]

Has Frank ever given thought to allowing the players to guard the 3 point line?

[Mark T]

I totally blame the jet lag. Just like when they went out to LA, the first game they faded in the 2nd half, same here coming the other way. They'll come back Friday.

[JP]

Al,

If I can see it sitting in the stands, if every other fan can see it, if every person watching on tv can see it then how come the coaches and players did not make an adjustment last night when Washington kept chucking threes? The Wizards were not making any effort to get the ball inside. Why didn't the Nets force the Wizards to go inside and give up the long ball? They just consistently let the Wizards get any shot they wanted from the outside. I blame the coaching staff for not adjusting the defense.

I really feel that was one of the worst Nets games I have been to in my life. I don't think I have ever left after 3 quarters before but I was so disgusted with the performance and effort that I did not want to see anymore. My fellow season ticket holders around me felt the same way. They never leave but they did as well.

I am sick of the excuses with jet lag and first game back. Yes they might be jet lagged and exhausted from the emotional trip, but show some effort. You can be tired and still play hard and even if you lose at least you showed fight. They had no heart whatsoever and it starts with Carter. I do not care what he is saying after the game, he made no effort at all to attack the basket until it was too late.

Finally, Yi is terrible. And tell the Record to stop cheaping out and send a reporter on the trip.

JP

[Vladimir]

That's the problem with Vince Carter, he always tells you after the game that they need to be aggressive all the time. Hello! He stands in the corner most of the time during the Wizards game. Harris always gives his 100% but not Carter. Carter rarely attacks the basket. Lawrence Frank should tell this lazy $64M player that the next game all his shots will have to be within 10 ft the ring.