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Nets squander lead to Celtics B-squad
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Rajon Rondo driving/Courtesy of the AP (Bill Kostroun)
The New Jersey Nets lost yet another late lead in the preseason, but this time, it was to another team's backups.
Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins were the only full-time starters that played for Boston in the team's 91-88 win over a full Nets squad. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen sat out.
The Nets led by 13 points at halftime by virtue of an impressive offensive first half. In the second half, all the Nets question marks reappeared. The team only managed 28 points in the second half after exploding for 60 in the first 24 minutes.
Rajon Rondo tormented the Nets with his dribble-drive to the hoop. Despite shooting poorly from the free-throw line, Rondo scored 18 points and racked up 13 assists. Rasheed Wallace led all Boston scorers with 20 points. A right foot injury sent Wallace to the sideline in the 3rd quarter, however. He did not return.
After a solid performance in a 100-93 loss to these same Celtics on Sunday, the Nets struggled against Boston's backups. The Nets showed a lack of jump-shooters, little leadership, and virtually no rebounding outside of Brook Lopez. Yi Jianlian did nothing to inspire confidence before sitting out the second half with a right shoulder strain.
Devin Harris also sat out the second half with what was described as a right groin strain. Harris appeared fine on the bench and the move was most likely precautionary. Although New Jersey missed Harris, Boston played the entire game without the Big Three.
The second half illustrated what will amount to several position battles. Josh Boone got a significant amount of time in the first half, but Eduardo Najera took those minutes in the second half. Lawrence Frank left the door open for Yi, Boone, and Najera to earn the No. 4 spot, but all came up empty. Boone can defend but is an offensive liability, Najera struggles against bigger power forwards, and Yi is wildly inconsistent. Regardless of how this season goes, look for the Nets and Mikhail Prokhorov to spend big at that position, whether it be Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, or Carlos Boozer next offseason.
In a night that left a lot of doubt in the Nets' minds, there were positives. Harris and Courtney Lee played very well together. Like Shaq said, Lee has the potential to develop into a star. He led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Chris Douglas-Roberts had yet another efficient game, going 7-of-9 from the field for 19 points. Brook Lopez added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Harris, Lopez, Lee, and Douglas-Roberts should provide the bulk of the Nets offense.
Playing their way out?
Two of the pieces acquired in the Vince Carter deal could find themselves left out of the mix come the regular season. Tony Battie struggled in his 12 minutes of action, highlighted by an attempted bank-shot that went over the backboard. Sean Williams (did not play), Josh Boone (two points, two rebounds), and Bobby Simmons (did not play) all provide better options than Battie.
In addition to Battie, Rafer Alston disappointed while running the point. He brings veteran leadership, but when Harris left the game due to injury, the Nets offense disappeared. Alston can dish, but he does not have a good enough jumper to beat out Keyon Dooling. Dooling's biggest asset is that he can shoot the ball and play some shooting guard. Dooling is a better complement to Harris than Alston is. Don't be surprised to see Alston moved either prior to the season or at the latest, well before the trade deadline.
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