The Fast Break: Why the time is now for Nets to make their move
Don't look now, but with their surprising rout of the Clippers last night, the Nets are officially the hottest team in the Eastern Conference with a whopping three wins in a row.
Thanks to the rest of the Conference needing weeks to accumulate three wins, Brooklyn has suddenly jumped up to 10th in the East, just one game behind the Bulls for 8th place and similarly one game behind the Atlantic Division leading Celtics for a top-four seed.
Deron Williams is back in the lineup and has totaled 40 points (on 14-of-25 shooting) and 11 assists over the last two games, Paul Pierce returned from a broken right hand earlier than expected, and while Brook Lopez sprained his ankle again on Thursday (it didn't seem too serious), Brooklyn has to like their chances in this upcoming two-week stretch. Starting tonight through December 27, the Nets play eight straight games against Eastern Conference opponents, six of their next seven against losing teams, three of seven against teams currently occupying spots 6th-8th (Wizards, Pistons, Bulls) and five of seven at home.
When you consider that what follows this seven-game stretch is three games against the Pacers, Spurs and Thunder, and a tougher January schedule in general, one would have to believe that if the Nets are ever going to make a move to the top of the Atlantic Titanic and towards being even a shadow of the team most envisioned them becoming, now would be the time.
You're on a roll, your upcoming schedule is incredibly advantageous, the rest of the Conference hasn't gone anywhere, 60 percent of your division is either tanking or will be tanking sooner rather than later, 20 percent of your division is the Knicks and you make up the other 20 percent. No more excuses, Brooklyn. It's time to take, although now by default, what should have been yours to begin with.
About last night...
Chris Paul's 2 assists tied for the fewest in a game in his NBA career
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 13, 2013
Trail Blazers 111, Rockets 104 - In what turned out to be one of the best star battles of the season so far, LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard combined for an incredible 63 points on 59 percent shooting (26/44), 42 rebounds, five blocks, three assists and three steals.
Line of the night: LaMarcus Aldridge - 31 Pts (12/22 FG, 7/9 FT), 25 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO in 41 mins.
LaMarcus Aldridge has posted the first 30-point, 25-rebound game in Trail Blazers history.
— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) December 13, 2013
Play of the night:
Chuck says: "They've got the toughness of a flea" - Barkley on the Clippers, one of his favorite targets.
On tap tonight: How perfect? 13 games are slated for this Friday the 13th, headlined by Lakers/Thunder, Rockets/Warriors, Timberwolves/Spurs, and of course, Rudy Gay's Kings debut against the Suns. You'll notice the trend is that all of these games exclusively feature Western Conference teams.
Latest on Lowry: With the Knicks reportedly leading the charge to pry Kyle Lowry and his expiring contract away from Toronto, the latest developments include the Knicks not wanting to include young assets like Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. or a future first round draft pick. With history as our guide, especially when it comes to the Knicks, the safe money is on Masai Ujiri holding firm and New York (or some other team) bending to his wishes.
On that note, perhaps the greatest report/line to come out of all of this came from Adrian Wojnarowski, who writes: "Knicks owner Jim Dolan is sensitive to the public perception that Toronto general manger Masai Ujiri bamboozled New York in the Carmelo Anthony trade, and the chance of getting panned for giving up too much in a deal for Lowry has become a hurdle in these talks, league sources told Yahoo Sports." Don't forget the Bargnani trade, either! You just can't make this stuff up.
Iguodala back soon: Andre Iguodala says he'll be back "really soon" for the Warriors after missing the last couple of weeks with a hamstring strain. The importance of Iguodala's defensive presence and secondary ball handling ability cannot be understated for this Golden State team. The Warriors have a point-differential per 48 minutes of +12.9 with Iguodala on the court and -4.5 with him on the bench, while posting a net rating of +14.0 with Iggy on the floor and -3.6 with him sitting. It's no surprise then that the Warriors, who went into their November 22 matchup against the Lakers (the game Iguodala left) at 8-4, have gone 5-6 since.
Friday fun: David Stern, probably upon hearing news that the Knicks are engaging in trade talks with Ujiri again...
We see you, David...we see you.