| New Jersey Nets Are In The Thick Of It Authored by Matthew McQueeny - April 10, 2005 - 3:18 pm
The New Jersey Nets made the Boston Celtics look like a lottery team yesterday. Vince Carter came out from the start firing and making everything inside half-court. When the dust settled, Vince had 45 points and Jason Kidd had 17 assists. The Celtics could do nothing to compete with this back court barrage. The Nets have these days, where this team built on the fly truly flourishes and looks like they should be the one vying for division dominance. Many questions come out of this Nets streak. A streak where the team has gone 11-3 after a lambasting at the hands of the Heat. First off, are the Nets this good? Have the pieces finally coalesced after a constant shuffling of the deck throughout the season? Or, is this a mere mirage, a streak where two top players in the league can play at an extremely high level but will eventually burn out? Obviously, these questions will be answered with time and success or failure. The problem is that for the Nets to find their way into April’s addendum, the post-season, they are going to need some help.
New Jersey is 1.5 games back of the 7th and 8th seed Sixers and Cavaliers. The Nets have five games left including Indiana and Toronto on the road later this week, Philadelphia and Washington at home, and then the finale in Boston. Four of those five teams have winning records, and the fifth, Toronto, give the Nets fits from three-point range and always seem to out gun New Jersey. Plus, this will be Vince’s first foray back to Toronto, which the venomous crowd will likely turn into what will sound like a playoff game.
Philadelphia, who had an impressive win in Washington last night without Iverson playing, have six games remaining. Boston and Miami at home, Indiana and New Jersey on the road, and then finishing with Milwaukee and Atlanta at home. All you can say is that, for the Nets, you hope Milwaukee and Atlanta will show up because those games could be cakewalks. Of the first four games listed, The Sixers could presumably lose all of them. Boston, Miami and Indiana are above .500 and the Nets are coming on as if they are an above .500 team. The worst the Sixers could go in this stretch is probably 2-4.
Cleveland, who had a big win last night against the Bucks with Lebron triple-doubling, has been in a free-fall since their new quicken loaner Dan Gilbert took over the ownership of the team. The Cavaliers have six games remaining, four on the road and two at home. The four on the road include Orlando, Washington, Detroit and Toronto and the two at home are New York and Boston. The Cavs could prove to be the Nets’ best shot to get into the playoffs. A 3-3 record is the best-case scenario with their schedule.
New Jersey have been the jugger-Nets of late. In order to make it to the playoffs, they will need to win out, as there will be no backing in from their vantage point a game and a half back. The Nets need to keep the pressure on the young Cavs and hope inexperience will show itself an ally. For the Sixers, a veteran savvy squad with explosive young talent, they have been here before. Allen Iverson will do whatever he has to do to get them in. However, attrition could end their season. Webber has been out, and Iverson himself has a bad thumb and sat out last night. All of this is moot, however, if the Nets do not take of their business. |
