| Playoff Dead End Authored by Matthew McQueeny - April 27, 2005 - 3:07 am
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The New Jersey Nets fought the last month of the regular season in order to make the playoffs. What does a 15-4 mark down the stretch earn you? A trip to Disney world? Well, go there and head south about 250 miles and you are in the right vicinity. By getting into the playoffs, the Nets lined up in a series with the Miami Heat. The only ride on this vacation has proven itself to be the good old Shaq-to-the-future. The Heat are poised to win a championship and the only way the Nets were going to have a shot (to even win a game or two) was if Miami overlooked them. Instead, the Heat have come out and used the Nets as their personal playoff punching bag for the next few rounds. They are using the Nets to make a statement to all comers.
The Heat and Nets now head back to New Jersey with the Heat up 2-0. It is mere formality that the Heat will take this series. Watching this series is like watching an exhibition between the Varsity and the Junior Varsity. The Nets are ill-equipped to match the size, depth, and experience that the Heat have gained this season. The Heat were meticulously built last off-season around Shaquille O’Neal. They picked up the shooters, the backup big men, and the experience. New Jersey was built on the fly. They had to send away almost all their size to gain Vince Carter. Rod Thorn tried as hard as he could to make up for the deficiency in season, but that is a very difficult proposition. He ended up getting Clifford Robinson and not much else. So, in essence, this is a house money series. Getting into the playoffs was a major accomplishment.
The last month of the regular season was, in a sense, the first round of the playoffs for the Nets. It seemed they had to win almost every game to get in. With a full season, this Net team is an Atlantic Division contender. This would put them into the three seed and they would not have to face a Miami until at least the second round. A first round beating is never a good thing for public relations but no matter where the Nets caught the Heat in the draw, they were not beating them.
New Jersey maximized the potential of this particular team. They got into the playoffs on the backs of Vince Carter and Jason Kidd. They dealt with many set backs and many injuries. The way they finished turned this into a house money season. It is hard to watch a once elite team take a beating, but remember with a healthy Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson this is the best perimeter team in the league. With some ingenuity, they could add a big guy and they turn back into an elite team. If that is not the way to go, any two of the big three are great chips in a blockbuster deal. Remember, Rod Thorn has tried to get Kevin Garnett over the years. Who said Kidd had to go to Minnesota to play with him? |
