The new year started off great with road victories for both New York teams. While the Knicks defeated the Spurs, the Nets gave OKC and the Thunder an home court loss in dramatic fashion. Being down 10 with seven minutes left in regulation the Nets went on an 14-0 run to go up 93-89 with several minutes left. The rally was sparked by Paul Pierce who finished with 18 and Deron Williams who ended his night with 29 points. Being tied at 93 after an Ibaka layup, the Nets gave all-star guard Joe Johnson the rock and he delivered with an isolation play at the top of the key. Joe Johnson who finished the night with 9 points and 4/11 of shooting made the biggest one of the night, the one that sealed the deal.
In order for the Nets to win games Deron Williams has to be in attack mode. By him being aggressive it allowed other players to get shots and have important roles in the offense. I think Deron is starting to realize his play and tempo he sets will ultimately decide how the team will react. If they are feeding off his energy the team starts to play with confidence. They could have easily thrown in the towel against the Thunder as they were down by 16 at one point. However they found a way to persevere and get a huge win against an elite team in the West. I’m not a fan of superstitions but in the two games that the Nets have won Jason Kidd has not worn a tie. So expect to see Jason Kidd tie-less for the next few games. The Nets are currently on a 2 game win streak, after beating OKC they beat the handicapped Cavs two days later without Kyrie Irving.
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