NEW JERSEY NETS 28-23 What has changed: After a 9-game winning streak the Nets have led the up-for-grabs Atlantic Division since. Now only 3 separate them from the Sixers and their big three might not be enough to hold them off. Kidd, Carter and Jefferson have all carried the team. Kidd's 14-7-7 aren't as good as year's past but great nonetheless. Carter and Jefferson provide 42.7 of their 94 points. Nenad Krstic has quietly chipped in 12.7 as well. However that's about all the stats for the Nets. Those four privode more than half of the team's points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Their supporting cast is shallow to say the least and aside from a few bright spots are pretty bleak. Lamond Murray and Jeff McInnis have missed 40% of the year, leaving Scott Padgett and Jacque Vaughn to make up for the production. Jason Collins and Krstic both frequently get in foul trouble so a need for at least a semi-deep bench is there. Also they only stat the Nets dominate is assists, which is all thanks to Jason Kidd. But every other one of their stats are basically mediocre. There aren't any areas where they're strictly awful yet there just as few that they lead. Jason Kidd was at his best when he could dish the ball off to players who were running the floor with him. While Carter and Jefferson are okay at that the rest of the team suffers from its age. Guys like Cliff Robinson and Marc Jackson aren't going to run the floor when they're healthy and for some of them that isn't a guarantee. New Jersey will go as far as Carter, Kidd and Jefferson take them. If just one of them gets injured (especially Kidd) you can kiss the Net's season goodbye. Otherwise they should have enough to keep the 76ers at bay in the division. |
