RJ - 20pts 12ast(career high) KK - 16pts 6reb Lu - 14pts 6-9fg Twin - 13pts 7reb Debo - 13pts 21min ( got ejected in 2nd half) Armstrong - 10pts A`train - 10pts 4-5pg complete box score it was a very solid game. yes, it was against the hawks - but you have to play every game as if you can be beat. thats back to back games that we have scored over 100pts and that isn't something normal for us so it shows you how much confidence our guys have and how good we are executing our offensive sets and playing good def for transition pts. i was disappointed in debo though. yea maybe you got pissed off, but you need to control yourself and not get T-ed up twice in less than 3secs and get ejected. you were on a roll with your confidence and i hope this doesnt take him out mentally from his previous state of mind. zoran was the only player that didnt score, but still had 4ast and 3reb. i was suprised that the shooting touch that goldwire had. he only took 3shots, but made 2 and he def has a better stroke than robert pack did. when playoff time comes, i don't really think zoran will get that much playing time. if he does it will most likely be in the 1st half, then lu take over backup for kidd in the 2nd half as coach frank has done before. unless we play the knicks, then i can see zoran play 1 and 2nd half because he has played ok against the knicks. about the hawks. i really think they have something with chris crawford and jason collier. crawford had 22pts and collier only 7, but they played well. jackson had 31pts, but they seemed a very quiet 31pts to me. they have those two guys, prolly lose jackson, along with jason terry and they have cap room to sign free agents. it is atlanta and maybe a bigger name will want to be the 'savior' for the hawks and make more money there than maybe they could get anywhere else. there is upside in atl, so it seems. they can't be that depressed down there, at least they are/will be better than orlando for a few years to come, unless orl makes something drastic happen
They also did one hell of a job defensively on Sura. He only scored 5 points. All starters scored in double figures en route to a three game winning streak. Zoran is kinda like a project. We just have to wait and see if he can hold his own as a tall PG or should he play SG. He has what it takes to be a decent PG except of his penchant to make stupid fouls. RJ is showing that he can be a leader. People are saying that Kidd is the only leader of the team. Now they have KMart and RJ helping Kidd lead the team. Oh and the Hawks' future will depend on the new owners but you can book it that Jackson will be out of there.
RJ is really starting to show off a complete game now. He averaging 7apg in his last 5 games. So not not only is he becoming a go to scorer, he is also now a got to playmaker to set other people up for easy buckets. JC had the mid-range jumper flowing last night. Thats the main way we can get point out of him at the center spot because its hard for him to finish plays down low. Hopefully he can show consistency with that shot thru the playoffs.
when kidd and kmart come back, this team is going to look totally different it feels like; and in a good way. imagine teams having to guard kmart,kidd and now rj for a final shot of the game. we now have 3options. throw it down to kmart of the post and kick it out to rj who can create, pop it back out to kidd and so on. teams cant know who is going to take the shot now. last yr and parts of this year, you knew jkidd was going to take the shot, now rj's jumper has improved really 100%. its not perfect, but it seems soooooooo much more consistant than every before. remember rj is only in his 3rd year, i am really excited not only about this yr, but about our future years with him and kmart who is only in his 4th. i love his jumper improvement, but what i like more than that is his ability to get to the rim and get to the line. if you be aggressive, most of the time you will get the benefit of the call and get to the line. u see it all the time with the best players like kobe,ai,tmac,duncan. if you attack the rim good things will happen. before when he couldnt get to the rim he would settle for jumpers and miss most of the time b/c he got frustrated. now if we cant get to the rim or is getting to the rim and not getting to the line, he will keep attacking. in some games were we only have been to the line 5x, he makes it his business to get us to the line out of halftime and even it out. the one thing that i would like to see with rj now is his free throw shooting. he is shooting 76% and for a guy that shoots almost 50% from the field that isnt too good. he should be around at least 80% and improve on that. he has a great stroke and should eventually be automatic from the line. i've noticed that most of the time he goes 1 outta 2 at the line, usually missing the 1st one. hes still an ok ft shooter, just another part of his game he will practice on and improve on, just like he has done with his jumper. rj your improvement is greatfully appreciate,keep it up!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting throwback:</div><div class="quote_post"> remember rj is only in his 3rd year, i am really excited not only about this yr, but about our future years with him and kmart who is only in his 4th. i love his jumper improvement, but what i like more than that is his ability to get to the rim and get to the line. if you be aggressive, most of the time you will get the benefit of the call and get to the line. u see it all the time with the best players like kobe,ai,tmac,duncan. if you attack the rim good things will happen. before when he couldnt get to the rim he would settle for jumpers and miss most of the time b/c he got frustrated. now if we cant get to the rim or is getting to the rim and not getting to the line, he will keep attacking. in some games were we only have been to the line 5x, he makes it his business to get us to the line out of halftime and even it out. </div> Exactly RJ during this strech is turning from a one demensional player to a genuine star imo. Right now he has everything on display. His ablity to get to the hold, Knock down the mid range jumper( and even the 3), create for others. And defend. He has also stepped up & taking the leadership role at the end of games. Now granted last year RJ had a tendency to dissapear during stretches in the playoffs & Finals. So he has to prove that he wants the ball when it really counts. But with the Tools he adding I dont see why he wouldnt. Everybody seems to be writting the Nets off when they really need to start getting scared. The Nets are a legit contender this year & every year until the Martin/Kidd/Rj era is over imo. Pistons, Pacers, who ever, do you hear that? its footsteps the Eastern Conference Kings & they are coming for another crown. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Last season, all you have to do is watch RJ and prevent him from flying to get the oop from Kidd. Now, you can't even give him space coz you know he can shoot. So you have to chose your poison. Back down a little so you can block his way to the basket for an oop, he'll get the pass and drain the J. Stick to his body, he'll find a way to blow by you and catch the oop. If this game is any indication, then we're all set to make another run to the Finals. You have to remember that a reason for our success during the past season was Lu and Rogers' contributions.
if rj played like this all year, then he would hands down be the most improved player. but he obviously hasnt b/c we've had kidd and kmart in the lineup which didnt allow him to expand his game. he will 100% be an all-star next year along with kidd and kmart for his 2nd time. for a team that gets no respect, we sure seem to have a few all-stars on this team. i even remember bill walton say that rj will be an all-star next yr, and he never gives us any credit; only the lakers (even more now especially since his kid luke is on the lakers now) if rj doesn't show you that practice makes perfect, then no one will.
Staying to shoot some J's after practice sure helped him. However, it would be really hard for him to be an all-star next year. Because of a guy named Vince.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting InNETSweTrust:</div><div class="quote_post">Staying to shoot some J's after practice sure helped him. However, it would be really hard for him to be an all-star next year. Because of a guy named Vince.</div> im not saying hes going to be a starting all-star. he can be a reserve like kenyon was. when the coaches see his improvement and how good he is, they are going to have to give him his props. about vc, i think there needs to be something done about this. yes i realize its all about the fans, but c'mon he's always injured and isnt even that good anymore. it isnt fair that one player gets an entire country to himself. everyone in canada votes for vc just b/c he plays for toranot. not because he had the best yr or he deserves it, but b/c he plays for a team in canada. there should be something that if you don't play x amt of games you cannot start. he could but a reserver, but cant start. i know this wont change, but i would like to see something done b/c it isnt fair for one person to get an entire country to vote for him every year. guys who deserve it should be in the game. lebron should've been in over vc btw. im not a vc hater, i loved him when he was injury-free, but he's been injured a lot and there is really no reason why he should be on the team. if he played for a team in the us, he absolutly would not get voted in-and i think he knows that. he can't think hes the best 3g out there and deserves to be in the asg every yr, cause he flat out doesnt. *phew i think i repeated myself a few times,at least you get my pt*
As long as fans vote for starters, Vince will always start over the other East forwards and Yao will start over Shaq. Oh and if develops further, he can be a reserve. Eventhough he's putting up those numbers, he still lacks this instict that all-star players have. That is delivery during crunch time. Kmart can make the game winning block and Kidd can make the game winning shot/assist. If he can be that kind of impact player (and if Frank calls on the other coaches again) he'll be an all-star in the years to come.
