Joe and Champy bow to Keith for showing some last second cool.

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On the Road
Our man Champagne is taking off for the road over the next week. Look for his reports to resurface after the Chicago game.
- Joe

November 21, 2001 - Nets 90, Jazz 89 OT
Local Hero
Who better than Keith "Local Hero" Van Horn, the ex-University of Utah star, to hit the jumper in overtime with 2.3 seconds left to steal a win from the Jazz? Van Horn's exploits, while redeeming another mixed performance, weren't by far the only excitement to this game. It featured the following subplots: an early 14 point Nets lead; a battle, both physical and verbal between Byron Scott and Karl Malone; the blowing of said earlier lead; and some guts late from Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Van Horn to overcome a seemingly insurmountable 6 point Jazz advantage with 1:47 left to force overtime. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the game, and even though the Nets prevailed, this one could easily have entered the loss column.

This game was an emotional roller coaster for all involved. But the best was saved for last. Kidd, whose shooting as been as awful as a drive home from grandma's on the Parkway, was once again horrendous all game - until it mattered. He personally got the Nets to overtime, hitting a huge 3 after the Nets fell behind by six, then another three to tie the game after the usually clutch John Stockton missed one of two free throws to leave the door open for the Nets. In the overtime it was Kidd, Kenyon and Keith who helped slam the door on the Jazz.

This is the changing of the guard in the NBA. The Nets beat the Jazz for the first time in 12 meetings, going back to 1994. The Jazz would have closed this one out in years past, but aside from Malone and Donyell Marshall, who had big games, they no longer have the support. The Nets, of all people, showed more heart and guile (after playing a sloppy game) than they ever have, a direct effect of Jason Kidd's leadership. And they stared down Malone and company, and came away with a tough win.

I couldn't have written a better script.

Random Thoughts
Utah Keith - Yeah, he likes this place. He's looked upon as a god here, his beautiful wife is from here, and he's got a vacation home here that he spends all summer at. With another uneven contribution, you wanted him to come up big when it was needed. And it was.

Dr. Jeckyll & Mr Kidd - Awful early, clutch late. Just the way you would want it. Kidd couldn't buy a basket and had just two points and about a million turnovers through the first three periods. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, hitting the big shot to force overtime while off balance.

Scott v. Malone - Malone won the battle, but the Nets won the war. Apparently, during the scuffle that took place late in the second quarter, as Malone kept pushing at Scott and Scott kept pushing his arm away, Scott told Malone that "he had no heart". After the game, Malone accused Scott of "riding on someone's (Magic Johnson's) coattails to win three championships". This is straight out of a WWF script. Maybe we should call it "The Quake by the Great Salt Lake". Well, Malone, who always kills the Nets and had been a sleeping giant at that point, woke up to score 34 points, haul off 12 boards and generally play like a man possessed. But the Nets won the game, because they had more players, and more heart. Perfect.

Clean Up Your Act - Amazing that the Nets won this game, with 27 turnovers (Kidd and T-Mac each had 6 apiece), lousy shooting and a variety of dumb plays in the second half. Gotta get it together and hold down the turnovers to a more managable number (I know it's too much to ask for better shooting...).

Calling Kerry Kittles - Your open looks want to know if you're gonna start hitting them. Kittles, while bringing defensive energy, rebounding and some intangibles, is having trouble knocking down open looks (his FG percentage is down to 38%), which is precisely what we need him for. Clearly, the offense is struggling, and the shooting woes of Kittles, Kidd, and Keith are dragging the offense down.

"Are You Kidd'n?" Play of the Game - Game on the line, Nets down by three, Kidd drives down the court, stops at the three point line, awkwardly fires off balance and hits nothing but net. Tie game, Nets go to overtime and win. Is this guy for real?

What Joe Liked
1) Five Alive, as Champy Would Say - Nets continue to get balanced scoring, with 5 players again hitting double figures: Kidd had 18, Martin and Van Horn had 17 each, Richard Jefferson had 11 and Todd MacCulloch had 10.
2) Holding Their Own - The Nets held their own on the boards, with both teams pulling down 51. The Jazz are a better rebounding team, and the Nets found a way to hang in there and hold down the fort. I love this team's effort.
3) The Bench Play - Eleven straight games of outscoring the other team's bench. Need I say more? Especially impressed with Jefferson and Lucious Harris for their energy and shot selection. Might not be long before Harris starts over Kittles if his shooting woes continue.

What Joe Didn't Like
1) Unsightly Turnovers - How the hell do you win with 27 I'll never be able to figure out.
2) Turn the Dial - As in Derrick, with an out-of-control performance as the backup to Kidd. Played 10 minutes, might as well have played Lucious Harris in that role, that's how scary he was.
3) Couldn't Turn the Dial - Once again, the signal, from Fox Sports or my local Cablevision suckhole, was abominable early on, with jumps, skips, breakups and time delays wrecking nearly every play for the first quarter. This is what I get for my $70 a month? God, monopolies suck.

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