Joe Netsfan Game x Game 5 - Pacers 98, Nets80

Did aliens swoop down in the cornfields of Indy and take the Nets?

Pacers 98, Nets 80
Game 5 File
Competing for a half without the injured Devin Harris, the Nets fall apart on both ends of the floor in the second half to hand the Pacers the game. Poor shot selection and pourous defense are the main culprits.
• Box Score

Nets Record: 2 - 3
Home Record: 1 - 2
Away Record: 1 - 1
Division Record: 0 - 0
Conf. Record: 2 - 1
Other Game Reviews

Nets High Men:
• Points: Vince Carter, 31.
• Assists: Keyon Dooling, 4.
• Rebounds: Yi 11.
• Steals: Brook Lopez, 2.
• Turnovers: Carter and Dooling each had 3.
• Blocks: Williams, 2.
• FG Percentage: Keyon Dooling, 63.6% (7 - 11).

Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 38.7%
• FT Percentage: 61.5%
• Rebounds: 37
• Rebound Differential: -14
• Turnovers: 14
• Opposing Team's Turnovers: 13
• Bench points: 20
• Bench points Differential:+1
• Steals: 3
• Blocks: 3
• Points in the Paint: 18
• Double-Doubles: 0
• Triple-Doubles: 0

The Harris Report:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring: 2
• Nets Fast Break Points: 5
•Devin Harris' FG Percentage:DNP
• Scoring Differential Harris in the game: NA
• Scoring Differential Harris out: -18 (Dooling, Carter)

Nets Media
Bergen Record | Nets
Newark Star-Ledger | Nets
Newsday | Nets
NY Daily News | NBA
NY Post | Nets
NY Times | Pro Basketball
YES Network | Nets

Nets Team Pages
CNNSI.com | Nets
ESPN.com | Nets
FoxSports | Nets
NBA.com | Nets
Sportsline.com | Nets

Pacers Media:
Indianapolis Star | Pacers

Game 5: Pacers 98, Nets 80 – November 8, 2008
Crop Circles
Out in the cornfields of Indiana, some strange things occur that make you doubt what you see. Take crop circles, for instance. Or, the Nets play tonight, with a second half as dreadful as you can imagine, one night after a strong second half against the Pistons had Netsfans believing. Perhaps aliens came to watch this NJ loss. Do you doubt it, after having seen it?

The Nets were quite competitive in the first half despite missing Harris, who injured his ankle last night and needed some time to figure things out. With Keyon Dooling getting the start in his place, and carrying the Nets along with a huge first half from Vince Carter, the Nets actually came from behind to secure a two point advantage at the break. But all the signs of doubt were there - a blizzard of Indy threes from wide open shooters, a tepid offense that often settled to early for poor shots, and not enough help for Dooling or Carter.

It came unglued at the start of the second half, and just got creepier from there. The Nets handed the Pacers all the mysteries of this game, putting together a horrendous offensive stretch of shot selection while opening up the flood gates defensively. With almost five minutes elapsing before the Nets would score in the third quarter, the hole NJ fell into was really a crater, with no escape. Indy took away Vince Carter, and no other Net was prepared to step up.

Of Bigfoot, SpaceShips And Inconsistency
Alien Abduction? - Was this the same team that defeated the Pistons last night? Of course not, with star of the game Devin Harris out of action, but the Nets should have been able to summon more against the Pacers, especially in the second half. The shot selection was horrendous, the offense seeming like it was cobbled together five minutes before the game. And let's not talk about the defense. Poor Vince Carter, finding himself doubled, getting the ball to the open man, and then, thud...another miss. It was supposed to be a new found strength, having more shooters, but it hasn't translated. For example...
Yi Of Little Shot - Yi continues a tough stretch of inconsistent play. Tonight, with plenty of wide open looks, he couldn't throw it in the ocean, forcing or rushing everything and finishing 1 for 10 from the field (he did have 11 rebounds, though). And his partner in crime, Bobby Simmons, has been even more inconsistent. Or should we say invisible? The Nets need more, much more, especially when they're looking for scoring with Harris being sidelined. They ain't getting it.
The Rest Of The Alien Mess - No one was very good tonight, that's for sure. Keyon Dooling was nice in place of Harris, getting 17 points to help Carter, but the rest of the gang, from Josh Boone to Eddie Najera (who seems to be lost offensively, chucking up wounded-duck threes) to Brook Lopez, who continues to do little, to Jarvis Hayes, who shot 2 - 8 when buckets were needed. Defensively, the Nets gave up a ton of easy buckets and open looks from downtown (they were lucky the Pacers didn't shoot a higher percentage), they were horrible in transition on both sides of the ball, and they were killed on the boards. The second half was just brutal to watch (they scored only 29 points in the second half), the kind of brutal that makes fans stop tuning in because they can't find anything good to hang in there for.
Miscellaneous Post-Game Analysis - What's left to analyze, really? Shoot 39% and allow your opponent to make 11 threes, and there isn't much else to say. The offense without Harris isn't worth mentioning (and alternates between looking constipated to looking hung over), the defense was not up to the challenge, and there wasn't anyone who could step up and help Carter and Keyon Dooling. That doesn't bode well if the Nets lose Harris for an extended period, that's for sure. Looks like the vets will be picking up more consistent time, since the rookies aren't doing much of anything good either.

U-F-in-O
Another loss in the books, this time a first half salvaged by Vince Carter and Keyon Dooling, and a second half that was hijacked by Danny Granger and his mates from Indy. Can't quite blame youth for this one - the vets were just as responsible for the let-down after last night's big win. It's all part of the mystery of NBA basketball - which teams can "get it" quicker than others and capitalize on a strong open to the season. The Nets appear to be headed for an up-and-down, we're-not-sure-what-we-have-here kind of season. One can only hope it gets better from here...
- Joe