After a heartbreaking 91-90 loss to the Orlando Magic at home, the Nets would choose not to put their heads down, but to rather keep their chins up while starting their first west-coast swing of the season against the Clippers. New Jersey knew the Clippers have had their struggles, (1-9 at the time) however these roadtrips are not easy, and you got to take advantage of winnable games, that seems to be something talked about frequently in regards to the Nets. However there is no doubting the talent LA possesses, with rookie phenom Blake Griffin accompanied by Eric Gordon, and other rookie who played beside John Wall in college, Eric Bledsoe.
The Nets would start out great playing great defense against Blake Griffin and shooting really well from the perimeter until the 6:42 mark in the second quarter where they would lose their star player Devin Harris, who fouled Blake Griffin hard on a breakaway. Harris would be called for a flagarant 2, which means 2 shots and the ball for the Clippers, and an ejection for Harris. Nets had an 11 point cushion at this point in time. A lot of people might not have been sure about how this would affect these guys, instead it inspired them to get on their "A" game and take care of business and that is exactly what happened. The Nets would control an 11 point lead at halftime, and would never look back. The Clippers made their run one time in the 3rd, and one time in the 4th, but behind great shooting performances from Travis Outlaw, (23 points) Brook Lopez, (24 points) and with Farmar sprinkling in 15 and 12, Humphries' 13 and 12, the Nets would hold off the young Clippers 110-96. With Lopez doing what he does best, Humphries becoming a double-double threat, Outlaw and Morrow shooting, a maturing Derrick Favors, and a very talented and revived Devin Harris under Avery Johnson, the Nets really do have some good parts here.
The Nets will go to Utah tomorrow night to take on the red-hot Utah Jazz who are coming off of their first loss since beating the Clippers, Heat, Magic, Hawks, and Bobcats all in comeback fashion. It will be a tough task for the Nets, but a good measuring stick to see the Nets' growth. The Nets growth is obvious, and a pretty thing to see, but with Sacramento and the Denver Carmelos after Utah, and Atlanta and Boston to come home to, Net fans are going to find out exactly what their team is made of.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Cowboys Hold off Giants
The Dallas Cowboys marched in to New Meadowlands Stadium with a 1-7 record, a new head coach, back-up quarterback Jon Kitna, and nothing else but a heart full of pride. The Giants went ahead 3-0 on a Lawrence Tynes field goal, only to be shocked by a quick touchdown drive that was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown catch by Dez Bryant. David Buehler would then miss the point after. It's 6-3 Cowboys, no worries for Big Blue yet. Dallas would get the ball back and hit on a field goal, still only 9-3 Cowboys, a one score deficit. The unthinkable would then happen right as the Giants were knocking on the door, ready to take the lead, Eli Manning would make a rushed throw intended for a Hakeem Nicks slant, instead goes right, I mean right into the chest of Bryan Mccann for a 101 yard interception return for a touchdown. A big swing, instead of 10-9 Giants, or at least 9-6 Cowboys, becomes 16-3 Cowboys, and you could feel a bit of tensness in the crowd. Cowboys would get all the way to 26-6 before the Giants would score their first touchdown. One it got to 26-13, the Cowboys would answer almost immediately, and it just seemed everytime the Giants got a bit of momentum, it was given away just like that. 33-13 just doesn't sound like its your game.
However there is still a quarter and a half of football to be played, but while the New York football Giants try and get a touchdown back, the lights go out, literally. After a 15 minute haidus, everything was good to go, and then Giants would convert a 35 yard wide open touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss. 33-20 at this point, and the Giants realize they are only two touchdowns behind, just play defense and have meaningful possessions. Once it was this score, you could tell the Cowboys were just holding on for dear life. Giants would blow a couple of opportunities but they would still have a chance despite the breakdowns. With time against the Giants, Eli Manning would throw a deep ball for Hakeem Nicks that he would catch, break a tackle, and score a huge touchdown that would only be called back for a hold on guard Kevin Boothe on a play that had nothing to do with the result. A tough call which would be the turning point of the rest of the game, Giants would turn the ball over, get it back, only to do the same thing in the red zone, another interception.
It doesn't matter who you play, in the NFL if you put yourself in as big of a hole as the Giants did to themselves, you cannot rely on coming back when so many things can go wrong. Dallas' offense made the "big play" time and time again, while the Giants would blow their big plays time and time again whether it was personnel or being cancelled out by a yellow flag. Giants now find themselves tied for first place with who else, but the Philadelphia Eagles, and that sets the table for this Sunday night in Philadelphia where the two teams will battle it out for first place. Let the Philly hate get even worse.
However there is still a quarter and a half of football to be played, but while the New York football Giants try and get a touchdown back, the lights go out, literally. After a 15 minute haidus, everything was good to go, and then Giants would convert a 35 yard wide open touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss. 33-20 at this point, and the Giants realize they are only two touchdowns behind, just play defense and have meaningful possessions. Once it was this score, you could tell the Cowboys were just holding on for dear life. Giants would blow a couple of opportunities but they would still have a chance despite the breakdowns. With time against the Giants, Eli Manning would throw a deep ball for Hakeem Nicks that he would catch, break a tackle, and score a huge touchdown that would only be called back for a hold on guard Kevin Boothe on a play that had nothing to do with the result. A tough call which would be the turning point of the rest of the game, Giants would turn the ball over, get it back, only to do the same thing in the red zone, another interception.
It doesn't matter who you play, in the NFL if you put yourself in as big of a hole as the Giants did to themselves, you cannot rely on coming back when so many things can go wrong. Dallas' offense made the "big play" time and time again, while the Giants would blow their big plays time and time again whether it was personnel or being cancelled out by a yellow flag. Giants now find themselves tied for first place with who else, but the Philadelphia Eagles, and that sets the table for this Sunday night in Philadelphia where the two teams will battle it out for first place. Let the Philly hate get even worse.
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