So I went. Next to last home game. Last one isn't for 10 days. I was tired. But I had the tickets and decided to go. My youngest son would rather go to a birthday party that wasn't going to be fun than watch the Nets lose again. My wife stayed home with him. My other son Jeff went with me.
Before I left I decided to try and find positive things and focus on them. I was gonna write that in this blog before I went so that it was documented. But when I tried to envision what could possibly be positive, I lost momentum.
The Nets started the game well, which is always a treat, but usually the light before the storm. And sure enough, after having built up an 8 point lead, they started to falter. Then Frank did something unaccountable - he made reasonable coaching decisions. Like calling time out.
And he did it not once, not twice but 3 times. In the first half. Each time the team responded and stopped the bleeding. That's why you do that - to stop the other team's momentum and refocus your team to start some of your own. When he coaches like that, against a team fighting for playoff positioning without sitting anyone, you can actually envision some hope.
But I have no confidence that he is changing his ways.
On the other hand, Al Iannazone hinted that if the Nets finish poorly, he could be gone, despite what Rod Thorn has said. So in a way I wanted them to collapse.
I don't believe the Nets have a future with this guy as coach. But if he would just in-game coach like tonite, you could imagine the talent on this team coming out.
He did play Hassell unaccountably long, and at weird moments. He did sit Sean Williams too long as well. But eventually he put in Sean and left him in even as SWill picked up two quick fouls.
The Nets let it get close and actually fell behind by a point in the third, closing it with a 2 point lead. Then they took off at the beginning of the fourth, and before you knew it they had an 11 point lead with 5 minutes to go.
A well coached team would have made it a laugher, but as it was it got a little dicey, letting Toto get to 8 down. Some sloppy back and forth coupled with a great block by Williams and a great charge take by Trent Hassell from Bosh allowed the Nets to maintain a 9 point margin at the buzzer.
Wouldn't it be a blast if the Nets could play well for the rest of the season, 5 nice efforts? It might take the sting out of a really abysmal and bitterly disappointing season...
We'll see...
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2 comments:
Al Iannazzone knows the truth is that Frank will return. Rod Thorn has said he will return, quite firmly.
I have never understood "fans" who want their team to lose for whatever reason.
And I have never understood teams that hold onto a coach who is so clearly responsible for his team's underperformance.
Frank is responsible for at least 10 if not 15 losses this year, due solely to very poor in-game coaching. A 10 game swing and the Nets are the 4 seed in the East.
As a fan of the Nets for the entirety of their existence, if you gave me the choice of winning out but finishing out of the playoffs and keeping the coach who put us in that position, or losing out and getting rid of him, I am sorry to say, after all the losing I have seen, I would prefer the latter.
This guy has done more to hurt the team than JKidd or anyone else.
And I should want him to stay?
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