Waht happend to NJ

[bballer22]

All by now know that SA won the championship, and after watching the game i came to a conclusion, mostly about K-Mart. Sure he was sick but i think the foul trouble realy got to him so this game he desided to make it a goal for hmself not to get intop foul trouble. and he didn't, with only 3 for the game, but as we all can see he lost the rest of his game with that. Agrassive is his game, he has to learn how to be aggracive and not be in foul trouble, first thing is t o study films on Tim Duncan!!!

[EGarrett]

The problem is Byron Scott. Our best scorer shouldn't have to wear himself out guarding Duncan anyway.

Scott's fixed substitution pattern killed us over and over in the series. Mutombo wouldn't come in when Duncan was killing us...in the last game he took Jefferson and Kittles out immediately after Kittles scored 11 points in the 3rd quarter and Jefferson was hitting...sparking the 19-0 run.

Plain and simple...he's not an NBA head coach...he should be fired and replaced with Rick Carlisle or anyone that will add to our chemistry instead of hold us back.

[Boyk]

The problem is Byron Scott. Our best scorer shouldn't have to wear himself out guarding Duncan anyway.

Scott's fixed substitution pattern killed us over and over in the series. Mutombo wouldn't come in when Duncan was killing us...in the last game he took Jefferson and Kittles out immediately after Kittles scored 11 points in the 3rd quarter and Jefferson was hitting...sparking the 19-0 run.

Plain and simple...he's not an NBA head coach...he should be fired and replaced with Rick Carlisle or anyone that will add to our chemistry instead of hold us back.

or maybe stay with the guy who has won championships and has coached his team to the finals twice in a row

[EGarrett]

or maybe stay with the guy who has won championships and has coached his team to the finals twice in a row

Did you even watch the games? By your logic the Lakers should've kept Magic Johnson in 93 because he had won championships...even though they were 0-10 and he was completely incapable of coaching. Likewise by your logic the Pacers should've kept Larry Bird because they got the Finals with him as the coach...even though Assistant Rick Carlisle did all the coaching while Mark Jackson and Reggie Miller already knew what to do in pressure situations.

We got to the Finals because of Jason Kidd and Eddie Jordan. Jordan implemented our offense and Jason Kidd ran it expertly. Scott just messed us up.

Everyone around here in the papers and on the radio who watched the games...and even the Nets players are saying the same thing. Tim Duncan shot 57% from the floor when Mutombo was on the bench...36% when Mutombo was playing. Scott still refused to play him. If you watched game 3 you might have noticed, late in the fourth quarter, Scott signalling to Mutombo that he was getting subbed out and Mutombo (and Kidd and EVERY other player on the floor) waving him off and saying not to do it.

In game 6...He took out the two players that were doing all the scoring for us then watched us score 0 points in about 6 minutes and give up the game while he did nothing to change it.

In the papers he commented that one night a week he goes out to the movies with his wife and he picks the movie..."just like he picks with Mutombo."

He's a stubborn control freak who has one rigid plan that he is unable and unwilling to change even when it sinks his team. One of the signs of lack of intelligence in a field is the inability to adapt to changing situations. What's worse is that he won't admit he's wrong and he gets so insulted when people question what he's doing that he lashes out by doing the exact opposite of what is suggested.

We don't win because of him...we win despite him. He should be fired the second we get a replacement...and if we don't he should be fired in favor of Eddie Jordan. Period.

[air gordon]

yeh i was scratching my head when kittles & jefferson were on the bench for the most important stretch of the seriers

i haven't followed the nets the whole season, but it does seem scott is stubborn

flu or no flu- 3 for 20 something is not acceptable.. thats KVH-like. credit duncan also for martin's piss poor performance....

[benji]

What happened to New Jersey?

Tim Duncan.

or maybe stay with the guy who has won championships and has coached his team to the finals twice in a row

Rick Carlisle has a championship...and he went to the Finals three times in a row

Enh...doesn't matter who they hire or fire...without Kidd they're gonna have some problems...though it might take firing Scott (who then goes to LA) to keep Kidd...

[EGarrett]

Enh...doesn't matter who they hire or fire...without Kidd they're gonna have some problems...though it might take firing Scott (who then goes to LA) to keep Kidd...

Scott going to LA would be the best thing that could happen. Lakers fall from contention while we most likely get somebody...anybody...better.

[Andrew]

or maybe stay with the guy who has won championships and has coached his team to the finals twice in a row

Scott's won titles as the starting shooting guard for the Showtime Lakers, but good players don't always make good coaches. For his success with the Nets the past couple of seasons, there's still all those mutterings about a rift developing between Scott and his players (most notably Kidd). As Ben said, getting rid of him might be the only way to keep Kidd in town.

[Boyk]

i still would not fire Scott

and yes i did watch all the games, and Mutumbo did do a great job, but Scott had to put Williams in, coz he played well throughout the playoffs.

and kittles wasnt in the game down the stretch coz he stunk it up. he sucked.

[EGarrett]

and kittles wasnt in the game down the stretch coz he stunk it up. he sucked.

Kittles is a streak shooter...he had 11 points in the third quarter. In other words...he was hot...and he was combining with Jefferson to be our entire offense. Scott responded by benching them both until the game was safely lost.

[Steve04]

Kittles was not stinking it up, Kittles and Jefferson were playing and the rest of the Nets were stinking it up so how do you bench them for 6minutes while your team is losing its only shot maybe at keeping Kidd??

[Ceasar121]

Plus Mutumbo is a stiff! He slow the Nets offense from being able to run. And they already couldn't score... besides, the numbers may say Duncan shot 36% with Mutumbo on him, but c'mon you really think Mutumbo can guard Duncan? Duncan would've mopped the floor with that mummy on him. If Shaq can't guard him, how could Dikembe with his 80 year old @$$? The Nets had no chance to win the series from the beggining. C'mon, they won the 2 games they won by a total of 3 points! If the Spurs executed better, it would have been a sweep. The Lakers only swept the Nets cause they had more experience. Remember the first time the Lakers went to the Finals and let Indiana(yes Indiana) win two games? Lack of experience. Same with the Spurs.

[MAKAVELI THE DON]

The Nets are a great team! But you have to give credit where it is due, the Spurs defense was over powering and superb!

That's what happened to the Nets! The were facing a better team, with the one of 5 best players in the world as their leader!

[Steve04]

You may have to give credit where credit is due but are you telling me theres no blame to be metered out when a Coach sits his only hot players when they are in desperate need of pts? Just as bad as conceding the series(even though they would have lost) to the Lakers rather than trying to win atleast one game and get a measure of respect.

[Andrew]

The Spurs were the better team, but New Jersey did have a legitimate shot at winning 4 games out of 7. They definitely had a chance of forcing a decisive seventh game. When I logged on during the second quarter with New Jersey holding the lead, I figured they were in a good position to take it to 7.

Give the Spurs credit for the run, and for winning the title, but it's only natural to look back and highlight the mistakes the Nets (or rather, Scott) made. I can't comment in detail since I'm yet to see the tape of the game, but from what people seem to be saying, Scott made some costly blunders down the stretch.

Other issues such as the rift between Scott and Kidd have already been documented. If a coach doesn't have the respect and trust of the players, then something needs to be done.

[MAKAVELI THE DON]

Whether or not Kerry Kittles or whoeverelse was on the floor, it wouldn't have made much of a difference, the Spurs "D" was overpowering, they were on fire and momentom shifted!

Besides, it's in the past, the Nets got beat (just like my team the Mavs & Lakers did) and I'm not complaining or asking why they got beat because they got beat by the better team, which were the Spurs!

[Andrew]

I don't think anyone is complaining as such, or even trying to make excuses. It's only natural to look back and see what the losing team could have done differently, where mistakes were made, etc. How can a team get better if they aren't aware of their problems?

[MAKAVELI THE DON]

yeah i know that andrew, sorry! how ever it sounded, i didn't mean it that way!

[Andrew]

No need to apologise, I was just clarifying my position on the matter. I can only speak for myself, but I think EG and co are also just discussing what the Nets could have done differently - I think we all give credit to the Spurs for their accomplishments this season.

[benji]

That's what happened to the Nets! The were facing a better team, with the one of 5 best players in the world as their leader!

The best player in the world...the best...