Game Day: Nets (17-12) @ Suns (17-9), Tues 2/16/21

[Superbone]

Ayton is usually pretty good at switching onto guards but it wasn’t working tonight and literally nothing was done to try stop the problem whole quarter. Booker just disappeared. Just chucking 3s not moving the basketball. This was an ugly half.

They finally fought through a switch once and Jeff green just strolled by Ayton for a layup anyways.

Remember that 4 game stretch when we thought Ayton turned a corner?

Ayton’s offensive has been frustrating this season but I felt his defense has been pretty good for most of this season and pretty good for this stretch, his defense in the 1st half was great. This team collectively, outside of Paul, just went to sleep in the 2nd half. They got full of themselves and thought they could cruise in the 2nd. This was humbling loss and hopefully everyone learns from this.

If they had just guarded the three in the second half we would have won. Feels like they hit every three and most of them were wide open.

[ShelC]

I f'in knew I was going to wake up to an L. Seems like it was a combo of Monty not adjusting to the switching, the offense going cold and DA not DoMiNaYtoN. He's a pussy, always will be. Won't put the loss solely on him, but his lack of impact in these kinds of games has nothing to do with age or development. He's a hit or miss role player. Still, it's on Monty to pull him and get someone else out there more effective. Frank could've played, Dario could've gotten more time, hell put Crowder as the 5. This is the kind of game that gives you a reset and humbles a team. We obviously needed it.

[ShelC]

[O_Gardino]

Also what’s up with Tyler Johnson...we had to cut him because he couldn’t hit anything...now all of a sudden he’s a 40% 3pt shooter on the Nets? Just checked, he was 37% with Miami, 30% with us, 40% with Brooklyn. He killed us with some big shots tonight.

Yeah, I hate that guy. It's obvious he just didn't want to play for us. We could have used a guard like him last season and he just didn't want to play for us.

[O_Gardino]

Frank Kaminsky = MVP.

We don't deserve to win resting MVFrank on TNT just for "Load Management"

[AmareIsGod]

Who was the Brazilian vagabond running around with the Nets jersey last night? What a character...

[wpmiller42]

Honestly, I don't really blame Ayton too much for last night's debacle, although he isn't without blame either. But that dumb switch at the top of the key and having him guard Harden was horrible. And they did it like 20 times, so the switch must have been part of the gameplan. That's on Monty in my opinion. He also was the recipient of some really terrible post entry passes.

Defensively, we were just terrible in the second half, closing out jump shooters and leaving open tons of easy looks. And that definitely wasn't on Ayton.

Offensively, we needed to quit settling for 3s at the end of the shot clock and could have attacked the rim much more frequently after halftime.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Frank Kaminsky = MVP.

We don't deserve to win resting MVFrank on TNT just for "Load Management"

I posted earlier, that we couldn’t afford to rest our stars, we paid the price for sitting Frank, obviously the Nets felt disrespected.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

THIS

When you start playing like you’ve “arrived” you are doomed. That’s exactly what I saw from them to close the third and throughout the 4th quarter.

Monty should tape this tweet on the locker room door.

[Cap]

THIS

When you start playing like you’ve “arrived” you are doomed. That’s exactly what I saw from them to close the third and throughout the 4th quarter.

Monty should tape this tweet on the locker room door.

The Lakers play like they’ve arrived all the time, and they’re not doomed. They’ve just really arrived.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

And still, that separates championships from dinasties. The Heatles come to my mind.

[Superbone]

We obviously needed a slap across the face and we got it. They are rightfully embarrassed.

[Nodack]

Of course they lost. They were up big at half time. That’s the kiss of death for most teams. Nobody ever learns their lesson for more than a game or two.

[In2ition]

That was an embarrassment. I put a lot of the blame on Monty. I love Monty, but this wasn't a good game for him. After being up big, the Nets adjusted on both sides of the ball and played with more desperation, whereas the Suns let off the gas and tried to coast after being up by 24. Monty never adjusted his plan to what the Nets countered with, and it gave me a bad feeling with I think about 8 minutes left in the 3rd. As soon as Book was careless with his pass and got it stolen, it wasn't great from there on. My middle son was so pissed, he was yelling at every stupid decision and bad defensive set, "I hate this team. I hate this team. I hate this f'n team." Even though he's a huge Suns fan.

[Furlanfufi]

That was an embarrassment. I put a lot of the blame on Monty. I love Monty, but this wasn't a good game for him. After being up big, the Nets adjusted on both sides of the ball and played with more desperation, whereas the Suns let off the gas and tried to coast after being up by 24. Monty never adjusted his plan to what the Nets countered with, and it gave me a bad feeling with I think about 8 minutes left in the 3rd. As soon as Book was careless with his pass and got it stolen, it wasn't great from there on. My middle son was so pissed, he was yelling at every stupid decision and bad defensive set, "I hate this team. I hate this team. I hate this f'n team." Even though he's a huge Suns fan.

Well, now we know this board will continue for a long time with sucessors like that!

[JeremyG]

The most painful thing is that we led the entire game until 31.4 seconds left.

[Nodack]

We snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Mori Chu]

I think the hardest thing to watch was how pathetic our defense was. I lost track of many completely open 3s they got. And they kept switching Ayton into Harden, and it wasn't working at all, but they just kept doing it. Ugh.

[Superbone]

I think the hardest thing to watch was how pathetic our defense was. I lost track of many completely open 3s they got. And they kept switching Ayton into Harden, and it wasn't working at all, but they just kept doing it. Ugh.

And they kept letting them hit threes! I kept yelling at Ayton. He’s going to shoot the 3! Guard the 3! We would have won if we would have just guarded the three. Even if they got a 2 every time.

[INFORMER]

One of those games that makes me want to trade Ayton tomorrow

This team will be fine, I think Ayton will be fine. This team is good, and has real potential to make noise in the playoffs but there going to be growing pains, this is first time in a long time this franchise has played meaningful basketball, I full expect more frustrAyton and disappointment but it’s apart of the process to get better.

Part of me wishes I could press a button and just skip to the playoffs, because I truly feel, come playoff time this team will be rolling, including Ayton.

The team will be fine. But I hope you're right about Ayton.