Oct 19, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams (8) drives past Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics were guinea pigs in the NBA’s first 44-minute game on Sunday afternoon. The idea for the game to be shorter worked in this case, as it took under two hours, which is about 15-30 minutes shorter than a normal 48-minute game. On the court it was the Celtics handing the Nets their first loss of the preseason, as Boston won 95-90. Here are some takeaways from the Nets’ first preseason loss.
– Great Game from Jerome Jordan
Without Brook Lopez for at least the remainder of the preseason, and possibly longer with a foot injury, the Nets need to find production down low for their offense. On Sunday afternoon, Jordan was that player for the Nets, as he went a perfect seven for seven from the field with 17 points and six rebounds. Jordan is certainly playing like a player who will be in the rotation for the Nets this season, as not much can be expected from Kevin Garnett.
– More Bench Production by Jarrett Jack
After a strong performance in China, Jack once again looked good off the bench for Brooklyn in the loss to the Celtics. Jack was tied with Jordan for a team-high 17 points on seven for 12 shooting in just 19 minutes. Jack is going to be a great weapon for Lionel Hollins off the bench this season, as he is showing that he will not have a problem providing an offensive spark with the second unit.
– Joe Johnson Struggling
This preseason, Johnson has struggled for the Nets, only scoring in double figures once in the Nets’ first preseason game. In the loss on Sunday, Johnson scored just seven points on two for eight shooting. Johnson had such a great postseason last year, but hasn’t seemed to find his groove yet this time around.
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– Reaction to Shorter Game
“You noticed it a little bit when you are subbing at the start of quarters, but I thought the flow with one less minute was actually a little bit better in the second and fourth,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I didn’t notice it other than that. When I am subbing and I’m looking at the clock and it’s seven or six [minutes] on the clock, and I have to get myself back on that only five minutes has gone on if it says six on the clock. That is a little bit different, but I had it mapped out, so I kind of knew what I was going to do. I didn’t notice it a whole lot, and I don’t know how much impact it had on the game.”
“I looked up there and we were already to the first timeout [with 6:41 left in the first quarter],” Hollins said. “That was kinda surprising. That was the only time it seemed like it was quicker, but other than that, I didn’t really notice.”