And just like that, the $200-million experiment is over.
The Nets fell to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, 96–94, sending the players packing to a longer offseason than anyone would have hoped for in October.
When it came down to gut-check time for the Nets, the players and coach showed they just didn’t have those intangibles that championship teams are made of. And really, it shouldn’t shock anyone this side of the West River.
Hefty expectations were placed on this team from Day One, and even amid some nice second-half play, it was never able to meet them.
Nets players were given every opportunity to take control of the series against the Heat. In Game Two they were neck and neck in the fourth quarter until the Heat grabbed four offensive rebounds on one possession, effectively ending any chance the Nets had to make it interesting.
In Game Four, the Nets led for most of the fourth. Tied at 94–94, Joe Johnson (by far the Nets best player this postseason) had two cracks to break the tie against Lebron James, who was playing with five fouls. Two off-balance jumpers later and Lebron makes the key pass in getting Chris Bosh open for what was essentially the game-winning shot.
In the final game, Nets players dominated the second half. They maintained a lead from the second quarter to the waning minutes of the fourth. But without a bucket for four straight minutes, they let their lead slip away. And with it, the season. The Heat went on a 13–3 run to close out the game, which included a turnover by big-shot Joe Johnson on the final possession.
Series over. The Heat win 4–1.
The series tally might appear lopsided, but the games were anything but. The difference? The Heat knew how to close teams out in the fourth quarter. The Nets roster is chock full of veterans, but with the exception of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, none of them have championship experience. Perhaps cliché, but that experience is what allowed the Heat to consistently dominate the Nets in the fourth quarter of games. In the series, the Nets finished a combined −36 in the final quarters of the series. That is no way to win a championship.
With a roster that’s designed to win now, there are many questions that the losers must address this off seson.
Tom Lafe is a 6-foot-5 sports-world insider with a middling high school basketball career who believes the Nets will be driven by the success of the team’s big men.
