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<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MIAMI - It's summer now in New Jersey, a quieter time than what we have across the Hudson with the Knicks, but still a critical offseason for the Nets nonetheless. It's a time when Rod Thorn has to figure out whether to stick with the Big Three or implement the Big Shakeup.
It might be hard for Thorn to convince himself that this team has what it takes to make another run at a championship, with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Last night, the Nets took the Miami Heat down to the final 1.4 seconds and had one last good chance to pull it out. But they said goodbye to 2006 when they couldn't complete their last in-bounds pass and never got a final shot off in a 106-105 defeat.
"It's everyday contact," said Carter, after getting tangled up with the Heat's Udonis Haslem on the game's final play. "You can't blame anyone. It's history."
Now so is their season. Last night was an especially bitter ending. The Heat left the door open, missing nine of 12 foul shots in the final quarter at one point. Carter tried to pull it out, with three straight baskets in the final 1:28. The Nets got the stop they needed in the last four seconds and had the ball.
"We've got to be able to get a shot in that situation," Lawrence Frank said. "I let my guys down. That's a poor job on my part."
But should it cost him his job? Not from this vantage point. He's still learning the playoff ropes, and the Nets' failings were more a reflection of some bad luck (the Clifford Robinson drug suspension), Carter's erratic play, plus the fact that they still have no answers for Dwyane Wade or Shaquille O'Neal. Even if Shaq looks more and more mortal every playoff series.
Did the Nets give Miami fits? Sure, but after winning three of four games against Miami in the regular season, they did not expect to lose four straight to end this series. After his team had qualified for the East finals, Pat Riley noted that the Big Three went for 86 points.
"They definitely came to play," he said. "We're fortunate to overcome that. The fact is, the last three games, anybody could have won 'em."
The fact is Miami won them all and the Nets are left looking at a second straight playoff run for the Big Three that ended too soon. Their record vs. Miami over the last two playoff seasons is 1-8. But if you're looking for a big shakeup, it won't be easy to trade two-thirds of the trio.
Kidd showed his age in these playoffs. Carter's acrobatics don't overshadow the fact that his prolific scoring often doesn't lead to playoff wins. Other teams know that. Jefferson will have to be part of a package for a big man who can get the Nets past the East's elite teams. But he was their best player last night and they'd hate to give him up because he's only 25.
Kevin Garnett's name will be mentioned because Thorn has been trying to get him for years. But the Timberwolves have not reached the point where they have decided that they will move Garnett, who turns 30 in a few days. They will listen to serious offers, but it's not as if they're shopping Garnett. The Nets have more to offer the T-Wolves than the Knicks, that's for sure.
It seems more realistic that Carter, Kidd and Jefferson will have to continue to make it work. They might think they can improve from within, with Nenad Krstic, a major no-show last night with only one point. But they're still not as good as Detroit or Miami. And because of someone named LeBron James, it won't be a shock if they're not as good as the Cavaliers next season. He is that good, after all.
In the Big Three's second go-round in the playoffs, there was some improvement. Last spring, they were swept out by the Heat in the first round. But in this series, they lost all the key fourth quarters, starting in Game 3 last Friday. That will haunt Frank all summer.
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Source
It might be hard for Thorn to convince himself that this team has what it takes to make another run at a championship, with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Last night, the Nets took the Miami Heat down to the final 1.4 seconds and had one last good chance to pull it out. But they said goodbye to 2006 when they couldn't complete their last in-bounds pass and never got a final shot off in a 106-105 defeat.
"It's everyday contact," said Carter, after getting tangled up with the Heat's Udonis Haslem on the game's final play. "You can't blame anyone. It's history."
Now so is their season. Last night was an especially bitter ending. The Heat left the door open, missing nine of 12 foul shots in the final quarter at one point. Carter tried to pull it out, with three straight baskets in the final 1:28. The Nets got the stop they needed in the last four seconds and had the ball.
"We've got to be able to get a shot in that situation," Lawrence Frank said. "I let my guys down. That's a poor job on my part."
But should it cost him his job? Not from this vantage point. He's still learning the playoff ropes, and the Nets' failings were more a reflection of some bad luck (the Clifford Robinson drug suspension), Carter's erratic play, plus the fact that they still have no answers for Dwyane Wade or Shaquille O'Neal. Even if Shaq looks more and more mortal every playoff series.
Did the Nets give Miami fits? Sure, but after winning three of four games against Miami in the regular season, they did not expect to lose four straight to end this series. After his team had qualified for the East finals, Pat Riley noted that the Big Three went for 86 points.
"They definitely came to play," he said. "We're fortunate to overcome that. The fact is, the last three games, anybody could have won 'em."
The fact is Miami won them all and the Nets are left looking at a second straight playoff run for the Big Three that ended too soon. Their record vs. Miami over the last two playoff seasons is 1-8. But if you're looking for a big shakeup, it won't be easy to trade two-thirds of the trio.
Kidd showed his age in these playoffs. Carter's acrobatics don't overshadow the fact that his prolific scoring often doesn't lead to playoff wins. Other teams know that. Jefferson will have to be part of a package for a big man who can get the Nets past the East's elite teams. But he was their best player last night and they'd hate to give him up because he's only 25.
Kevin Garnett's name will be mentioned because Thorn has been trying to get him for years. But the Timberwolves have not reached the point where they have decided that they will move Garnett, who turns 30 in a few days. They will listen to serious offers, but it's not as if they're shopping Garnett. The Nets have more to offer the T-Wolves than the Knicks, that's for sure.
It seems more realistic that Carter, Kidd and Jefferson will have to continue to make it work. They might think they can improve from within, with Nenad Krstic, a major no-show last night with only one point. But they're still not as good as Detroit or Miami. And because of someone named LeBron James, it won't be a shock if they're not as good as the Cavaliers next season. He is that good, after all.
In the Big Three's second go-round in the playoffs, there was some improvement. Last spring, they were swept out by the Heat in the first round. But in this series, they lost all the key fourth quarters, starting in Game 3 last Friday. That will haunt Frank all summer.
</div>
Source