Any trick-or-treaters stopping at the Prudential Center this Halloween should come away with a treat bigger than some fun size Three Musketeers, as the 2-0 Nets will play host to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat for the first time this season. Fans should be in store for quite a show, but the challenge in front of the Nets’ up-and-coming defense, meanwhile, is just about the scariest the league has to offer.
No team’s been more talked about this season (and maybe ever) than the Heat. This summer, Miami used a combination of cap space, proximity to South Beach and the negotiating skills of the godfather, Pat Riley, to attract Wade to return home with a couple of his pals, fellow All-Stars James and Bosh.
The “super-team” experiment has gotten off to a 2-1 start. After losing to the Celtics on TNT’s opening night, the Heat rebounded to knock off the 76ers then thrashed Southeast Division-rival Orlando 96-70 in the home debut of James and Bosh. Wade led the Heat over the Magic with 26 points, while Bosh and Udonis Haslem each contributed double-doubles in the victory.
Miami is still work in progress, with their first two games displaying a clear lack of chemistry and familiarity, which had manifested itself in the form of turnovers and disjointed offensive possessions. Here’s a look at how the NBA’s newest big three is faring (in per game averages):
- James: 36.7 minutes, 46% field goal percentage, 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 6.7 turnovers
- Wade: 35.3 minutes, 41% field goal percentage, 23.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.3 blocks, 3.7 turnovers
- Bosh: 35.7 minutes, 34% field goal percentage, 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks
On a much smaller scale, there’s been some early season buzz (or, at least, a few raised eyebrows) directed toward the 2-0 Nets, who took until March 24-26 last season to win consecutive games. While they’ve also displayed some early growing pains as the team looks to coalesce and grow, the end results against both the Pistons and Kings turned out to be positive, thanks to some late game heroics by Anthony Morrow and Devin Harris.
The Nets will hope to have Jordan Farmar and Terrence Williams, who both sustained injuries late in the Kings game, available for Sunday’s contest. Farmar hurt his ankle and will be a game-time decision, while Williams was sent for x-rays on his sore right hand on Saturday (they came back negative).
Of course, the Nets have yet to face a challenge anywhere close to what they should face Sunday. This Halloween, we’ll find out if the young Nets’ defense is able to handle the closest thing the NBA has to a Freddy Krueger-Michael Myers-Jason Voorhees trifecta.
Just one piece of advice for the Nets: if things aren’t looking good, and you’ve got a choice between the front door or the stairs, please take option (a).
(Photo courtesy of YardBarker.com)