Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers Live Notes

Tonight, your New Jersey Nets take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. I will post my thoughts after each quarter.

First quarter

Wow, the Philadelphia arena looks even more empty than the Prudential Center usual does. There is no energy at the game at all whatsoever. I don’t get it. Aren’t the 76ers fighting desperately for a playoff seed? Shouldn’t the fans care?
The game begins with a DeShawn Stevenson 3 point brick.
It’s Elton Brand 6, New Jersey Nets 0. Yikes.
The Nets are losing by 7 and it’s almost completely DeShawn Stevenson’s fault. He’s missed 2 ill-advised threes and 2 simple lay-ups. Why isn’t Gerald Green starting instead?
Nets on a 9-1 run. MarShon Brooks has been a difference maker and Kris Humphries is on fire from mid range.
MarShon has 7 points already! I really hope he can string together a great game tonight. He’s long overdue for one.
Eww. DeShawn is shooting 54% from the free throw line this season.
Humphries has 10 points already! He’s scoring on wide open jumpers.
After Gerald Green free throws, the Nets lead by 4. The Nets are looking good so far.
The Nets took a train to Philadelphia. I can’t imagine why. I’ve been on the Philadelphia train line before and it’s not pretty and slow. I wonder who made the decision to ditch the bus.

MarShon Brooks substitutes in for Deron Williams. This means that Brooks will get another shot playing point guard. Let’s see if he can distribute the ball and avoid unforced turnovers.
The Deron Williams-less Nets are not faring well at all. It’s not all Brooks’ fault. Johan Petro is bricking running hook shots.
MarShon Brooks is playing terrible defense on Drue Holliday. He is also struggling to initiate offensive sets. He still is scoring at a nice rate, though.
Wow, Petro is throwing up some revolting shots. On one play, Petro received the ball from the 3 point line, dribbled hard to the basket, faked a pass, then shockingly hit a floater.
What an alley-oop by Gerald Green! #GreenMachine
The Nets offense has gone stagnant and the 76ers have gone on a 13-2 run.
Green buries a 3 with the first half expiring. Big shot. At halftime, the Nets trail 41-44.

For the Nets, no one has stood out. Kris Humphries leads the team in points (10) and rebounds (5). MarShon Brooks has 9 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds (triple double candidate?).
For the 76ers, no one has stood out either. They are out-rebounding the Nets 26-20.

Nets on a 6-0 run, have tied the game at 48. Deron Williams just took advantage of a lazy pass by Andre Iguodala.
As expected, this is a very lifeless game. The 76ers should be in desperation mode but they are definitely not.
Deron Williams’ shot has been ice cold all game.
Despite having a nice game, MarShon Brooks still does not have a good understanding of his defensive responsibilities and when he should shoot jump shots.
Gerald Green also makes some questionable decisions, Jordan Williams misses two lay-ups, and Deron Williams commits a bad turnover. It’s frustrating.
What a floater by Deron Williams!
Thaddeus Young is scoring way too often.
Armon Johnson was inserted into the game at the end of the third quarter. Why, Coach Avery?
It’s 66-63 76ers at the end of the third. The Nets have a chance to play spoiler.

It’s a close game in the fourth quarter and Armon Johnson is playing point guard. What is going on, Avery?
I completely forgot about Sundiata Gaines’ existence tonight. He does indeed exist and he has been benched in favor of D-League call-up Armon Johnson. This is very bad news for Sundiata.
MarShon is still making bad mistakes.
Big three by Gerald Green!
A Philadelphia fan with courtside seats is on his knees, in a praying position. Clearly, there is a little anxiety in Philadelphia.
It’s crunch time in Philadelphia. The game is tied at 80 with 4 and a half minutes to go in the game.

My live notes end here. I will discuss crunch time in detail in my recap later tonight.