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Brooklyn Nets: Reliving Brook Lopez’s Glorious Buzzer Beater

By Charles Maniego

Mar 21, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) celebrates his game winning buzzer beating shot against the Detroit Pistons with teammates during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) celebrates his game winning buzzer beating shot against the Detroit Pistons with teammates during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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One-of-a-Kind Play Calls

Brook Lopez is a unique basketball player. I detailed that in my NetsDaily piece on Brookie the Wookie. What other center would have a play called for him on a potential game-winner? Marc Gasol? DeMarcus Cousins? Lopez is in rare company. It was his very first game-winning shot in his veteran NBA career.

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The other players on the floor fit exactly what the Nets needed for the play. Foye was the smart veteran that can read defenses on the fly, perfect for an inbounder. Acy was the power forward floor spacer, opening up the paint for the offense to go to work. LeVert was the decoy, fooling teams with his speed, shooting and penetrating ability. Whitehead was the ideal guard for setting a small-on-big screen. He set as strong a screen possible on the much larger Baynes to free Lopez up. There’s a 50-pound weight difference between Whitehead and Baynes.

And Lopez is the versatile, rangy, DC comic book loving center we all know and love.

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It was a funky, yet effective play drawn up by Kenny Atkinson. They caught the Pistons off guard by playing their center like a guard. It’s another positive development for a team that’s had brief glimmers of hope all season. The Brooklyn Nets will continue to compete and find ways to execute in crunch time this season and for the near future. Sorry, blood pressure.