“Joe Jesus” has risen! In his first playoff game as a member of the Utah Jazz, former Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson hit a game-winner to give his team a 1-0 series advantage over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Saturday night’s display of supreme heroics marks the eighth game-winner Joe Johnson has sunk in his 16-year career. Five of those buzzer beaters came when he was donning the black-and-white for the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson played for the Nets over the course of the team’s first three-and-a-half seasons in Brooklyn.
Johnson was a reliable figure for the Nets while the organization was in the midst of a lot of change. As unhappy “superstars” and several coaches came and went, JJ always kept a level head and represented a saving grace for Brooklyn. Brook Lopez has played more games with Johnson than any other teammate the seven-footer has had in his nine-year career with the Nets.
Johnson was most importantly a very consistent performer for the Nets on the court. The Arkansas alum missed less than 20 games in total for Brooklyn over the course of his three-and-a-half seasons with the team. He is also one of only two Nets during the Brooklyn era to make an All-Star team. That honor came in the middle of one of the most impressive stretches of his career, during which he put the team on his back to ultimately clinch a playoff spot in 2014.
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There is a reason why many Nets fans have given him nicknames such as, “Joe Cool,” “Iso-Joe” or “Joe Jesus.” When his team needs him the most, he will step up and be the difference maker. This was especially true during his time with Brooklyn. In fact, in a 2014 interview with Sporting News, Deron Williams had this to say on Johnson’s clutch gene, “He’s clutch, man. That’s the reason the ball is in his hands at the end of games.”
With Saturday night’s clutch performance reminding everyone of Johnson’s most valuable trait on the court, here is every one of his game-winners with the Nets ranked.