The Straw That Stirs The Drink

Richard Jefferson continues putting up career-best scoring numbers, Josh Boone and Sean Williams have invigorated a stagnant frontcourt with energy and scoring, while Jason Kidd’s face now appears next to Triple-Double in the dictionary, but it’s Vince Carter that has almost quietly spurred the recent offensive surge.

The Nets are at their best when the offense runs through Carter on the wing or in the high post, rather than at the three-point line. Carter has rediscovered the aggressive mentality that earned him the $66 million contract, taking the ball hard to the basket, drawing double teams, getting to the foul line, and even posterizing a few big men with vicious dunks in the process. When Vince plays aggressive, the whole team follows his lead, leading to better shots.

Carter will always get his 25-30 points when healthy, but how he gets there dictates the team’s success. Over the last eight games – seven Net wins – Carter has shot an efficient 47% from the field. Scoring 30 points on 19 shots, instead of 28 shots for example, means more opportunities for his teammates. With Boone and Williams finally providing frontcourt offense, and RJ taking his offensive game to the next level, Vince has weapons. A lot of Boone and Williams early offensive success can be attributed to setups from Carter, an adept passer off double teams, drives to the basket, and off the pick and roll.

But what the Nets most lacked early on, VC has re-emerged as the go-to guy. When the team needs a bucket, Carter has delivered. This win streak started with his clutch, last minute, three point shots in back-to-back games against Miami and Golden State, off kick outs from Jefferson. Then he torched Milwaukee for 8 points in the last 4:30 minutes, hit a layup and foul shots in the final minute of a one-point win in Orlando, and in Atlanta last game nailed a clutch jumper before initiating the offense on the Boone dunk that clinched the game. Early in the season ten and twelve point deficits quickly became twenty, against Charlotte on Friday Carter single-handedly kept the Nets in the game with 15 points in the first quarter, preventing a Bobcat blowout until his team woke up. That goes unnoticed in the first quarter, but the Nets never win that game without him.

Vin-sanity also brings some emotion and personality to the court. Kidd is a more stoic, quiet leader, Jefferson still defers to Kidd and Carter at times, but VC will rally the troops. He yells, gives the fist pump after a big play, jokes with the young guys on the court to keep things loose. Carter Kidd may be the captain, but Carter is the emotional leader.

After the 4-1 start, the Nets have had two win streaks, a mini three-game run on the Thanksgiving week West Coast trip, and the current seven of eight run. The first streak coincided with Carter’s return from an ankle injury, while the recent stretch marks Carter’s return to dominance on offense. Coincidence? I think not.

Number Crunching

Richard Jefferson has made the foul line his second home this season. After just 33 games he already has more Free Throw Attempts and Makes than during his 53 game injury shortened season last year. He is well on his way to shattering his career high in both categories.