A group of eight protestors led by Daniel Goldstein, who has led the fight against the development of the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, hoisted anti-Bruce Ratner banners last night that were confiscated by Meadowlands security.
The protestors stayed in their seats, no doubt wishing they were ejected.
Watching the Nets is almost inhumane punishment. What’s a four-letter word for garbage? Junk? Nope. Slop? Not here.
Go with “N-E-T-S, Nets, Nets, Nets.”
Sorry, we’re all psyched for that Jets-Chargers game.
Last night, the Nets started strong, unlike their previous game, and then unraveled, unlike their previous game.
And just like their previous game — plus 35 others this season — the Nets, Nets, Nets came out losers, losers, losers, as the Pacers unleashed an opponent season-high-tying 13 3-point shots and slugged them, 121-105.
On Wednesday, Devin Harris exploded at halftime, letting loose his frustration as the Nets trailed the Celtics by 36 points.
“I think it was just my turn,” Harris said.
So, two nights later against the Pacers, his explosion came on the court. In the first, he played as strong a quarter as he has all season, directing, scoring.
The Nets were up, 22-15, when Harris went to the bench for a rest at 4:14. He took the Nets’ life with him.
The Pacers outscored the Nets, 16-6, over the rest of the first quarter with Harris out. So the Nets were down, 31-28, entering the second.
“We were able to take advantage by getting into the lane and creating some things,” said Harris who had eight of his 22 points in the first quarter. “We did a great job in that first half in pushing the tempo and getting some easy buckets, myself included.”
Harris came back in the second. The Nets pulled into a tie and then fell behind by five. Exit Harris. It got worse. Really worse.
” I really didn’t want to come out that second time, I mean, that second quarter,” Harris said. “We have a relationship, when [I say] I’m ready to go. I thought I should go have gone back in a minute earlier than I did.”
“That little stretch determined the game,” said Chris Douglas-Roberts (8 points), 15 diplomatic answers after he felt his comments were misinterpreted.
“We settled for jumpers,” said Brook Lopez, who had 27 points.
“We were playing very well, then had about a three-minute period where we took long outside quick shots and we stopped being aggressive,” said interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe.
The Pacers slammed the Nets with a 20-5 run — 11-3 with Harris out — to lead by 20 at the half, 72-52.
So with Harris sitting, the Nets were outscored, 27-9. That’s a difference of 18 points, the bulk of the 20-point deficit the Nets saw at halftime and at the end of the third quarter when the Pacers led, 96-76.
The closest the Nets, who fell to 3-36, got in the second half was 15 points.
The Pacers got 28 points from Danny Granger, 21 points from Troy Murphy, shot .531.
The most fun fans had came in the fourth quarter when they bounced beachballs in the stands. What was the option, enduring another ritualistic slaughter?
David Goldman and his 9-year-old son Sean, the youngster who was rescued from the custody of his Brazilian stepfather after a lengthy international legal battle, were guests of the Nets . . . Douglas-Roberts was upset with reports that he is viewed as “selfish” by teammates and that he is unhappy that his shots are down. “It’s being really blown out of proportion,” he said. . . . Yi Jianlian had 17 points, 10 rebounds for the Nets.