The absence of Gerald Wallace was evident as Avery seem to struggle to find a line up with a balance of speed and toughness on the glass. It seems that when Minnesota went small with Cunningham at the PF Avery had no answer. On one trip Minn had three offensive rebounds simply because they were faster to the ball. Cunningham was in the mix on the loose balls and Minn came away with points. A few possessions later Cunningham took the ball out of Humps hands and scored. Avery would have been able to play Wallace at the PF to match Cunningham's speed and intensity.

With all that said about Wallace, Nets were able to gain a 22 point lead. Once Minn made a run the ball stopped moving and there was a lot of one on one play. Nets began to force feed Lopez giving him the ball way too far away from the basket. JJ missed some lay ups in the lane. And Deron seem to be off after sitting on the bench for such a long time.

There was clearly a lack of leadership and intensity in that fourth quarter. We can't have that if we really plan to become a contender in the east. I hope Wallace recovers soon because it clear we need him.