The Nets will be without Kevin Garnett Wednesday when they take the court in Miami, but to hear Shaun Livingston tell it -- and with numbers to back it up -- Brooklyn will be fine with Mason Plumlee manning the back line.
Asked by Evan Roberts what's the difference with the team in the last week, when they've won five out of six games Garnett has missed, including wins over Bulls, Grizzlies and Raptors, Livingston replied....
The development of Mason Plumlee, filling in for KG in the starting lineup. first of all. He's got minutes throughout the season as a rookie. It's always hard coming into this league because everything is moving so fast just with the experience he's been given, he's been doing a great job on the boards, defensive rotations. Then, Andray Blatche filling in, playing big minutes and Jason Collins also playing spot minutes.
In general, Livingston said, "it's defense, defense, defanse" that's led to the team's success, noting that the players "didn't have the same trust, commitment in 2013" that they do now.
As for his own future with the team, Livingston was again non-committal but spoke highly about his experience in Brooklyn. The Nets can only offer him a three-year mini-MLE deal worth $10 million or a two-years vets minimum deal worth about $3.7 million.
I'm enjoying playing for Brooklyn, I enjoy playing for Jason Kidd. He has given me a tremendous opportunity plus the platform to play on. I enjoy playing with these guys. I'm having a lot of fun. I'm enjoying competing here in Brooklyn. We'll see what happens. It's always the business of basketball. You gotta play it out.
You never know.
- Joe and Evan with Shaun Livingston (Audio) - Joe Benigno & Evan Roberts - WFAN