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Despite falling short of the championship goal, this past season for the Nets was certainly one to remember, with plenty of great moments that took place in the process. Our friends over at TheBrooklynGame.com assembled their Top 10 plays of the season. Check it out:
#10: DWill crosses Chris Paul
Get me out of this flashback; I could swear I’m watching the Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz. In all seriousness, it’s just a small sample of what Williams is capable of doing against the BEST point guards in the league, when healthy, of course.
#9: Terry to Plumlee Alley-Oop
I’m left speechless. The 22nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, ladies and gentleman.
#8: Blatche fakes Len…. Twice
That was just cruel. These are the moves that make fans want Blatche back next season. His talent is there, but too often, his head is not.
#7: Joe Johnson's Game Winner vs. Phoenix
This play was impossible without Garnett’s fight to tap the ball out. Johnson snags it right before Dragic does, but was still at a disadvantage running down the floor. Watching it live, I could swear he was going to pull up for a jump shot, but instead he once again proves to me why he’s the one playing and I’m the one writing about it. Another clutch basket to add to his resume.
#6: Shaun Livingston dunks over Robin Lopez
One of the many examples to why Livingston is one of the most – if not the most – resilient players this league has to offer. His past injuries played no role in a lagging aggressiveness.
#5: Joe Johnson drops 29 points… in one quarter!
Joe Johnson or Joe Jesus? Let’s go with Jesus. He was absolutely unconscious in the third quarter. He made eight three pointers in the quarter alone, which tied Michael Redd’s record in 2002. Johnson finished the game with 37 points on 13-20 shooting and propelled the Nets to a 130-94 victory over the 76ers.
#4: Toronto Can’t Handle the Truth
I was going to say this is why the Nets acquired Paul Pierce, but after his three clutch field goals in Game One against the Raptors, Pierce took the words out of my mouth by saying "this is why they got me here!" It was a fantastic way to set the tone in the series started and finished by the heart and soul, Paul Pierce.
#3: Dethrone the King, Plumlee!
I could swear the Nets won the championship the way Nets’ nation was feeling after their rookie center blocked LeBron James to seal the series sweep. It was the first time the ‘big three’ had ever been swept in a four-game regular season series. A screaming Plumlee walking up the court, and a whiny LeBron James watching the replay from the team tunnel capped it off for the Nets. Another fantastic play from Plumlee, and again I remind you, the 22nd pick in the draft.
#2: The game that turned the Nets season around: Joe Johnson's game winner vs. OKC
They were down, but they weren’t out. At 10-21 on the season and down 16 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nets had nothing to lose but give it all they got to make an incredible comeback. Tied at 93 apiece, the much bigger Serge Ibaka contested Johnson, but that didn’t make much of a difference. Johnson nailed the shot and won the game for Brooklyn. From that point on, the Nets got hot and won 34 of their last 51 games, essentially representing what they stood for in 2014: Never give up.
#1: Paul Pierce lets the truth be known with a series-winning block over Kyle Lowry
With the season on the line and the dangerous Kyle Lowry with possession, the Nets season was in serious jeopardy. Lowry somehow escaped the hard double teams the Nets brought, which eventually led to him finding space to work with. Lowry looked to have an easy layup, but Paul Pierce barely blocked Lowry as time expired. The Toronto crowd got silent and Nets’ nation was able to finally exhale. It was an appropriate way to end the tough seven-game series against the Raptors.
- Nets Highlights: Top 10 Plays Of The Year - The Brooklyn Game