Lionel Hollins learning which tandems to avoid
Head coach Lionel Hollins of the Brooklyn Nets talks with Deron Williams #8 and Jarrett Jack #0 during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Lionel Hollins isn't all that big on analytics, but it's not as though he has to punch up statistics that illustrate just how rough the separate two-man combinations of Deron Williams-Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez-Mason Plumlee have fared when on the court together. The eyeball test is enough.
"I don't need numbers to show me that they are not playing well together," he said. "I can see it by the scoreboard."
In the 27 games and 335 minutes Jack and Williams had logged as a tandem entering Monday night, the Nets had a plus-minus of -14.1. The two were shooting 39.4 percent and 27.6 from three-point range as a tandem.
Things aren't much better with a Lopez-Plumlee frontcourt. In their 13 games and 61 total minutes together, the Nets were -17.3. The two were shooting 41.3 percent from the field.
"The other night [against Indiana], we tried it a little bit early and it was a bad move," Hollins said. "We lost our lead, lost our momentum and this is with Brook and Mase. All year long, Deron and Jarrett haven't been very good. I can't explain why. It's just the way the numbers have bore out, but sometimes you have to go that way and sometimes it's been good. But overall, it hasn't been."
Garnett still has it
Don't tell Kevin Garnett he's lost his hops. He enjoyed a turn-back-the-clock moment as Sergey Karasev lofted a pass to him near the rim on a fast break and he flushed it home.
"I know I'm like 150 years in dog years, but I can actually dunk the ball,'' said Garnett, 38. "Do I look that bad out there? God, man. I start in the NBA. I'm hoping I can dunk. You can't start in the league if you can't dunk. I was in the moment. I keep myself in good shape."
Garnett looked around at the assembled media and said: "Ya'll some haters right now."
