It was Kid’s Day at Barclays Center Sunday. There were kid dancers, a kid announcer, a kid DJ, and a kid who played the Star-Spangled Banner on guitar almost as good as Hendrix.
Now if only we could kid about how poorly the Nets are playing these days, especially in the third quarter of games they desperately need to win.
Even Jason Kidd can’t kid about that.
“The third quarter is something that stands out right now that we’ve got to get better at, coaches and players,” he said.
Kidd complained he was starting to sound like a broken record talking about his team’s lapses after halftime … and this was before the Nets were outscored 34-15 in the third quarter Sunday en route to a 109-97 loss to the Pistons.
It dropped the Nets to 3-10 on a season that is turning ugly quickly. The Pistons (5-8) looked younger, faster and more determined than the Nets, who allowed 56 points in the paint, many on transition baskets where they didn’t get back on defense.
It was especially unsightly in the third quarter, when a 15-4 run vaulted the Pistons from a 51-44 deficit at halftime into a 59-55 lead they would not relinquish.
The Nets were without Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Jason Terry, and needed to offset their absences with the kind of energy and balanced effort that would handle a team such as the Pistons. Instead, the Nets folded in the third quarter and didn’t put up much a fight in the fourth.
The Nets want to blame their string of poor third quarters for their embarrassing start to this season.
“We’ve got to be the worst team in the league when it comes to third quarters,” said Kevin Garnett, who made his first two shots of the game before missing his next seven and finishing with four points. “It’s just unacceptable.”
It’s unwatchable, too. For a team that came into the season boasting about its depth of proven talent, Joe Johnson was a one-man team for most of Sunday’s game. He had 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting, but got little help elsewhere, as his teammates shot just 39 percent from the field. The Nets were also outrebounded 44-35 and committed 17 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Pistons seemed to speed past the Nets at will, converting layups as if the game were a non-contact scrimmage.
“It’s very frustrating and it’s very, very embarrassing,” Nets center Andray Blatche said. “We have to play with more pride.”
You wonder if Kidd can fix this mess. It would be one thing if he were a young coach with a young team that could grow together. But the Nets are built to win now, not next season when Garnett and Paul Pierce are a year older. This was supposed to be a magical season. Instead, it’s turning into a nightmare. Boos filled Barclays Center as the final seconds of Sunday’s dismal performance ticked off the clock. They’ll only get louder if the Nets continue to play the way they have.
Kidd built a Hall of Fame career as a player by controlling the game with the basketball in his hands. But he looks almost helpless on the sidelines as his team turns lifeless after halftime. He started mostly bench players in the fourth quarter, but even that had little impact. Kidd is searching. Just like his players are searching.
“The ball’s just bouncing the opponent’s way right now,” he said. “We’ve just got to stay together.”
Problem is, the Nets aren’t together — certainly, not on the court, probably not in the locker room.
“There’s no excuses. We’re playing poorly,” Blatche said.
No kidding.