spencer dinwiddie

Caris Levert Drops Career high 51 in Nets comeback win over Celtics

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Brooklyn Nets, Caris Levert

Through three-quarters last night, it seemed as though the Brooklyn Nets were headed for their 5th straight loss. Down 84-67 against the Celtics on the road headed into the 4th, this struggling Brooklyn squad needed a miracle. Insert Caris Levert.

Levert Brilliant in Nets Huge 4th quarter

The Nets, in dire need of a spark, were able to rally behind the stellar play of Caris Levert.  Levert became an assassin in the 4th quarter, dazzling and scoring at will against a tough Celtics defense.  Three-pointers, reverse layups, off-balanced one-footed jumpers, Levert couldn’t be stopped. The Nets put up a franchise-best 51 points in the 4th, the most the team has ever scored in any quarter in franchise history.  Levert was responsible for 26 of that 51, including 3 clutch free throws to tie the game with .02 seconds left.  In overtime, Caris scored all 11 of Brooklyn’s points, the most by any player in the past 20 seasons, and led the Nets to a spectacular 129-120 win over the Celtics.

The former Michigan star ended the game with a career-high 51 points on 17 of 26 from the field, 5 of 10 from 3-point land, 12-18 on free throws, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal in only 25 minutes of play. After the game, teammate Kevin Durant showed Levert some well-deserved love, tweeting “that 50 was beautiful Vert. Thank you for that masterpiece.”

The other unsung hero of this game was Chris Chiozza, who played 21 big minutes down the stretch and finished with 8 points, scoring some big buckets with Dinwiddie sidelined in the 4th for reasons unknown. Atkinson went with an interesting lineup in the 4th, playing Kurucs, Chiozza, Jordan, Levert, and Taurean Prince down the stretch.

Unfortunately, losing the game was the least of the Celtics concerns, as their players dropped like flies over the course of the night. Already playing without Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward suffered a right knee contusion shortly before halftime.  Jaylen Brown was seen grabbing his hamstring late in the game. And Kemba Walker, who wasn’t able to play in overtime since he was playing on a minutes restriction, didn’t look 100% in his first game back from injury. All 4 players may not travel to Cleveland tomorrow for the Celtics back to back.

The Nets will hope to carry this momentum at home tomorrow when Ja Morant and the Grizzlies come to town.

Spencer Dinwiddie is constantly talking about the New York Knicks

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Brooklyn Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie

The New York Knicks have a residency in the mind of Spencer Dinwiddie.  No matter how good or bad the Brooklyn Nets are performing, he can’t help himself but talk about the Knicks.

Dinwiddie likes to fire up the Knicks fan base with all the shots towards the organization.  And while it may give him some joy for the moment, the Nets aren’t doing spectacular things this season either.

Yes, the Knicks are one of the worst teams in the league and they’re bad.  No, need to continue to tell fans that because that’s something they already know.  Get new material.

New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy reports Dinwiddie’s two-cents before he competed and lost, in the first round, of the skills competition this All-Star break.  Dinwiddie said on the Knicks this season, “You want a real answer (about whether the Knicks will be much better)? Probably not.”   Well, the same could be said about the Nets even without Kevin Durant.

There was, and still is, much more hype surrounding the Nets, even without Durant, and they haven’t performed.  And the East is bad.  So what does say about the Nets.

Dinwiddie did admit that the Nets will never take out the popularity of the Knicks, true.  He said, “We’re a better basketball team than the Knicks.  We were last year.  Probably will be next year.  It’s kind of what it is.  So I know Knicks fans are going to get mad, but that is the truth.”  Yes, it’s the truth but again, get new material.

Until the Nets actually do something noteworthy, minus the Kyrie Irving and Durant signings, Dinwiddie might as well be quite.  The Nets will be better than the Knicks next year.  But even with Durant coming off an injury they won’t be taking down the Bucks, Heat, Celtics or Raptor in there first season together.

Dinwiddie loves talking about the Knicks it’s almost weird.  It just goes to show that no matter how bad the Knicks may be, it’ll always get under his skin and he’ll try to make the Knicks fans feel some type of way.  Whatever he says, Brooklyn Nets will never be bigger than the New York Knicks.

Even Without Kyrie, Spencer Dinwiddie Is Keeping the Nets Relevant in The East

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Brooklyn Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie

When the 2019 NBA season kicked off on October 23rd, Brooklyn Nets fans everywhere were anticipating the grand arrival of their new, superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving. Kyrie didn’t wait long to illustrate his offensive impact, dropping 50 points in his first game, becoming only the 5th player to score 50 or more in a season opener in NBA history, as the Nets lost a fierce battle in OT to the Timberwolves 127-126.

His offensive output would continue. Over 11 games that he played and started prior to getting plagued by a shoulder injury, Kyrie went on to put up an average of 28.5 PPG along with 7.2 APG and 5.4 RPG, a stat line that surely looks very complete yet oddly enough, was overshadowed by a meager 4-7 team record that was capped off with a three-game losing streak on the road (ESPN.com).

But with Kyrie’s departure and Caris LeVert sidelined with a thumb injury, a familiar, bright starlet reemerged onto the scene for the Nets, just like he did last season alongside former teammate D’Angelo Russell…

Ladies and Gentlemen, Spencer Dinwiddie, is smoking hot right now and shooting lights out, leading the Nets to a 5-3 record since Kyrie’s absence and averaging 25.0 PPG, 7.3 APG, 3.3 RPG along with 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG over the course of all nine games he’s started (ESPN). The 26-year-old has taken the reins with confidence and has shown everyone in the league once again why he shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Dinwiddie’s offensive upside has been highlighted by his tenacious driving ability and deadly precision around the perimeter, shooting 35.5% from behind the arc as a starter (ESPN).  In addition, his scoring approach and unique style of play have genuinely been a difference-maker. As Nets announcer Ian Eagle stated this past Friday when the Nets hosted the Celtics, “Spencer Dinwiddie is very creative, especially in isolation settings.”

Dinwiddie dropped 32 points with 11 assists and 5 rebounds in their big win against the Celtics, following that up with yet another monster 29-point outing accompanied by 4 assists and 6 rebounds in their 3-point loss to Miami on Sunday (ESPN).

That being said, his most significant impact hasn’t been his scoring and one-on-one play, but rather his ability to maximize the success of all the versatile, role players he has around him. Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris, DeAndre Jordan, along with Taurean Prince and Garrett Temple, have been thriving around Dinwiddie’s play and for a good reason.  He opens the floor and creates space for his big men to score, using his excellent court vision and trusting his profound grasp of the squad’s chemistry to find his teammates for high percentage opportunities unselfishly. Utilizing the team’s full strength has fueled the Nets to win 5 of their last 7 games, a complete 180 after possessing a record that was below .500 (ESPN).

In a YES Network interview during the press conference following their fourth straight victory coming on the road against Cleveland, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson stated that the key to their recent success without Kyrie has been the chemistry the team has implemented in their playing style.

“It’s how connected these guys are and it helps that there are guys that have been here for a long time and I think that continuity helps.  GT is kind of like the new guy in that crew, TP too.  But we got guys that have been here that understand what we’re doing and that helps a lot.”

The Nets have rediscovered how underappreciated great chemistry can be and how influential it is towards building a recipe for success through Spencer Dinwiddie’s recent play.

But the biggest question of all is what will happen when Kyrie comes back?  The difference between these two point guards right now is that Dinwiddie has found the right balance between taking over games with his scoring whilst using other vital parts of his offensive skill set to bring out the strengths of his teammates to collectively control and dominate opponents to victory.  Unlike Dinwiddie, Kyrie has naturally balled out in style, yet has not found the “connection” to use the various weapons he has all around him to win games.

However, Kyrie’s return is still not clear, so for now, the Nets look primed to push their way past .500 behind the spectacular play and leadership of Spencer Dinwiddie.  Despite dropping loads of cash to get two mega superstars during the offseason, it turns out that what the Nets needed all along was already on their team, to begin with.  Even without Kyrie, KD, and Caris LeVert, the Nets look like a playoff team behind Mr. Dinwiddie and deservedly so.

Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving brings a consistency to the point guard position

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Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving

The Brooklyn Nets enjoyed elite point guard play for the first time since 2012 when Deron Williams was still on the team and the organization was just relocated from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Fast forward seven years and the entire concept of Brooklyn lured both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to the smaller team in New York.

Irving, though, brings a consistency to the point guard position the Nets haven’t seen in quite a while. D’Angelo Russell was fantastic in 2018, averaging 21.1 points per game and 7.0 assists. He was an All-Star and helped carry the Nets into a playoff appearance, despite losing in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The influence of an everyday premium point guard is significant, and the team will see the benefits this year. Irving has only dipped below 20 points per game (season average) twice in his eight-year career, the last being in 2015-16 with 19.6.

The primary issue with Irving is that to be quite frank, he’s a little crazy, and players have a hard time developing chemistry with him. He’s a very self-centered player, never averaging over 6.9 assists per game throughout his entire career (has never been top 10 in this category). While a number of Nets players were actively recruiting Irving to the Brooklyn, including Spencer Dinwiddie, it seemed as if he was coming all along.

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Irving is more offensively gifted than D’Lo, recording fewer turnovers and more points per game consistently. But while Russell seemed to elevate the players around him, at times Kyrie only helps himself. With Durant not on the floor for a majority of 2019, we will see how influential Irving really is, and if he can will the newly built team to a second consecutive playoff appearance.

A question arises — should the Nets have kept the youthful D’Angelo Russell in favor of signing Irving to a max deal?