NBA Preview: New Jersey Nets hope to overpower the San Antonio Spurs with Deron Williams
New Jersey Nets will be hoping that their newly acquired two-times All Star point guard Deron Williams fires on all cylinders on Thursday night, when they take on NBA’s best San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center.
After failing to procure Carmelo Anthony, Nets hurtled for Williams. They relinquished rookie Derrick Favors, Guard Devin Harris, two draft picks in the first round and 3 million in cash that astonished everybody including the
superstar.
"Very rarely are you able to trade for someone who is arguably the best at his position. We had to give up a lot, but when you get a chance to get him, you go for it. It wasn't a planned trade. This wasn't a plan B. He's a plan
A guy. We eventually had to do something like this to get a player of this skill level." Coach Avery Johnson said.
New Jersey Nets have lost 15 games of their last 16 games and will be relying massively on Deron this time, who will make his first appearance as a Net. His debut is anticipated to bring some strength in the line-up however it
might be not enough to overcome the inexorable Spurs.
San Antonio Spurs is the leading team of the season with the most number of wins as they entirely dominated the first half of the game. They stand at the first spot in the Western Conference with 47 victories and only 10 defeats.
Spurs carry an outstanding home record by winning 26 games out of 28 leaving no room for the opposition to surpass at their home court.
The team opened the second half of the season on a high note by grabbing a magnificent victory over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. In the last 10 games, San Antonio performed a little below their winning percentage and gathered
seven victories following three defeats. However they still hold the best position to this point.
On the other hand, New Jersey Nets are standing at the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference with only 17 wins for the season and a big number of 40 defeats. On the road, the line-up struggled against all the teams managing
to win only 4 games of 29 road meetings.
Reviewing their last 10, Nets carry opposite stats comparing San Antonio’s with seven defeats and 3 victories. Friday’s game will be their first in the second half opposing the best team as they are coming with three consecutive
losses.
All eyes are on Deron Williams now who was acquired by the franchise from Utah Jazz after giving up on many things. He is averaging 21.3 points this season which has amplified significantly considering his preceding seasons. Williams
scored a season-high 39 on January 26, against San Antonio Spurs and the Nets will be hoping that he helps them in nipping a four match losing streak.
Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker will be a big threat for the visiting team who are playing exceptionally well dominating the opposition completely. Nets need to lay a sturdy defense in the game to restrict the opposition and grab
maximum chances to propel a belligerent confrontation.
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