Slowly but surely, Avery Johnson is getting through to his Nets team.
The Nets came to life in their 107-101 overtime win over the Hawks on Tuesday. They came to life on both sides of the ball, getting baskets and stops when they needed to. The Nets couldn’t keep it going as they gell, 89-83, to the Celtics on Wednesday night.
You can’t kill them for that loss. The Celtics are the defending Eastern Conference champs and still a threat to return to the NBA final.
The Nets continue to get a strong effort from Anthony Morrow. The free-shooting wing player had 18 points against Boston on 7-for-11 shooting.
It was the fifth straight double-digit scoring game for Morrow. Finding another scoring option has been one of the highest priorities for Johnson. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris are capable players with the ability go off for 30 on any given night. But finding consistency from another player was a gut-wrenching experience last season.
The Nets may have found that man in Morrow, a second-year guard out of Georgia Tech.
Morrow has seen his minutes increase over the last couple of weeks. Those minutes are likely to increase with the demotion of Terrence Williams.
Williams was sent down to the Nets D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor on Friday. Williams was sent down for repeatedly violating team policy. Insiders have said Williams’ excessive tardiness are at the root of the problem.