Shaquille O'Neal is not the same overpowering force he once was, of course, but he remains a worrisome force for a Nets team that should be sending a rookie -- 7 feet and 260 pounds, but still a rookie -- plus a 6-10, 237-pound center at him.
And then there's the whole Amare Stoudemire vs. Yi Jianlian situation. So size should matter Tuesday when the Suns visit New Jersey to face the Nets. The Nets are young and rebuilt, and in their first two games -- an opening-night win and a Saturday night home-opening loss -- they started third-year center Josh Boone with rookie Brook Lopez as his reserve. That's the type of formation Shaq feasted upon in his prime. But size and toughness inside were sought-after commodities by the Nets in the offseason, and they believe they answered some of it.
It's still early, but Tuesday could provide a litmus test against the likes of Shaq, who averaged 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in three games against the Nets last year (two with Miami, one with Phoenix). And there's the Stoudemire question. The Nets held him to "just" 30.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in two games.
"Brook is doing much better, and so is Yi," veteran Eduardo Najera said of the upgrade in physical play by Lopez and Yi. "I think they're being more physical. Brook is finishing around the rim. We need that presence, and Yi, I think, is up to the challenge."
WARRIORS 105, NETS 97: As good as the Nets were in the fourth quarter, they were that bad in the third. Coach Lawrence Frank afterward felt his Nets, both young and veteran, got too down on themselves in a mistake-riddled third quarter when they were outscored 25-9 at one stretch. In the fourth quarter, though, the Nets whittled a 19-point deficit down to five in the final minute before losing their home opener Saturday. Vince Carter scored 20 points for the Nets, while Josh Boone had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Three Warriors hit the 20-point plateau.
