--It is no secret that as the backcourt of Devin Harris and Vince Carter goes, so go the Nets. On Friday, Harris and Carter combined to shoot 12-for-36 and scored 33 points. The Nets lost.
On Saturday in Charlotte, the pair shot 17 of 30 and combined for 54 points. The Nets won. There is a connection, and it goes beyond their scoring. "It's a great luxury to have two guys who are primary ball-handlers and decision-makers," coach Lawrence Frank said. "Devin had put a lot of effort into the game. Vince, off high pick-and-rolls, was able to make some really good plays. Plus his ability to get to the line was huge."
--While Carter and Harris are among the top five road scorers in the league, the Nets pulled out a victory with their bench contributing mightily in Charlotte on Saturday. Three bench players, Jarvis Hayes, Josh Boone and Keyon Dooling, combined for 13 of the Nets' 18 overtime points. Overall, the Nets bench outscored the Bobcats reserves 38-15.
"Phenomenal," Carter said of the reserves. "That's the confidence we have in each other, and our bench. We feel we have a very deep bench, very capable of playing big minutes and doing great things in crunch time."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Another recurring theme: We're poor defensively." -- Coach Lawrence Frank, discussing season-long trends.
