What the Heck Happened Here?

[Nash13]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Bonzi Wells had 22 points in the Memphis Grizzlies' most lopsided victory in franchise history Saturday night, a 110-63 victory over the New Jersey Nets.

The Nets scored the fewest points of any Grizzlies opponent, and came within a point of matching their own futility record.

The Grizzlies ran away in the final period, building their biggest lead at 110-62 on a dunk by Stromile Swift.

Memphis had six players in double figures, including Mike Miller and Swift with 18 each. Miller also had seven assists.

Pau Gasol had 12 points and nine rebounds, and Lorenzen Wright and Earl Watson had 10 points each.

Kenyon Martin led New Jersey with 12 points. Aaron Williams and Jason Kidd, with 4-of-14 shooting, had 10 points each.

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Memphis started the final period with an 82-53 lead.

The victory was the fourth straight at home for Memphis. The Grizzlies rebounded from a loss at Miami that snapped their franchise-record six-game winning streak.

Memphis closed the second period with an 11-2 run, with five points by Wells, to break for the half with a 45-28 lead. The Nets' production was the lowest for a first half of any Grizzlies opponent.

The Grizzlies shot 55 percent from the field in the first half to 38 percent for the Nets. Memphis finished shooting 62 percent to 34 percent for NewJersey.

Notes

Memphis G Jason Williams missed his seventh straight game because of a back strain. ... Nets coach Byron Scott played for the Grizzlies during their inaugural 1995-96 season in Vancouver. ... Nets F Aaron Williams played 32 games for the Grizzlies in 1996-97, also in Vancouver. ... Memphis G Troy Bell made his first appearance for the Grizzlies. He had five points in fiveminutes.

[Simon2]

The Nets are about to destroy themselves. They will really be looking to trade KMart right now.

[EricaLubarsky]

I was wondering the same thing. It's one thing for the Lakers to flop the night after they played a full 48 minutes against the muscular Mavericks squad, but its another thing for the Nets to score 63- and lose by 47. Nets are below .500 now and the entire midwest division has won more games than the Nets.

Nets shot 34% 18.2% and 68.8% and allowed 62%, 50% and 66.7%

And 30 turnovers

[dirno2000]

Byan Scott should probably get his resume in order.

[Max Power]

Originally posted by: Simon2
The Nets are about to destroy themselves. They will really be looking to trade KMart right now.

I have to guess that there is lockerroom turmoil right now. Kidd recruited Zo and I'm sure that he doesn't like KMart's kidney jokes.

[bogey]

Did you see Bonzi's dunk? Good heavens it was a thing of power!

[Mandyahl]

Originally posted by: bogey
Did you see Bonzi's dunk? Good heavens it was a thing of power!

bonzi's dunk or his assist on the stromile swift dunk? because stromile's dunk was awesome!

[Walkerforthree]

Originally posted by: Mandyahl

bonzi's dunk or his assist on the stromile swift dunk? because stromile's dunk was awesome!

yeah, swift dunked it, the pass was from Bonzi. And yes it was incredulous

[VivaNajera]

This team was never that good anyways, they were successful because the past few years the east has been awful. Although much respect to J-Kidd, however, he should have never resigned with the Nets

[mary]

Monday, December 15, 2003


Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Two days after a postgame discussion with his New Jersey Nets teammates following a 47-point loss to Memphis, Jason Kidd took on the media for its account of the talk.

The All-Star point guard insisted Monday that he never screamed at teammates at a 30-minute, closed-door team meeting after the Nets' 110-63 loss Saturday night to the Grizzlies.

Loud arguments, often decorated with profanity, could be heard in the hallway after the game in Memphis. Several area newspapers reported that Kidd's voice could be heard clearly at times.

"I didn't yell," Kidd said Monday. "You guys had your ear on the door. I wasn't speaking to you guys, so you figured you needed to get close. You weren't in the room. It wasn't directed toward you guys.

"What I said was to my teammates. I respect my teammates as much as they respect me. It wasn't anything out of character. It was the way I thought the team was feeling at the time and I thought I would just express it."

The two-time defending Eastern Conference champions have struggled this season, posting an 11-12 record. The poor performance has raised speculation that coach Byron Scott's job might be in jeopardy.

Kidd was annoyed that his locker room talk drew so much attention.

"If you weren't in there, it wasn't directed toward you guys, so there was nothing to write about," he said. "A lot of stuff you guys have written was way out in right field."

Kidd refused to explain what might have been misrepresented in the postgame stories.

"When you get the invitation in the mail, then you can write it," Kidd said. "If you are not invited to the party, don't write anything."

A reporter told Kidd that it's newsworthy when the team's best player could be heard screaming through the door.

"You're lying!" Kidd said. "I wasn't screaming."

Since coming to New Jersey and helping transform the Nets from an also-ran to a title contender, Kidd has spoken his mind to the team on at least two or three other occasions, Scott said.

Scott felt the postgame talk was positive. He also said after the postgame yelling, everyone calmed down.

"Any time you lose a game and get outplayed on both ends, some things are going to come up," Scott said. "Some things are going to be discussed in that locker room as it was. I told the guys today it was good you get all that out."

Guard Lucious Harris said no one on the team was offended by Kidd, who chastised -- then challenged -- teammates in his talk.

There were reports that someone went back at Kidd as he was speaking, but no one on the team would confirm that.

"If you lose by 50 points, you let it out," Harris said. "Maybe it was good for us to let it all out."

Forward Kenyon Martin also said he had no problem with anything Kidd said.

"We look up to Jason as our leader, and he spoke up," Martin said.

[Big Boy Laroux]

man, that dunk was stupendous! the pass from bonzi was HORRIBLE. probably any other player would not have been able to get it and dunk it in one motion. but stro is a freak. he goes and gets it and bonzi gets the assist.

[sike]

they all fall down......

(end of London Bridges)

wow all that $ on Kidd and Morning....and nothing........they just suck right now!

[rakesh.s]

Originally posted by: sike
they all fall down......

(end of London Bridges)

wow all that $ on Kidd and Morning....and nothing........they just suck right now!

over the last two years, i always felt that kidd was a good POINT guard(just assists and rebounds wise), but he really stunk it up in the scoring column

he's about a 35% shooter who is on maybe every 6 or 7 games

i think the nets are relying on him to get around 20 points per night and he can't do that...they should've gone after ricky davis [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

jefferson isn't really too good either....he's a serviceable swingman(15 ppg)

[kingrex]

I didn't see the game, but I'm sure the Nets aren't as bad as that 47 point blow-out makes them look. Every team will have an off-night like that. Now if they're in the middle of a double-digit losing streak, then you can call this team done. Let's see how they respond on the next game.

[mary]

Tuesday, December 16, 2003


Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jason Kidd declined to speak to the media Tuesday for the first time in his three seasons with the Nets, a dispute stemming from the team's 47-point loss to Memphis.

Kidd is miffed that reporters overheard his closed-door tirade in the locker room after Saturday's game.

"I don't know why people want to continue to talk about one game," Richard Jefferson said. "It doesn't have any effect anymore. It's just one game that we lost horribly."

Jefferson injured his back against Memphis and sat out Tuesday's practice to receive treatment but will play against Utah on Wednesday night.

It was the third-worst loss in team history and the most one-sided defeat since Kidd arrived three seasons ago.

On Monday, Kidd criticized the media for reporting the locker-room remarks. As practice ended Tuesday, with coach Byron Scott home with an undisclosed illness, Kidd walked by reporters. Nets spokesman Gary Sussman said the star guard chose not to speak to the media.

Reserve guard Lucious Harris, who will play Wednesday despite spraining an ankle against Memphis, thought Kidd's message might be good for the team.


"I think it's always good to air it out if you have something to say," Harris said. "It's not like we have just one person who speaks his mind. We're like a family. If your brother has something to say, then you listen and take it."

The loss, which dropped the Nets to 11-12, was the low point this season for the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions.

"I wish we could have played another game right away to put that game behind us," Harris said. "It's not like us to get blown out like that."

[mary]

I don't know why, but I'm getting some sort of sick pleasure out of all this.

[Murphy3]

probably because of your general dislike for jason kidd?..or is it just me that dislikes the guy

[mary]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
probably because of your general dislike for jason kidd?..or is it just me that dislikes the guy

hmmm...yes...i think that could have something to do with it
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]