The Long Island Nets returned to their home-away-from-home court on Thursday night for a showdown with the Wisconsin Herd. However, while it was officially the Nets’ home court, it wasn’t their “home” court in Uniondale, Long Island, but a court nearly 400 miles to the north, Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, Canada a northern suburb of Montreal.
It was the first of a back-to-back for “Les Nets,“ in the second year of an annual promotion shared by Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the Nets, Liberty parent
company, and Groupe CH, which owns the Montreal Canadians and two arenas in Quebec. BSE is trying to create a new fan base in French-speaking Canada while Groupe CH is playing a longer game, hoping to draw an NBA franchise to Canada’s second biggest city.
While Long Island lost this one 108-101 — and had none of the Flatbush Five on hand, the big story was the attendance. After sell-outs last season, only 5,193 fans showed up Thursday.
Last season, Long Island drew nearly 40,000 fans over six games, selling out Place Bell — and all its custom “Les Nets” gear. As for what kind of numbers the organization had in mind, Morgan Taylor, who runs Long Island’s busines operations, told NetsDaily last week that they were “working towards that number” of 7,000-plus fans again. While they were more than a bit off that mark in this one, there are still three more chances starting with Friday night’s back end of the back-to-back. Long Island plays two more games next month in Laval.
No word yet as to why the drop-off. Still the Nets who are trying to build a fan base in French-speaking Canada had to feel positive about the reception provided by those on hand…
Long Island was short-handed Thursday without any of the Flatbush 5, including French-speaking Nolan Traore, as two-way player E.J. Liddell, both suffering from ankle woes. Long Island’s associate head coach, a native of Ottawa, Shawn Swords, was given the honor of welcoming the crowd.
The Nets were also without Jay Scrubb, who played his best game with Long Island on Tuesday, then took an opportunity to play overseas for presumably more money. Yuri Collins who had been Long Island’s starting point guard, left the team last week for Nes-Ziona in Israel. Collins replacement, Jamal Mashburn Jr. played only a minute after joining the club from the Westchester Knicks.
So, Long Island was left with only nine players including Mashburn. Two of the Brooklyn two-way players were in action – Tyson Etienne and Chaney Johnson – as well as Nate Williams, who has emerged as one of Long Island’s most reliable players.
The Nets got off to a strong start, scoring the first eight points of the game and shooting 55% from the field in the opening quarter. Long Island outscored the Herd 12-4 in the paint during the first period and led by as many as 14 points before ending the first with a 29-21 advantage. But Wisconsin went on a 16-0 run from 7:05 to 2:29 in the second quarter before the Nets closed the quarter on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 52 going into the break.
Wisconsin went on a 14-0 spurt in the third but Long Island fought back to cut the deficit to a single possession entering the final frame, 78-75. After a tightly contested fourth quarter, Wisconsin held on for a 108-101 victory despite all five of Long Island’s starters scoring at least 15 points.
Etienne continued his hot shooting, connecting on seven of his 13 shots, including going 5-of-9 from deep, finishing the game second in scoring with 22 points. Watching Etienne play this year has been a treat. His shot selection is top-tier. Etienne was credited with four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Johnson, playing his fourth game for Long Island after being signed to the third two-way slot last week, finished this game with 15 points, his season average with the Nets affiliate, connecting on four of his 13 shots, but 1-fo-5 from three-point land. He also had eight rebounds, three steals, and one block.
Johnson plays hard and with a lot of heart. However, there are certain aspects of his game he’ll have to improve before he steps on the court at Barclays Center. The first and most important part is his shot selection. He tries to play “hero” ball quite often. Sometimes this works out, and the fans love him for it; other times, he takes up a shot in traffic with three people on him and two wide-open teammates and completely whiffs.
Williams once again led Long Island with 23 points. The veteran of 47 NBA games, Williams connected on nine of his 16 shot attempts, but only went one-of-five from beyond the arc. He also had six rebounds, one assist, and one block. However, there was very glaring downside of his game: ball protection. Williams turned the ball over four times in this one, which led the team. With that said, he still remains arguably the best playmaker and the best ball hawk on the team. Williams also had a team-best and a game-best five steals.
Trevon Scott, Long Island’s 6’8” 28-year-old big, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block to his credit after having a quiet few games. Also, in his second start with the Long Island team, Malachi Smith continued to shine. Smith finished with 19 points, two rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.
NBA veteran Victor Oladipo, trying to make a comeback after a series of devastating injuries, led the Herd, the Bucks G League affiliate, with 25 points to go along with six assists, four rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes off the bench.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (3-4) return to the court on Friday in a rematch with the Herd. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on the NBA G League site, as well as the Gotham Sports app.
