Going on form and their players' strength in the field of play, the New Jersey Nets surely do not seem like dropping a game anywhere. And when it did hit them eventually, the Nets definitely did not expect. The reactions of the Nets may be something that could be debated on, but one thing is for sure - They definitely did not know at all what was going to hit them!



Knicks taught them a lesson on meticulously planned basketball. Here was a team that had been reeling in the past due to the antics of a certain Jason Kidd. But with the departure of Kidd, Knicks had their chance to take some revenge. Did they do that or what? In matter of no time, the Knicks went about dismantling the defense of the Nets. So much so, that even the powerful Devon Harris could do nothing about the carnage that was to follow next.

The start of the match though had other indications for the spectators. It really boiled down to see point guard Harris scoring minute after minute. The first 14 out of the 17 points of the Nets came with the hands of Harris. It seemed like a drubbing was on offer for the Knicks. That's when the Knicks decided to play aggressively. Clearly, this ploy had some merits because that was the only way the Knicks could have stopped the Nets.

Harrington and Thomas were asked to surge ahead. This scheme worked because by the end of the second half, the Nets did not have any clue where their game was heading to. The Knicks took absolute control of the game. Harrington, with his 35-17 free throw attempts, absolutely killed and in essence, any chance Nets were hoping to get back into the game.

The head coach of the Nets believes that he has not seen the Knicks play such aggressive style basketball for a long, long time. In fact, he believes that this new strategy, took his players completely off-guard. He puts it aptly, "There was something cooking all the while. Unfortunately, we could not see it coming."

A lot of people may say that this was a fluke tactic. Fluke or no fluke - It won the Knicks a big game. Importantly, the bug bearish feeling they used to get on the sights of the Nets presumably is no longer there. The Knicks can go home celebrating, and the Nets can think about it for another day, "How did the trouble hit them?"