The first quarter started out like everyone expected a tough closely fought game. The Celtics tried to keep the pace of the game slow but the Nets and Deron Williams really kept pushing the ball up court to get quick shots. Once the shots kept going back and forth, the Nets got a little hotter and Williams really found his teammates for open shots piling up four assists. The Nets were ahead at the end of the first quarter with a 28-20 lead. The Celtics got six points from Garnett and only two assists for Rajon Rondo.

The second quarter, the Brooklyn Nets really took charge and Andray Blatche really showed up to play the game. Whether it was finding teammates open or just making shots. C.J. Watson, Jerry Stackhouse, and Reggie Evans also added points for the Nets and really increased their lead into double digits and even stretched their lead to 21 points at one point.

Nov 28, 2012; Boston, MA, USA;Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) emerges from a scrum with the Brooklyn Nets after having his jersey torn off during the first half at TD Garden. Rondo was ejected from the game. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

Now the one thing everyone will talk about it the incident close to 30 seconds left in the second quarter. A hard foul on Kevin Garnett by Kris Humphries really lit up Rajon Rondo. Rondo didn’t like the foul, so he got into the face of Humphries. Well it took a few words and the pushing began. It was essentially court clearing, as the players on the court for both team rushed to the fight and it gave a dramatic pause in  the heated game. Humphries and Rondo were ejected. Gerald Wallace was ejected because he received a second technical foul on the altercation. Garnett was also given a technical foul. At half, the Nets were up 51-38.

Video of the Brawl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u3hldYeN5M

It took a halftime for the crowd to get a little-less restless, so the game continued. Deron Williams looked to score the ball more and like the first quarter it became a game where both teams exchanged baskets. Garnett, Pierce, and Brandon Bass looked to help the Celtics without their star point guard. However the Nets were too difficult to manage and huge threes by ageless wonder Jerry Stackhouse kept the lead steady for the Nets. The Nets after the third quarter held a 70-55 lead.

The fourth quarter began with the huge jump-shots by Barbosa and Terry to help cut the lead to ten. However like the first and third quarter the same exchange of baskets kept the lead around the ten to fifteen for a majority of the quarter. Joe Johnson was crucial for the Nets to maintain the lead. The game then just got easy for the Nets, as all they had to do was just run the clock. The Nets go on to win 95-83

It was evident that the Celtics, in order to compete with the elite teams, will definitely need to have Rondo on the court. Rondo needs to be mature enough to know that is team needs him on the court. His emotions have been destructive before and could really hurt him and his team if outbursts like today happen in the future.

July 13, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams and guard Joe Johnson pose for photos at a press conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The Nets did the most by just bringing back the guys they already had.  Re-signing Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, and Gerald Wallace showed a serious commitment towards winning.  Then they went and obtained Joe Johnson, a consistent 20/5/5 threat.

The Nets have one of the best starting fives in the league:

Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez

Throw in, 6th man:  MarShon Brooks

They re-signed Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and Brook Lopez, and dealt Atlanta a cap-clearing package to obtain the pricey Joe Johnson in return.

That line up can make some real waves and give every team in the East, Miami included, problems.  They are a legitimate threat to the Celtics and 76ers in the Atlantic Divison, and the Vegas futures on Atlantic Division should be as close as they are interesting.

Philadelphia is likely the greatest work in progress, with both the most potential and the most room for disaster.  The Celtics are always going to be formidable as long as they have Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Paul Pierce, and it will be between the76ers, C’s, and Nets for the Atlantic Division crown.

Gerald Wallace is an All-NBA defender, and the backcourt of WIlliams and Johnson is about as deadly as any in the league.  Nash and Kobe, Westbrook and Harden, Parker and Ginobili; they are up there in that class.  Marshon Brooks has sixth man of the year potential.

The lineup is just good at the top, and the rest of bench isn’t too shabby either…with guys like Jerry Stackhouse able to come in and score in a pinch, and good role players like C.J. Watson, Kansas rookie Tyshawn Taylor, and the corner three/defender specialist Keith Bogans…Not to mention the back up bigs Reggie Evans and Mirza Teletovic (more on them later).

Humphries is the glue guy that the Nets need and was a crucial re-signing.  He boards and finishes well around the hoop.  He allows Brook Lopez to wander offensively and not stick to the interior.

And this is a Nets franchise that has needed that type of talent since the departure of Jason Kidd almost a decade ago.  They’ve had some good teams since then, but those were their last Finals appearances, and now they have a chance to get back there again.  Are they going to be the favorite?  Hardly.  But if they can gel things could get very interesting in Brooklyn.

With a rich Russian in charge in Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z as head of recruitment and minority owner, the Nets just have a lot going for them, including a new arena.   Players will want to play there, and the ones that are there already want to stay there.  Lopez got a max contract, yes, but he can at least put up max contract level scoring.

As long as Humphries is on the team, they won’t need as much from Lopez on the boards, or even defensively, and they bring banger Reggie Evans and the 6’9″ Bosnian Mirza Teletovic off the bench, and the Nets should field a strong backup front court rotation.

Evans has a lot of toughness and is a rock solid rebounder, like Humphries.

Teletovic put up big number in the Euro league for Vitoria last year, averaging 21.7 points per game and 6 rebounds per game in 34.4 minutes per night.  He’s averaged double figures in scoring for Vitoria since he was 21 and now at age 26 is entering his prime.

Teletovic can play both forward slots and his biggest question mark is his defense.  If he can learn from the talented defenders on the Nets (Wallace specifically)  in practice, he could be a big steal for the team.

I think even though the Nets struck out on Dwight Howard, they are one of the big winners of the offseason.  They just managed to assemble one of the best and most well rounded starting fives in the league.

Apr 07, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Magic defeated the Sixers 88-82. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Rob Hennigan has been given the unenviable task of having to trade the best center in the NBA.  Ideally, one would like to figure the Magic could obtain a ton, net a franchise player in return, or many picks to use to rebuild the team, but that hasn’t been the case.

Teams aren’t willing to over pay for a guy that hasn’t even promised he will sign an extension.  Even the one team that he has promised such to, the Brooklyn Nets, aren’t ready to give up all that much.

Why?

Because they know they don’t have to.

Hennigan and the Magic are sitting ducks, forced to trade away their biggest asset because he just won’t be loyal, won’t be patient, and because he can’t just even play out his contract.

He’s complained that he felt “blackmailed” into declining his option to opt out of the contract, but later reneged those statements and said he was misquoted.  He wasn’t.  Dwight Howard has been acting very childish through this, and hasn’t leveled with anyone.  I suspect the only member of the media he has leveled with has been Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com, a confidant for the troubled big man.  He likely knows exactly what Howard has thought throughout this entire process, throughout a time in which he has repeatedly told media “All that matters is that I’m in Orlando right now.”

The line became so stale, that anyone with half a brain knew to no longer inquire as to his thought process regarding his upcoming free agency.

But we don’t know what Howard’s thinking.  He is discontent, but he has no reason to be.  He reached the Finals in 2009, and the team has had success.  Ultimately, he needs to accept blame that he is the reason it hasn’t reached higher level.  He’s gotten better every season in the league but has yet to make the leap to being a truly elite player.  His offense has gotten a lot better, but he still can’t shoot the ball too well further than 10 or 12 feet out, and his free throw shooting is getting worse, as he shot a career low from the line last season.

But the Magic are going to have to make a decision, now that they’ve had a few offers to weigh out.

The best offer, in my opinion, has been that of the Houston Rockets.  In the proposed trade with the Rockets, the Magic would obtain all three of Houston’s 2012 first round picks, Royce White, Jeremy Lamb, and Terrence Jones.  They would also obtain Kevin Martin, Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris, and Chandler Parsons.  Out would go the horrible contracts of Glen Big Baby Davis, Quentin Richardson, Chris Duhon, and Jason Richardson.  Hedo Turkoglu may even be disposed of.  The Magic would obtain a host of valuable young players, and could even look to move Martin after obtaining him.

It would clear the cupboard and replace aging vets with  no future with talented young forwards like Parsons, Morris, and Patterson, all of whom have yet to cash in on their potential as pros.  And I like all 3 of the Rockets’ selections in the NBA Draft, as some have compared Royce White to a young Anthony Mason; Jeremy Lamb a poor man’s Ray Allen, and Jones a athletic big body ,who is comparable to 90s forward Derrick McKey.  It would give the Magic a core they could build around.

The Nets, Hawks, and Lakers have been active as well.

The New Jersey offer wasn’t so bad:  Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, three first round picks, and the offer to take back bad contracts.  For some reason, the possible best part of the trade, Brooks, was not desired by the Magic, who were seeking another first in exchange for Brooks, by involving a third team (likely the Clippers).

The Magic didn’t want Humphries either, who had been mentioned as a possible piece to involve the Cleveland Cavaliers and a pick.  Then, the Magic decided they didn’t want Lopez either, after he inked a huge contract extension, nearly a max contract for a center who averages under seven rebound a game.  That final straw put an end to the Howard to Brooklyn trade — but only for the moment.  The time may come when a trade similar to this one goes down.

The Lakers offer has been less clear, but it supposedly would ship out Andrew Bynum to Houston in a three team scenario, that would net the Magic a similar package to the Houston trade, in the sense that the Rockets would be shipping a lot out to take on a franchise big like Bynum.

But that’s the perplexing thing:  Why does Houston realize that Bynum is a franchise player, but Hennigan can’t?  Taking Bynum back, the second best center in the NBA, would be a way to ensure the franchise stays relevant.

Is Hennigan unconvinced that Bynum really is that man?  Does he not think that Bynum could be a 20 point, 10 rebound, 3 block kind of player?  It would seem that when you’re giving up the best, you should attempt to obtain the next best thing, and Hennigan has relented in doing so.  I don’t understand it.

The Hawks, meanwhile, have not put together any package that has even made Hennigan think.  They have Al Horford and Josh Smith as valuable chips, but just rid themselves of Joe Johnson, whom Hennigan may have had interest in.  Horford is a great and solid All Star, but can’t anchor an offense like Howard did, and Smith is at best a third fiddle type of player, offensively, while his defensive skills have made him a premier small forward, yet one who still has somehow not made an All Star team.

The best scenario, of course, would have been to bring Smith into Orlando to play with Howard, his AAU childhood friend.   Smith and Howard both wanted that to happen, but it was never able to officially go down, and the result has been that Atlanta has fallen to irrelevance after losing Johnson, while Johnson himself ended up the place that Howard has been wanting to go all along.  Funny how that works.

But when it comes right down to it, Hennigan is eventually just going to have to pull the trigger.  Both the New Jersey and Houston offers have been attractive enough to entice action, yet they haven’t.  I think the longer he waits, the worse the offers will get, as the Magic are forced into desperation and a last minute act for a trade that has been in the works for months now.

But you can’t expect teams to run banging down the door to rent Howard for half a season without a commitment on his part to re-sign with the team that acquires him.  Until that happens, Hennigan won’t get any good offers, and he just wants some picks and cap relief to rebuild the team.  It’s very rare that a team can trade a franchise talent and get a true equivalent return on the trade, but the Magic just simply have to do the best they can, and right now, that would seem to be pulling the trigger on the Houston deal.