Nets Starting Five 10/25/13

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Updated: October 25, 2013

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FINAL PRESEASON ACTION

[box]GRANTLAND Bill and Jalen’s NBA Preview: Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets

You might not think much of the Brooklyn Nets’ championship chances, but after watching this preview, Bill and Jalen will have you wondering if the added veterans, new coach, and super-expensive starting five can make a run to the Finals. You will also learn how Mikhail Prokhorov convinced Andrei Kirilenko to sign for less in Brooklyn, what Kevin Garnett’s shot chart looks like, and what Jalen was doing in the ’90s with Das EFX.

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[box]NYDAILYNEWS –  Doc Rivers shoots down LeBron James’ criticism of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce 

“Paul and Kevin were traded,” Rivers said on ESPN Radio in Miami. “They were traded. Paul was traded whether he wanted to be or not. Kevin was the only one who had to agree to be traded even though he had already been traded. He had to agree to the trade. That’s completely different.”

Neither Garnett, who waived his no-trade clause to join the Nets, nor Pierce spoke to the media after Thursday’s practice. They are both expected to play against Miami. James will not play Friday, according Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

“You could make more of a case for me leaving than Paul and Kevin,” Rivers said.

“We’re built to try to compete against anybody,” Deron Williams said when asked about the defending champs. “We have size. We have different lineups we can do. We’re built for anything being thrown at us.”

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[box] ESPN Starting Five: From McDonald’s to BK

Eighteen years ago, long before they won a title with the Boston Celtics and even longer before they were dealt to the Brooklyn Nets, Garnett and Pierce played together in the 1995 McDonald’s All-American Game. Pierce had 28 points, while Garnett had 18 points and 11 rebounds and was named MVP.

“It’s a unique situation for us to play in Boston and then to be here in Brooklyn. I think we’re kind of linked together forever. Bonded together forever, I guess,” Pierce said Tuesday. “When you share a championship together and moving to another city together. We also have daughters that are the same age, two weeks apart. I got a guy that I have a special bond with probably for the rest of my life.”[/box]

[box]NYPOST Nets not just worried about Heat

“You’ve got to play the games, so we’ll play the game, get everybody their minutes and hopefully come out of it healthy and get ready for [the season opener in] Cleveland,” Nets coach Jason Kidd said after Thursday’s practice. “We’re not thinking about the Heat right now.”

But in the eyes of Deron Williams, the Heat are not the only thing Nets general manager Billy King had in mind when he was renovating the team’s roster.

“I think we’re built to try and compete against everybody,” Williams said. “We have size. We have different lineups we can do, [whether it’s] small or big.

“I think we’re built for anything being thrown at us.”

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[box]NEWSDAY Andray Blatche excited about playing alongside Brook Lopez more

Let’s just say Blatche is thrilled that Nets coach Jason Kidd plans on utilizing the combination of Lopez and himself more, something Kidd’s two previous predecessors weren’t big fans of doing.

“This is the —- we were talking about last year,” Blatche said after Thursday’s practice at the University of Miami. “We’ve got a good coach; we’ve got a coach that’s willing to to take the chance and try it out. And so far, it’s successful. This is something that me and Brook have been wanting to do since last season, and I’m really thankful that Kidd gave it a look and it’s been working out for us.”

“Dray and Brook, two 7-footers, two talented guys who can play on the perimeter and also post up, so we kind of like that combination,” Kidd said. “But it’s not just the offensive end. We’ve got to make sure that we have the defensive end and those two can play together on the defensive end.”

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