Kevin Garnett wants Nets fans more fired up
Kevin Garnett of the Nets reacts after winning a loose ball late in the first half against the Toronto Raptors during Game 3 of their first-round playoff series at Barclays Center on Friday, April 25, 2014. Credit: Jim McIsaac
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Count Kevin Garnett among those who wanted to see a little more juice out of Friday night's sellout crowd at Barclays Center.
Garnett said it shouldn't take exciting plays by the Nets to get the playoff atmosphere going.
He thought things would be more intense, given that it was the Nets' first home game since Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri fired off an expletive in describing how he felt about Brooklyn.
"Could do better," Garnett said Saturday. "I was expecting Brooklyn to be real hostile, New York style, knowing what it's like to come here as the opposition, so our crowd could do better. But they were there when [we needed them] and we fed off of them."
Paul Pierce said he thought the crowd took a while to warm up; the fans really didn't get into it until his second-quarter dunk.
Deron Williams also noticed that the crowd was tepid early on, and he offered a few possible reasons for the sleepy atmosphere at the game's outset. He anticipates more of a raucous environment in Game 4 Sunday night.
"Yeah, it was a little slow to start," Williams said. "Seven o'clock game on a Friday night in New York, that's tough. So hopefully it will be better come Sunday. But they definitely got into it, and when we started making our little run, the crowd took over."
Caught up in moment
Remember that play with about a minute left in the second quarter Friday night, when Garnett dived on the floor for a loose ball, got up with it and screamed after tugging on his jersey?
Garnett nearly doesn't.
"I blacked out at that point," he said. "I have a kid at the games. Being an example, a role model, all that goes out the door. I'm playing on heart at that point, my passion. I'm playing off the crowd -- my friends are there, my teammates, J-[Kidd]. I'm just going. I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm going."
Dealing with DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan has torched the Nets, scoring 30 points in each of the last two games. He has said he believes he can get into the lane anytime he wants. That drew a funny line from Shaun Livingston, who insinuated that DeRozan is getting a little help.
"Yeah, when he gets some calls, it's a lot easier to feel that way," Livingston said. "But hey, look, we are going to take the win. We are going to continue to stick to our game plan to remain solid in everything that we do, and not necessarily get caught up in the one-on-one game, but in the team."
