The J Stands for...Jesus?

Photo via Brooklyn Nets

"He might not be there when you call on him, but he's there when you need him."

That's what Kevin Garnett said of teammate Joe Johnson when dubbing him with the new nickname "Joe Jesus" after the Brooklyn Nets' 91-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks last night, according to Andrew Keh of the New York Times.

Without Deron Williams in the lineup, Johnson resurrected himself against his former team with a great performance. In 36 minutes, Johnson scored 23 points on 10-22 shooting and added three rebounds and four assists.

The guard broke out of his slump, where he failed to score in double digits for five games in a row. He shot just 15-50 in those games and averaged just seven points per game.

But Johnson came back to life in this game, the Nets' third straight win. He made three of his five shots in the fourth quarter in just seven minutes, capping off a very solid performance. The Record reports that his aggressive play came as a direct order from head coach Jason Kidd:

Jason [Kidd] told me to pick it up," Johnson said.

Garnett's words about Johnson, it seems, could not be any truer. Perhaps the best clutch player in the game right now, Johnson does indeed show up when the team needs him. Let's take a look again at that fantastic game winner against the Oklahoma City Thunder:



And these stats, via NBA.com and Elias Sports, speak for themselves:

Since the start of last season, Joe Johnson has a league-leading 5 Game-Winning shots in the last 10secs of the 4thQ or OT (via ELIAS)
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 3, 2014

Since the start of last season, Joe Johnson in the clutch: Last 30secs, margin +/- 3pts: 11/14 FGAs Last 10secs, +/-3pts: 6/6 FGAs
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 3, 2014

The Nets will don their nickname jerseys on Saturday when they take on the Miami Heat. Johnson's nickname, "JJ," has been under fan scrutiny as being...well, kind of lame. With great nicknames like "Iso Joe" and "Joe Cool," it came as a bit of a surprise to see that he'd be wearing "JJ" on the back of his jersey.

But now, thanks to Garnett, perhaps Nets fans can enjoy thinking to themselves that "JJ" stands for "Joe Jesus."

What do you think of this new nickname? What does "JJ" stand for for you? Let us know in the comments.

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