Rebounding wins games, unless you're the Nets

Rebounding is probably one of the most important aspects of basketball, and usually the team that grabs more rebounds is the team that wins. This is a proven fact, but the key word in the previous sentence is usually.

The Nets are a prime example of a team that wins its share of games without the ability to put up huge rebounding numbers. The Nets lack the size and athleticism it requires to grab a ton of rebounds, but they have found a way to get themselves to the .500 mark regardless.

“We’re undersized. We’re playing small ball right now, and I think we have to do a better job of rebounding, but we’re getting away with it,” Deron Williams said. “But we don’t want to make a habit out of it.”

Much like the Miami Heat, who get out-rebounded quite often, the Nets often find themselves being dominated on the glass. In fact, the Heat are the league's worst rebounding team at 36.8 rebounds per game, while the Nets are the second worst at 38.8 points. But regardless of the woes, both teams have ways to win basketball games.

The struggles on the glass are made clear when the Nets' rebounding leader, Kevin Garnett, is averaging just 6.7 rebounds per game. With the small lineup thee Nets throw on the floor every night, it's obvious why they aren't a great rebounding team. A lineup of Deron Williams, Shaun Livingston, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, and Garnett features nobody that can soar into the air for a board, and there isn't any help coming off the bench anymore with Reggie Evans being traded to Sacramento.

“We’re just trying to use our quickness,” Johnson said. “We’re not the biggest down low, but we’ve managed to stay poised and stay focused and still run the game plan.”

For Brooklyn, they make up for their lackluster rebounding by forcing turnovers. They're forcing teams to turn the ball over 15.1 times per game, and that's the seventh best in the NBA. This helps to makes up for the 42.9 rebounds they're allowing opposing teams to grab, which is about four more rebounds than the Nets grab.

“If we can combine both, if we can get those, force turnovers and rebounding, it puts us on another level as a team,” Plumlee said. “But we have to rebound, we can’t try to make up for it in another way, we have to rebound.”

Come playoff time, the Nets' rebounding woes can really come into play if they're matched up with a team like the Indiana Pacers. The issues may not be too big of a deal in the regular season, and that's why the Nets need to find a way to climb into a top-four seed. There are no great rebounding teams at the bottom of the east, besides the Detroit Pistons, and that may tip things in the Nets' favor.

Jason Kidd challenged the Nets' big men before the win against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, and encouraged them to step up with Garnett out for the second straight game.

“Active hands. Guys understanding that we sometimes struggle rebounding the ball, so we need to pick it up in another area, and getting our hands on balls and being able to get deflections and steals helped us (against Chicago). And it’s helped us throughout the season,” Kidd said.

The Nets signed Jason Collins to a 10-day contract, and are expected to sign him to a second one as well, as means to add a seven-footer down low. Collins is the furthest thing from a good rebounder, so if the Nets want to make a run in the playoffs, they might need to add one more rebounding big-man to fill the open 15th roster spot.

Source: NY Post
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