March 19, 2007 6:39 pm  |  40 Comments

Whatever RJ Is Smoking…

…I want some!

by Marcel Mutoni

Before the Nets went out and got their asses handed to them by the Heat on Thursday night, Richard Jefferson made a curious decision: He decided to open his mouth.

“I don’t really think there’s a team in the East that’s better than us,” Jefferson said. “We’re one of the best teams. This is not like crazy talk, I just believe that when we’re healthy, we’ve proved that we can beat everybody.”

“I don’t believe there’s any team better than us,” Jefferson said. “Any time we step on the court, especially in this Eastern Conference, I believe that we can beat anybody in a seven-game series.”

Sorry, RJ. That IS crazy talk. Your team is 31-36 and in seventh place in the East. There are at least five teams (MIA, DET, WAS, CHI, CLE) in your conference that would beat you in a seven-game series. Nice try, though.

Sticking with the Eastern Conference, Pat Riley recently attempted to credit assistant coach Ron Rothstein and his work during Riley’s absence for the Heat’s resurgence:

“Ron was huge. He reminds me of that every day now,” Riley said. “That’s when this whole thing started.”

While compliments and pats on the back are great, I’m sure Rothstein would have preferred a head coaching gig for the rest of the season.

I’m a Laker fan, but another team I’m going be riding with in the playoffs is Denver. Those guys are starting to get it together, and I can’t imagine that too many people are looking forward to facing them this summer.

Say what you will about a predictable letdown after the Dallas game, but what Iverson and company did to the Suns on Saturday night was downright filthy. Sure, they wouldn’t know defense if it hit them in the mouth, but I remain very excited about this Nuggets team.

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This story is filed under: Blogs, Mutoni's Spot, NBA

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  • Chris Posted: Mar.19 at 6:43 pm
    Hey RJ, the nets aren’t getting out of the first round and will be lucky if they’re not swept. Deal with it.

  • Harlem_World Posted: Mar.19 at 6:44 pm
    Does Jefferson still play basketball?

  • go wizards Posted: Mar.19 at 6:44 pm
    first! lol

  • Nine XXVI Posted: Mar.19 at 6:48 pm
    Lol, delusions that this is 2002.

  • jbn74sb Posted: Mar.19 at 6:49 pm
    Wasn’t RJ about 3 minutes from being outed before Amaechi did his thing? If so, keeping his mouth shut is not really high on his list of priorities…

  • Nine XXVI Posted: Mar.19 at 6:54 pm
    What’s with the whole “RJ is GHEY” gimmick that’s been going on?

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Mar.19 at 6:56 pm
    How many NBA championships have the Nets won again?

  • Bleek Posted: Mar.19 at 7:09 pm
    Wade OWNS the Nets and the Wizards. Swept both of em WITHOUT Shaq.

  • Cub Buenning Posted: Mar.19 at 8:00 pm
    Marcel, plenty of room on the Nuggets’ wagon, as loads of impatience have left it pretty empty. Let me say this again, Melo 28 8 5=they win pretty much every night. Having Kleiza and JR as two threats from the outside is like…. two more than they have ever had in the Melo Era. They beat the Suns by about 30 and were outscored in the 4th by 14.

  • Darksaber Posted: Mar.19 at 8:09 pm
    Your Nets, CHAMPS BY 2001, COUNT ON IT. Aahh, those were the days. Skittles and Kmart, Ason and Jason(rifle)williams. So what’s in the jersey arena water again? Duckvoice better pipe down.

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Mar.19 at 8:23 pm
    That prediction actually came during the Cassell era. And they ended up making the Finals by 2002, so—hey, not too bad.

  • Simon Posted: Mar.19 at 8:24 pm
    Your Nets, CHAMPS BY 2100, COUNT ON IT…maybe

  • Mike Posted: Mar.19 at 9:53 pm
    Nets are going to sweep there way to the finals fellas

  • Boing Dynasty Posted: Mar.19 at 10:59 pm
    The best way i can put it is, when your best offensive player(VC) refuses to take any kind of logical high quality shots, your not going anywhere. Remeber when RJ’s dunks used to be nasty, bangers. Now there soft, drop it in, gentle, rip hamilton type of dunks.
    BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKLYN!

  • Boing Dynasty Posted: Mar.19 at 11:01 pm
    “What ever RJ is smoking…i want some”
    There endless jokes to be made here. But i wont, because iam a better person than that.

  • Billy Blanks Posted: Mar.19 at 11:07 pm
    Nuggets beat the Suns in 6. AI and Melo each average 25, Kleiza averages 15, JR averages two sick dunks a night

  • Gord Posted: Mar.20 at 12:54 am
    dream on Billy Blanks, dream on.

  • Western_dream Posted: Mar.20 at 5:50 am
    Good work Mutoni i have been on the nuggets for a while now i am liking them this season and they definately have the potential to take it to anyone in the west. Just imagine if they were in the east. Finals Baby! Although the nets might be a problem ay RJ. Fool

  • mike2red Posted: Mar.20 at 8:18 am
    Aight first off rj knows the deal but he’s just being optimistic. And we all know that can be contagious… so sit back and let rj work his magic… when it comes to winning you have to believe you can win… its like seeing the ball go in the hoop before you shoot it … and rj is making sure everbody sees the ball go in b4 they shoot it

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Mar.20 at 8:45 am
    Mutoni, I’ll counter you only on the “five better teams in the East” assertion — Cleveland’s like 1-6 in Jersey since LeBron came into the League. Of course, the Cavs would have homecourt in this theoretical series, so maybe my point is moot.
    And for the record, I don’t smoke. Unless you’re talking about someone else…

  • Matt Posted: Mar.20 at 9:29 am
    c’mon. the nets didnt get their asses handed to them. they lost by like 6 or something plus he had just come from injury. plus, i have a feeling some of you will eat your words.

  • mutoni Posted: Mar.20 at 10:45 am
    you don’t smoke? you really should try it; all of the cool people are doing it!

  • Sam Rubenstein Posted: Mar.20 at 11:42 am
    RJ has a history of being wildly optimistic. This is RJ being RJ.

  • Rod Strickland Posted: Mar.20 at 11:59 am
    Hey kids, do drugs!

  • Brad Posted: Mar.20 at 12:26 pm
    Anyone who thinks the Nets can’t beat the Wizards, Cavs, or Bulls in 7 games is mistaken.

  • Brad Posted: Mar.20 at 12:31 pm
    If you knew anyting about the Nets, or even any of those other teams, you would know that the Bulls twice gave up 18 point leads this season only to lose to the Nets, Gilbert cannot play against Jason Kidd, and the Nets have owned Lebron (RJ guards LB, noone guards VC!) But I don’t expect you know any of those things. Stick to you’re weekly TNT games and go write something about the Mavs or Heat.

  • mutoni Posted: Mar.20 at 12:35 pm
    brad, the regular season doesn’t mean jack. as a nets fan (which you seem to be), you should know this.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Mar.20 at 1:48 pm
    Mutoni, you and Brad totally need to Indian wrestle.

  • Sean Sheldon Posted: Mar.20 at 2:09 pm
    I’ll laugh when the nets don’t make the playoffs because of what rj said.

  • Matt Posted: Mar.20 at 2:25 pm
    this is typical richard. but i agree that jersey’d beat chicago, cleveland, washington in the playoffs. No pg in the east can match JKidd and, with Richard on D, it makes it real hard for other teams to score. Now if Vince would do something once in awhile instead of being a lazy bitch we’d easily be at the top of the Atlantic
    JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERSEY

  • mutoni Posted: Mar.20 at 2:37 pm
    i don’t even know what that means, but i’m down.

  • Brad Posted: Mar.20 at 3:01 pm
    I do know what that means, and I respectfully decline. I would rather watch the Nets play the Nuggets tonight, and have that contest settle any disagreements that we may have. If the Nets win, Rj and I are right, and Mutoni’s excitement about the Nuggets will be deflated. If the Nuggets win, then Mutoni will be right about both teams, and Rj and I would be wrong, high and possibly gay.

  • mutoni Posted: Mar.20 at 3:09 pm
    just so we’re clear, tonight’s nuggets/nets game will decide the following: who’s right about which team, and some people’s sexual orientation. i can’t wait. i should take game notes.

  • Brad Posted: Mar.20 at 3:11 pm
    Go Nets!

  • mutoni Posted: Mar.20 at 3:14 pm
    go gay people!

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Mar.20 at 3:27 pm
    Go home.

  • King Jonn da FiF Posted: Mar.20 at 3:35 pm
    I’m a nets fan and I do think it’s possible for the nets to beat any eastern team in a 7 game series. Honestly I think miami would be there toughest competition because of shaq. Secondly, you can talk about the nets’ record all you want but they’ve been playing through injuries all season long. They started off without a couple of their bench players. Then Krstic went down followed by jefferson. If they played with their full roster the entire season and end up wtih this kind of record, then you can say they suck. P.S. I predict a nets win tonight.

  • joesss Posted: Mar.20 at 4:50 pm
    NJ can beat Washington, Cleveland, and Chicago.
    They’re 5-1 agaist them!!!!!!!

  • James Posted: Mar.21 at 4:44 am
    Would Melo know defence if it him in the mouth and ran away?

  • Benedict Posted: Mar.21 at 2:26 pm
    Kidd and Carter need to make them jumpers. Then the Nets would be a good team.

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