Starting is big. But finishing can be bigger. And for the Nets at shooting guard so far, Lucious Harris has been finishing a lot of what Kerry Kittles starts.
Coach Byron Scott, whose Nets tried to stay perfect at home last night against the NBA’s lone unbeaten team, Dallas, has used Harris liberally in fourth quarters. At times, it has been because Harris had a hot hand. Other times, it came down to matchups. Once nothing happened, Scott admitted: “I forgot.”
So after nine games, Harris played more than double the fourth quarter minutes put in by Kittles, 86-33. In two different games, Kittles never left the bench. In two others, he played just one minute.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. I just try to do the best I can when I’m out there,” said Kittles, who does a nice job masking any irritation about sitting the endgames. “Obviously, I want to play. Every player wants to play. I don’t know. I’ve got nothing to say about it.”
Kittles has been effective for the Nets, despite his justified rep as a streaky player. For example, in Miami Friday night when the Nets won 93-84, Kittles scored the Nets’ first five points and then did not score again until the third quarter.
But he finished with 11 points. And one truly impressive feat shows Kittles committing one turnover in his last seven games, a total of 186 minutes. Kittles did get fourth-quarter time in Miami: seven minutes. Harris played 10 as the Nets employed a three-guard lineup at times, especially after Kenyon Martin was lost with a broken nose with 10:45 left.
Kittles still gets more minutes overall. Kittles averages 27.4 minutes and 11.9 points while Harris has played 23.9 minutes with a 12.3 scoring average.
Harris has earned playing time. Scott called him a “silent assassin” and the early Sixth Man Award candidate has been undeniably effective.
“I don’t think it’s surprising that one of the games we lost, he didn’t play well,” Scott said, referring to Harris’ 2-of-11, five-point stinker in Chicago. After Jason Kidd, who has 57 points, Harris is easily the Nets’ best fourth-quarter scorer with 41 points. Richard Jefferson is third with 28. Kittles has scored eight.
“It’s coach’s decision. Kerry’s a good sport. When he’s in there, I’m cheering him on,” said Harris of the fourth-quarter breakdown between the two guards. “When your number’s called you’ve got to perform.”
It makes it easier when the game is on the line to be called again. And again.
“There’s no reasoning,” Scott said. “Even the [San Antonio] game when he [Harris, 12 points in the fourth] got hot, I was thinking about bringing Kerry back and then I said, ‘That would be kind of foolish right now because Lou is playing so well.’
“The Chicago game I thought Kerry played well. But Lou was in there and with about three minutes to go I looked up and said, ‘It’s too late to bring him back now.’
“I admit some times, I’m so into the game that I forget about bringing him back in. But [the Spurs] game I thought it was a no-brainer. Because Lou really got it going he stretched that lead for us.
“There was a four- or five-minute span where he knocked down everything,” Scott continued. “It just depends how both guys are playing. If we’ve got it going in the fourth quarter then I feel there’s probably no need to bring Kerry back. But if he doesn’t get it going and Kerry’s had it going or something like that, then I feel I should bring him back in later to finish the game.”
