*  The most obvious angles on this game: trap game, second of a back to back against a fresh team that had all its players back, Knicks a bit complacent after their most convincing win of the season -- all rang true.  In particular, Tina Cervasio posted on Twitter after the Detroit game about a "giddy locker room". I don't know about you, but I'd be "giddy" beating the Lakers or getting to .500, but beating up a lost Pistons team (even on the road) after two tough home losses and being "giddy" about it sent all sorts of red flags about the possible mental state of the team going into the swamp.

* The troubles for the Knicks started in the post, and the big difference maker wasn't Lopez (though he had a fine game) but Yi. Yes, the same Yi who averaged 8 points and 4.5 rebounds against the Knicks last season and looked like a bust, had 22 points and 6 rebounds, and constantly found openings in the lane when the Knicks focused on Lopez. The Nets average 31 attempts at the rim this season and make 55 percent; against the Knicks, they got 41 attempts and made 61 percent. 60 points in the paint overall for NJ (vs 44 for the Knicks), and they just barely lost the rebound battle (whereas they were dominated the last game by the Knicks).

* What about the zone, which was so effective in limiting the penetration of the guards and the Nets' post game in the last game? The zone made a brief appearance in the second quarter with the second unit, but two issues arose: one was the foul trouble of Jeffries (who makes the zone really effective with his roaming and help), the other was the inattentiveness of the Knick defenders, allowing the Nets to find seams. Eventually, D'Antoni decided it wasn't worth the trouble (though I would have liked to see it reappear in the second half). In particular, Toney Douglas still seems to have all sorts of problems, whether in zone or man, calibrating his intensity -- he constantly looks like he wants to defend every man on the floor. He got flagged for a defensive 3 second call for drifting toward the lane (unnecessarily) to provide help on the ball. 

* Speaking of Jared Jeffries, his early foul trouble and loss of composure later in the game (getting a technical foul) hurt the defense of the Knicks substantially. Not only did the Knicks choose to abandon the zone, but they also looked lazy defending the post and penetration to the elbow for short jumpers. Every time it looked like the Knicks might make a run, Courtney Lee, Keyon Dooling or another Net player would find an open spot around the elbow for a jumper. In transition, the Knicks were slack in getting down the court and challenging the ball handler or getting hands in the passing lanes. When Jeffries finally got extended minutes in the fourth quarter, there was a marked improvement in the defense (in particular, limiting Harris' penetration and the cross screens the Nets like to run to isolate Lopez on the blocks), and the Knicks got multiple stops and limited the Nets to a 19 point quarter.

* I've been a big supporter of the short rotation, but it's been clear the last few games that the production of Hughes and Bender in the second unit has been sub-par, taxing the starters even more by forcing them to play more minutes. It's understandable that Bender needs some time to get his game legs, and in the first half he actually didn't look half-bad. But overall, on defense he gets beaten on the perimeter and in the post, and he's an awkward fit in the flow of the offense outside of when he chooses to camp outside the 3 point line -- he hasn't yet shown any discernible skills with passing or ball movement. Hughes, meanwhile, has been slow to recover from his injury and has not only been shooting poorly, but has shown no aggression in his floor game.

Check out the ugliness for yourself:

*  I was hard on everyone, including David Lee, after this Nets loss, but looking back over the game, Lee maintained his especially high standard of play over the last half-dozen games. Only in the third quarter did he look gassed and a bit short effort-wise (understandable since played 43 minutes against the Pistons and had another 44 in this game), but he had 24 points, 15 boards and 8 assists, and he was the only player who seemed to try and break up the running of the Nets with deflections and getting in the way of the ballhandler. On offense, he was aggressive and took it right at the Net defenders, and found cutters when he was covered. (A critical drive of Lee's that was blocked late in the game by Lopez turned out to be a goaltend missed by the officials). Still an all-star in my book.

* The Nets deserve credit for not only finally having a complete lineup, but getting everything they could out of it, and taking it to the Knicks every chance they could get. Very good spacing on offense, and they turned the tables on the Knicks by running every chance they could get -- until the fourth quarter, this looked to be a 100+ possession game, beyond the pace the Knicks have been comfortable playing at lately. Chris Douglas-Roberts (again) continued to build his reputation as a Knick-killer -- the Knicks did a fair job of containing him the first 3 quarters, but he had two daggers on tough drives in the 4th quarter when the rest of the Nets were flailing. I've always felt he takes it pretty hard at Gallinari every chance he gets, and he confirmed this on twitter later. (Gallo, on the other hand, regressed to his more cautious, three-dominant tendencies, and I hope he snaps out of it soon). Amazing how much better the Nets look when they don't have to give big minutes to Trenton Hassell, Bobby Simmons, and Josh Boone.

The coach said it best after the game: the Knicks played like they could just show up and exchange baskets with a (presumably) inferior team. He didn't seem to be especially agitated after the loss, just as he wasn't especially high after the Pistons win, which indicates he understands that this Knick team still needs to learn some lessons about playing hard every night. Sure it was the second night of a back to back, but the game wasn't far from home, and the Warriors showed just the other night that they could play a back to back with spirit (winning against the Celtics and taking the Lakers to a close game the next night at Staples) -- the Knicks should certainly be able to do the same against the likes of the Pistons and Nets. 

I'm not so disappointed with a loss to a 2 win team (since at full strength, they're better than that), but more that in this most recent four game stretch, the Knicks managed to win only one game. I think the coaching staff realizes that though the team's play has improved in December, they need to (and are capable of) taking it up another notch. Currently, they're winning the games they should at home, but any game that might rate as a toss-up is generally a loss. 

Tonight's game could be ugly, because you've got a mad Hawks team that's just lost two tough games to the Cavaliers, and probably remembers the Knicks stealing a game the last time at Phillips. If the rumors are to be believed, this would be a good game to get Nate Robinson back in the lineup, given the struggles of Hughes/Bender noted above, and the need for more offense period. Keeping Nate out of the lineup has been fine until now, but Hughes has been given a long leash to this point and hasn't made an impact -- whatever Robinson gives up on defense could surely be made up for by far more potent offense than anything the second unit players (including Douglas) have delivered in recent games. 

The Knicks have played well at Atlanta in the D'Antoni era so far, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this as a loss, and potentially a big one. Keeping it a competitive game in the fourth quarter would count as a victory, though maybe the return of a chastened Nate could be the catalyst for something bigger.