Jason Kidd takes shot at Nets' starters after loss, Paul Pierce fires back
Jason Kidd is searching for answers after his team's 3-10 start. (Brock Williams-Smith/Getty Images)
The Nets lost their fifth straight game on Sunday - 109-97 to the Pistons - and were booed off the court by their own fans as the season they had such high hopes for continues to go awry.
And now there are some shots being taken in the locker room.
Rookie head coach Jason Kidd benched his starters to begin the fourth quarter on Sunday, and he said he should have let the second team finish the game.
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“They deserved to play. I should have let them play the whole game or the whole quarter,” Kidd told the New York Daily News about his second unit. “They’re playing, you know, for one another. It’s not perfect but that group that gave us an opportunity by cutting it to eight.”
Paul Pierce took a shot back at Kidd, saying the coach needs to make better halftime adjustments. The Nets, who led by seven at the half, lost the third quarter 34-15 and have been outscored by a combined 96 points in the third quarters of their 10 losses.
“We got to understand teams aren’t going to play the same way they did in the first half as they did in the second half because teams make adjustments, especially when they are down,” Pierce said. “And we got to realize that and adjust with that.”
However, Kevin Garnett understood why Kidd benched the starters.
“If we’re not carrying our weight, then obviously [Kidd] is going to put somebody in that is. It’s tough times right now.
“I think everybody here is embarrassed."
The Nets visit the Raptors on Tuesday before hosting to the Lakers on Wednesday.
