newjerseynewsroom.com

BY DAVE RAGAZZO

NEWJERESEYNEWSROOM.COM

With all the talk being Jeremy Lin and “Linsanity,” Nets point guard Deron Williams wanted everyone to remember that he is still an All-Star point guard.

Williams dropped 57 points against the Bobcats on Sunday and helped the Nets to a 104-101 victory in Charlotte.  He also added 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

“Deronsanity?”  Not quite, but Williams was catching praise from a lot of people after the game.

“He was really focused,” Head Coach Avery Johnson said of Williams, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.  “He was well-rested.  He made a lot of shots yesterday in our mini-practice, and it carried over into tonight’s game.  We were going back and forth on whether to have a shoot-around this morning, and we opted for rest.  And he was pretty fresh.”

Williams only had 17 of his 57 points in the first half and the Nets even trailed the Bobcats by as much as 16.  He scored 22 points in the third quarter to erase an 8 point deficit to give the Nets the lead.

His 18 points in the fourth was capped off by a big shot late in the game that gave the Nets a 4 point lead at the time.

Williams saw his opportunities in the pick and roll game where he is normally double teamed. The Bobcats elected not to do that to Williams, and the point guard took advantage.

“I’m used to getting double-teamed on those,” Williams said. “It’s kind of refreshing not to be.”

Williams was unaware of his record setting night, and when a teammate told him he had 39 points in the third quarter, he said he was surprised.

“You really don’t pay attention to it,” Williams said. “It’s just one of those games where you start feeling good and let it go.”

The performance broke the Nets old record of 52 points, which were shared by Mike Newlin and Ray Williams.  It was one point shy of most points scored against the Bobcats in a single game, which was set by Kobe Bryant in 2006.

Williams’ play this season would warrant MVP consideration if the Nets were a contending team.  After Sunday’s game, he is averaging 22.6 points and 8.2 assists per game to go along with 3.5 rebounds.

Rumors have been swirling all season on whether Williams will remain with the Nets or finish the season in a different uniform.  According to Bleacher Report, one rumor that has picked up some steam is Williams and Magic center Dwight Howard to the Dallas Mavericks either in a trade this season or for next season.

With Williams playing like this, what team wouldn’t want him to run the point?