Devin Harris, Vince Carter Benched for an Entire Half As Celtics Roll

Boston whipped the Nets all over East Rutherford through the first half early Saturday, pulling out to a 68-39 lead. Apparently, it was the fault of Devin Harris and Vince Carter.

Dave D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that neither Harris or Carter seemed terribly insulted by Lawrence Frank's decision to sit the starting backcourt for the entire second half. Frank started Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes (not exactly a dynamic pair) in place of the stars in the third quarter. Frank tells D'Alessandro he's embarrassed he let it get that far.

"I was just totally embarrassed with our performance -- it starts with me, and goes on to our main players," Frank said. "It was an embarrassing, embarrassing start to the game, and I just decided to go in another direction today."

This speaks of a deeper issue with Harris specifically that is hard to ignore. Harris was a marvelous defender in Dallas under Avery Johnson, one of the league's best stoppers at the point. Johnson's struggles with Harris almost entirely came on the offensive end, where the Little General kept shackles on the youngster for fear of reckless play.

But in New Jersey, Harris' defense has been completely mediocre. Offense has become a priority, but you wouldn't think his locks could disappear completely. The Nets defense is awful as a rule; maybe there's something to be said for an overall ennui affecting Harris at a personal level.

Whatever the case, Harris needs to get his defense back. Maybe it's a show from Frank -- N.J. wouldn't have come back with the starters playing 40, so there's little harm. Nets fans should hope Frank is serious about holding the stars responsible for their lack of defensive effort/focus.