Kidd was massive in The Greatest Nets Game Ever Played
Joe's Apology
Miscellaneous Filler
It was not my intention to make this the longest
review (by far) that we've ever done here at Joe Netsfan. Between getting
caught up in the moment and lacking the usual ace editor-ship of Champagne,
I've probably prattled on and on reviewing a game that everyone saw. For
that I apologize Netsfans, but these are rare times around Netsfan HQ
indeed.
I am, however, severely disappointed that things
didn't work out for me on the "Miller on Ice" title. It would
have been a classic, and probably would have forced me to focus more on
the task at hand. That is, reviewing a game simply and succintly, with
the usual humor and pathos, instead of this car-wreck of a review.
You have my solemn promise, Netsfans, that I
will take a short break to check my head, and be back to you with the
usual material for this second round series against Charlotte.
Congratulations to us, long suffering Netsfans.
-Joe
Nets 120, Pacers 109 2OT
Refuse to Lose!
"Mama said knock you out." - LL Cool J song that MSG played at the opening of tonight's telecast.
This review was supposed to be titled, "Miller on Ice," after Reggie "Automatic" Miller missed one of his three gift free throws courtesy of Keith Van Horn that would have tied the game with 18 seconds left in regulation (Byron Scott took a time out after free throw number one to let Reggie ponder, which worked, as he missed the second of three). It looked like finally, after all these years of pain and suffering, the Nets would escape a tough, five game series against a determined bunch of Pacers and advance to Round 2. But, improbably (or perhaps not, because it involved Reggie), the Nets couldn't close this one. Reggie Miller hit a half court shot with one-tenth of a second remaining after Richard Jefferson couldn't make one damned free throw to ice it. Overtime, Nets.
The Nets and the Pacers played this series as close as two teams can play. The Nets showed mental toughness and Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and the rest of the Nets refused to lose in double overtime despite Miller's legendary heroics. The Nets survived and advance to the second round to take on the Charlotte Hornets beginning Sunday. And Keith Van Horn and Richard Jefferson can thank the good lord above that they won't be the story of this game after all.
The Nets started out this one with some evangelical fire, after a rousing speech at practice on Wednesday by the team's heart and soul (and recently named first team All-NBA), Jason Kidd. Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn, amongst the Quakers playing this series so far, came out with an aggressiveness that we haven't seen from them in this series (and in Van Horn's case, perhaps ever). These two teamed up with a revived Todd MacCulloch and the Nets' two stalwarts, Kidd and Martin, to play like the Nets of the regular season in leading the Nets to a game high 10 point bulge, 19 - 9, before ending with a 27 - 24 first quarter advantage. Miller and Jermaine O'Neal, the Pacers' two big guns, were mostly held to shooting blanks. With the Nets pulling down rebounds, all signs were pointing in the right direction for New Jersey.
The second quarter brought on more of the same, with the second teamers keeping things rolling along at the start. Until Ron Mercer, Isiah Thomas' secret weapon, got rolling, launching bombs from everywhere and scoring 8 straight points (10 in the quarter) to keep the Pacers close. With Kidd and Van Horn checking back in to the game around the six minute mark, Van Horn proceeded to rip off a streak of seven straight points of his own, including a lane driving, mega-aggressive Kenyon Martin-esque hammer throw-down that may have been the best one of his career. But the Pacers battled, then rode Jermaine O'Neal's three straight dunks to a 51 - 51 tie at the half. "How fitting is this?" asked Ian Eagle as the two teams fought each other to a virtual standstill in the series and in this game.
The war was on. The Pacers were shooting lights out in this one (55% from the field in the first half), led by Mercer, Ron Artest and Brad "Not Reggie" Miller, but the Nets were in this one because of Kidd, Martin and Van Horn. Indiana didn't miss early in the quarter, taking a 3 point lead, but Van Horn went on another 7 straight point tear to tie things at 62. After the Pacers bench got a technical, which Kidd converted, VH drained another 3 (which gave him a game-high 22 points at that stage) to give the Nets a 4 point lead with less than 6 minutes to go in the quarter. But the Pacers continued on, tying the game at 66 before Van Horn rung up another 3. Back and forth it went, with Richard Jefferson ending the quarter with a drive to the hoop for a 79 - 79 tie.
Bring on the oxygen. Sit down if you choose to read the rest of this. Even having experienced it, it still seems surreal. The Nets and the Pacers continued to try to rip each other's hearts out in the fourth, with Kidd taking over his usual role of carrying his team late in games. Kidd, with 12 points to that point, scored 10 in the quarter and the Nets pulled ahead to a 9 point lead (on a 10 - 0 run keyed by Kidd, Martin and Van Horn) with 5:28 left to go. The Nets seemingly had things under control. But the Nets don't do anything the easy way. The Pacers refused to say die, and with Reggie Miller on your team, you wouldn't either. Welcome to Miller Time.
The Pacers went looking for either Miller or O'Neal seemingly every time down the court. Miller hit a long three to pull the Pacers back to within 4 with 3:45 to go. The Nets went into panic mode, and Kidd went cold from the field as Indy went to O'Neal for an inside score to bring them to within one point. Kidd then stepped up and hit a big jumper to make it 94 - 91 with 1 minute left. When Reggie missed a long three, it looked like fate was on the Nets' side. But Kidd missed a jumper with 30 seconds left and after an Indy timeout, needing a big stop, Van Horn got caught in a switch guarding Miller, who calmly faked Van Horn into fouling him from behind the three point arc (and he fouled out of the game on the play as well). My head was spinning with thoughts of Playoffs Past (you might recall that little 8 points in 8 second maneuver that he pulled on the Knicks, among countless others) as Miller, a 91% foul shooter, stepped to the line. But Byron Scott iced him, and after making only two of those three, a 94 - 93 Net advantage looked safe. WIth Kidd getting fouled on the inbounds and hitting both free throws, it was now 96 - 93 with 15 seconds. After Kevin Ollie missed an uncontested layup and Jefferson was fouled and couldn't convert either free throw, Reggie Miller took us to overtime with his improbable long-distance, last-second three-point shot. The score was 96 - 96 at the end of regulation.
In the first OT, the Pacers took control early, but Kidd was now absolutely refusing to let anyone take this game from him. A basket on an outside jumper, a drive through the lane for the score, and a beautiful drive and dish for a Martin slam coming out of a time-out left the Nets with a 106 - 105 advantage with 26 seconds. The Pacers then dumped the ball down low to O'Neal, who had the ball stolen by Martin. O'Neal fouled Martin in the process and fouled out of the game. Martin converted one of two FT's and with 8 seconds left, the Nets needed a stop and to watch Reggie from three point land. But as they were guarding the border, Miller cut off a screen, drove past Kittles like he was a statue and slammed home the tying points with 3 seconds left. After a Kidd jumper at the buzzer that bounced in-and-out, we were headed to a second overtime, 107 - 107.
Now everyone in the building, watching on TV, and listening on radio, was reeling. But the Nets did things their way, this time. First, a Kittles run-out from Kidd that led to a score and a foul – for perhaps only the second or third time all series long. The Nets took a three point lead. After a Kidd jumper and the lead was five, Ron Mercer converted a jumper for a 112 -109 score. That would be the Pacers' last points. Kidd then would not be denied, squeezing the life out of the weary Pacers with a running jumper as the shot clock was winding down. Score 114 - 109 Nets, with 56 seconds remaining. That would be the ball game. "Lightning does not strike twice!" called Bird as Miller misfired on a three with 20 seconds to go. This game, and the series, was finally the Nets' to savor.
What a series. What a war. In this most astonishing of seasons for the Nets, this game was heart-stoppingly enjoyable – a classic keepsake to pull out whenever Nets fans will want to relive memories of the Nets' first Kidd-led resurgent season. Now, on to Round 2.
Nothing's Ever Easy
Leadership. Pride. - This is your season, Netsfans. Enjoy it. But this is Jason Kidd's year to show the world what he's all about. In a pressure-packed game in which Kidd was never sure who on his team would be attending the party, Kidd came through time and time again and refused to lose. Period. A playoff-personal-best 31 points, 8 boards, 7 assists and 4 steals in 51 exhausting minutes. The Nets' MVP. The NBA's MVP. Our MVP.
Big Time Clutch Player in the Making - Have any doubts about Kenyon Martin now? Martin did everything humanly possible to get inside and score while dominating on the defensive end. No one Pacer that Martin was guarding got much on him. Sucked it up for 56 minutes, scored 29 points, many from inside while heavily defended. And he added 8 boards. Superb.
Keith Van Horn, Controlled Fury - OK, that's probably not quite true. Van Horn was as aggressive as I've ever seen him in his career. His mochachino dunk was an eye-opener, if only because it was so out of character for him. Big time step-up tonight (and I've been saying the Nets don't win unless three of their players have big games) with 27 points and 6 rebounds in 34 tough minutes before fouling out. Of course, like all things Keith, he has to balance excellent play with horrendous mistakes. His leaping foul of ol' pro Miller was textbook in what NOT to do. But things worked out OK for ol' Keith, huh? Just as I was fitting him for goat horns.
Sigh of Relief, Part 2 - And what about the rook, Richard Jefferson? He's played, well, like a rookie for the most part in this series, and his inability to close out the Pacers with a damned free throw would have stayed with him for a long, long off season if the Nets had lost. Luckily, the Nets have broken the whammy of franchise misfortune with this advancement to the second round. And yes, I think we're going to have to bury our "No Stranger to Frustration" slogan at the end of this season, for sure.
A Damned Word about Reggie - Jesus, is this guy the biggest "game-on-the-line, give-me-the-ball maniac" the basketball world has ever seen? Give the man his props – you hate him, yes, legitimately. But you respect the hell out of him. In some strange way, he deserves better.
The Big TBS Controversy - Watching the end of the Toronto - Detroit series on TBS, and the postgame chuckle-fest, Ernie Johnson and company showed video of Miller's big buzzer beating forty-foot shot leaving his hand AFTER time expired. Seems the MSG footage of the clock is slightly delayed, and when matched with the footage of the shot, shows it leaving with one-tenth of a second left, when in reality with the camera view toward the basket with the clock in the frame, shows no time left before the shot leaves Miller's hands. So this whole thing was a dream. It really didn't happen. Except that it did. Good thing the Nets won, or this would have been one helluva controversial offseason for David Stern, Stu Jackson and the officials of the league. All that exhaustion for nothing...
Star Power
Who likes the pressure, the bright lights and the ball in his hands with everything on the line? Jason Kidd, of course. But also Kenyon Martin, who wasn't afraid of success and feared nothing (not even a flagrant foul) all night long. Here we have a star in the making, to go along with Kidd. Our two SI coverboys are the immediate future of the Nets. And hopefully, the distant future as well. Big games from big-time players tonight. Special mention goes to Keith Van Horn as well, for finding it within him to rise to the challenge instead of choking on it.
– Joe
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