Say hello to the Leprechauns, Horsie!
Nets 102, Pistons 82
Eastern Conference
Finals Game
4 File
The Nets sweep their second playoff series
in a row, and win their 10th playoff game in a row – a monumental
feat. This game slowly built up into a rout by the middle of the 4th quarter,
with only 1 truly scary moment. Jason Kidd twisted his right ankle with
6:59 to go and had to be helped off the floor. The Nets were just up by
9. But he would return to the game immediately after a time-out...and
after a big Harris jumper and an even bigger Rogers 3, Kidd scored 8 consecutive
points for his team before Anthony Johnson and the bench (another stellar
game from the subs) mopped things up. Byron Scott got balance (5 in double-digit
scoring), speed (19 - 0 in fast-break points), aggressiveness (50 points
in the paint to the Pistons' 26), defense (out-rebounding Detroit by 24)
and shot-making (53.2% from the field) from his Eastern Conference Champion
team. Back to the NBA Finals!
• Box
Score
Eastern Conference Finals Record: Nets win
series 4 - 0.
Game 1: Nets
76, Pistons 74
Game 2: Nets
88, Pistons 86
Game 3: Nets
97, Pistons 85
Game 4: Nets 102, Pistons 82
Nets High Men:
• Points: Jason
Kidd, 26.
• Assists: Jason
Kidd, 7.
• Rebounds: Jason
Kidd,12.
• Steals: Jason
Kidd, 2.
• Turnovers: Jason
Kidd, 6.
• Blocks: Jason
Collins, 2.
• FG Percentage: Aaron
Williams, 80% (4 - 5).
Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 53.2%
• FT Percentage: 87.5%
• Rebounds: 51
• Rebound Differential: +24
• Turnovers: 17
• Turnover Differential: +6
• Bench
Points Differential: +8
The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring:
5
• Nets Fast Break Points: 19
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 47.6%
(10 - 21).
• Scoring
Differential Kidd in the game: +16
• Scoring
Differential Kidd out (Anthony Johnson at PG): +4
• Triple
Doubles this Season: 5
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Two Sweep!
The New Jersey Nets are going to the NBA Finals for the second time in the Jason Kidd era (that's all the Nets DO in the Jason Kidd era!). And they collect their second straight series sweep in the process. And next? A well-earned 10 day rest before the start of the NBA Finals on June 4.
The 2002 - 2003 Eastern Conference Champions follow the lead of their savior, Kidd (26 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists), and sweep the Pistons for their 10th straight playoff win. But not before watching in horror as Kidd dropped to the court after turning an ankle midway through the fourth quarter. Kidd came back on the court after the ensuing time-out and made it appear as if nothing had happened, netting 8 more points after the injury to put the Pistons away for good.
New Jersey did it by playing Nets ball: plenty of fast break fun (how does 19 - 0 in fast break advantage sound?), balanced scoring (5 players in double figures, 3 more just a bucket away), timely defense (38% Piston shooting) and rebounding (an astounding 51 - 27 rebounding edge) and strong bench play (the Nets get a big lift from Rodney Rogers, Aaron Williams and Lucious Harris – the Nets bench outscored the Pistons by 8 points this game, and 4 points over the entire series). For the second game in a row, the Pistons never had the chance to show off those defensive skills, getting run out of the building in the fourth quarter.
For the third straight game, Kenyon Martin opened the scoring off the opening tip with a lightning-quick basket. The Nets led by as many as 11 points (8 of them on the break) before settling for a 5-point first quarter advantage. For the series, the Nets outscored the Pistons in first quarter fast-breaks 41 - 0. That's your difference in a nutshell.
In the second quarter, the Pistons allowed the Nets to take a 10 point lead again before chipping away behind Hamilton free-throws and consecutive threes by Mehmet Okur and Chuckie Atkins, pulling to within two points. But the Nets would close out the first half on a 12 - 5 run to take a 9-point lead into the locker room.
The Nets held serve in the third quarter behind balanced scoring from Kidd, Jason Collins and Kenyon Martin, even as Cliff Robinson (20 points, 6 in the third) and Ben Wallace (10 points, 6 in the quarter) were coming alive for the first time in the series. The Nets were beginning to show signs of creeping disinterest. Would they continue to attack, or merely try to hold on?
Behind five points from Cliff Robinson and a Wiliamson bucket inside, the Pistons cut the Net lead down to 6 with nine and a half minutes to play. But the Nets did not relent, getting the lead back to 9 before Kidd went down with the ankle injury. Things looked grim as ESPN went to commercial, but upon the return to the game, Kidd was back in, ready to rally his troops to close this one out. And they did, with a Harris jumper getting the lead back to double digits and a Rodney Rogers wide-open three opening the lead to 14 with 6 minutes to play. The Pistons were dead, heading for the glue factory, and the Nets would flog the lead as high as 25.
What a wild ride this season has been. None of this seemed possible at the end of the regular season, with all the controversy behind fourth quarter meltdowns, the supposed Byron Scott-Jason Kidd feud, the Mutombo situation, the Chris Childs fiasco and all the rest. Wow.
Bring on the Spurs (or the Mavs)!
Demoralizing
It's All About Kidd - Two seasons, two trips to the Finals. It's like a gift from the Gods, Netsfans. Sure, it started with the hiring of Rod Thorn and the drafting of Kenyon Martin. If nothing else, Byron Scott helped eliminate the hangdog losing attitude in NetsLand. Trading away Eddie Griffin and drafting Jefferson and Collins was a masterstroke...and the first signing by Thorn, Aaron Williams, remains one of the best. But it's all because of Jason Kidd, the Nets' heartbeat, that we're here (again). He's the Nets' leader on and off the court. Kidd brought legitimacy to this franchise. Kidd brought resilience, patience and fire. Kidd taught a young team how to win, how to leave it all on the court, and how to run until you drop. From Joe Netsfan, and every Netsfan: thank you. Please re-sign right here in New Jersey...and let us know if there is anything we can do for you.
Rattling The Glass - Hurricane New Jersey blew in to rattle the glass tonight, with that incredible 24 rebound advantage, as Ben Wallace (13 boards) was left to his own devices by the rest of his Piston teammates. With the Net defense suffocating the Pistons, all those rebounds led to the unstoppable fast break for New Jersey. Jason Collins (10 points, 7 rebounds in 29 minutes) did a great job against Wallace all series long. Yes, this was the best team in the NBA defensively. Did it look like that mattered?
Martin And Jefferson - The Nets' double-duo in the front court had similar statistics (each had 14 points, with Martin grabbing 10 rebounds while RJ had only 3) but played very different games. Both were saddled with some foul trouble, but RJ showed he needs more seasoning, playing only 25 minutes while picking up fouls at inopportune times. Martin played 11 more minutes, getting himself into trouble with those offensive fouls (as does RJ) but was better able to play his game despite them.
Bench Bombers - The Nets bench outplayed the Pistons bench in this series (outscoring them by 4 points over 4 games), having their best game tonight. Rogers (10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists in 28 minutes) was outstanding, easily better than any Piston forward. Aaron Williams (8 points, 6 rebounds in 19 minutes) was huge in a five minute stretch spanning the first and second quarters, setting a tone the Pistons could never match. And Lucious Harris (9 points, 3 rebounds) hit some clutch shots. Brian "Not Better Than Rodney Rogers" Scalabrine even scored the last Nets bucket once the starters had been removed. The only Net not to get any PT? Dikembe Mutombo, who hasn't seen daylight since...well, I can't even remember.
Get Some Offense - The Pistons got 21 points from Cliff Robinson and 20 from Richard Hamilton (Rip was easily the Pistons' best player in the series). Rookie phenom Tayshaun Prince? 4 points. Chauncey Billups, the Pistons best clutch performer? 6 points and 1 - 8 from the field. Corliss Williamson? 6 points. Mehmet Okur? 4 points. Think Joe Dumars isn't thrilled to be getting the number 2 pick in the draft? How the hell did this team get this far?
Continental Shuffle - Congrats also go to the New Jersey Devils, who won on Friday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Continental should be rocking in the month of June – but will there be a sellout between the two teams? Tonight's Game 4 clincher was not a sellout, falling about 1000 short. What a disappointment. Let's blame the Memorial Day weekend and not the Nets fans...ah, excuses, excuses.
Dominant And Confident
The Nets enter the NBA Finals a confident, determined bunch in the mold of their leader, Jason Kidd. Kidd appeared to sense that one final push was needed in the fourth quarter, especially after he was hurt, to convince his team he was dead serious about his mission for an NBA championship. The regular season of doubt and turmoil now appears to have been the fire that hardened the Nets for this post season. Now for the Nets: bring home the championship (and Kidd along with it). See you in Texas on June 4.
- Joe
Champagne's Flowers in the Dust Bin
1) The Bickersons on ESPN, at it again. I like Tom Tolbert because he's one of the few TV analysts I've ever heard who's willing to take on Bill Walton and his insanity. Walton can declare doom for a team after one bad possession, and just as easily declare they cannot be beaten on their next bucket. Tolbert is a lot more grounded, and lends balance of a non-chucklehead variety (this means you, Brad Nessler). Furthermore, Walton proved he had not paid attention to the Nets all season, or at least, had never read their stat sheet too closely, when he mentioned a "rare Jason Kidd turnover." Night after night Kidd leads the team in turnovers, Bill. Heck, they're few guys in the league who turn it over as much as Kidd. The stat sheet: Stare it down, Big Man, stare it down!
2) Oops there goes another New Jersey slam: Martin to Jefferson in the first quarter. Oh, I liked it! Kenyon proves he can toss the lob as well as the littler guys.
3) Martin's long jumper that banked in, early in the third. Pretty good. Offset his desperate shot-clock dwindling missed three-ball. Martin can only get one of those in about once per post-season, and he's already hit one.
4) I nominate this for the play of the game (although Martin's slam off the tip was pretty great, for the freakin' third game in a row): Kerry Kittles blocks his series' nemesis Richard Hamilton, gets the ball, and throws a perfect outlet pass to Kenyon, who cruised in for a slam. A frustrating series for Kittles ends on a nice note. He may have only gotten 9 points tonight, but he deserves applause for his endless chase of Hamilton over 4 games, pinballing off of screens.
5) Lucious Harris' 2nd bucket of the 4th quarter, an incredibly tough one that gave the Nets an 11-point lead, and sparked off the endgame rout.
- Champagne
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