Joe Netsfan - The 2003 NBA Playoffs



				NBA Finals Game 6: Spurs 88, Nets 77 - June 15, 2003 Into the Void New! The Nets' Championship dreams get sucked into a 19 - 0 Spurs black hole in the fourth quarter. It's over. The San Antonio Spurs are the 2003 NBA Champions. Joe has his review, Champagne has his Space Oddities...Read on... Playoffs - June 16, 2003 Pickin' Magician Final Results Don't hate him because he picked the Spurs. Douglas Sheff, the first picker to not pick the Nets in our 2 year history of playoff pickin' contests, edges past Rich J. due to his strategic "Spurs in 7" pick. Don't get him wrong, folks, he still loves the Nets. A big Joe Netsfan thanks to everybody who participated. Here are the final results: 1) Douglas Sheff picked 12 out of the 15 post-season series correctly and got 1 of them down to the exact number of games. 2) Rich J. picked 11 correct and 2 exact. 3) Champagne picked 10 correct and got 5 exact. 4) James Ferrone picked 10 correct and got 4 exact. 5) Dan From Rutherford picked 10 correct and got 3 exact. 6) Rich McCabe picked 9 correct and got 4 exact. 7) Amanda Sheff (she's 12-years-old) picked 8 correct and got 4 exact. 8) For shame! Vincent Vincenzo and Joe Netsfan tied for last, each picking 8 series correctly and getting 2 exact. Our "Nets-Centric Playoff Prediction System," a math formula involving the Nets' regular season records and point disparities against the vying teams, was accurate 9 out of 15 times this year. NBA Finals Game 5: Spurs 93, Nets 83 - June 13, 2003 Friday the 13th Jason "Voorhees" Kidd plays a relentless 48 minutes, managing to outscore, outassist and outrebound Tony Parker and Speedy Claxton combined, for the second game in a row. But the Nets are choked off from a 3rd win by Spurs zone, terrible shooting, and Kenyon Martin's sluggish, frustrating, post-flu game. Joe Netsfan is starting to hear scary "Bills-Bills-Bills-Bills-Bills" whispers from the swamp, now that the Nets have gone down 3 - 2 in the series (which heads back to San Antonio). Is New Jersey going to make it to NBA Finals the way Buffalo used to make it to the SuperBowl, showing up year after year but never winning? Joe has his Game 5 review, Champagne has his "Friday the 13th Franchise"-themed observations...Read on... NBA Finals Game 4: Nets 77, Spurs 76 - June 11, 2003 Lipstick On A Cochon Tony "Pepé Le Pew" Parker a "Most Beautiful" person? Not tonight...turn off the lights, San Antonio! The Spurs shot 28.9% and Parker shot a frightening 8.3% from the field. Jefferson prettied-up his game, Kidd bested both Parker and Claxton, A-Train helped bust the Spurs' zone, and Martin was his usual stylish self. Having blown a 15-point 3rd quarter lead, the Nets had to get down in the mud and grind out an ugly win in the 4th, right down to the very last seconds. Joe has his review and "Oooh la-la-la-la!": Champagne has his vintage moments...Read on... NBA Finals Game 3: Spurs 84, Nets 79 - June 8, 2003 French Fried Greasy, unappealing, and plainly bad for you, served up by an incredibly uncoordinated staff – this game featured the lowest scoring 1st half in NBA Finals history and a kitchen fire of a 2nd quarter by the Nets: their 9 points here were the fewest points scored in a Finals quarter. The Nets could have remained in the "Win Bin," but they were deep-fried by Frenchman Tony Parker, and could not bust San Antonio's zone...Champagne has his review, Joe partakes of the stink of defeat from 8 rows behind the bucket...Read on... NBA Finals Game 2: Nets 87, Spurs 85 - June 6, 2003 The Comeback Kidd Nobody really thought Jason Kidd would have two bad games in a row, but there's always a first time, anyway. And last night was the first time the New Jersey Nets have ever won an NBA Finals game, largely thanks to Kidd (30 points, 7 rebounds), the dusted-off Dikembe (4 points, 4 reebs, 3 blocks in 20 minutes), terrific sag-on-Duncan defense (Collins, Martin, Deke, et al) that produced 22 Spurs turnovers, and really, really bad Spur free-throw shooting (56%). And still, ex-Net Stephen Jackson nearly stole this from us...Joe has his review, Champagne has his Scorecard...Read on... NBA Finals Game 1: Spurs 101, Nets 89 - June 4, 2003 South Of The Border Hmmm...maybe 10 days off to party wasn't such a good idea. Everything about the second half of the Nets' Game 1 loss to the Spurs felt like a bad field trip South of the Border: the leader got separated from his flock and couldn't find his way, and his charges, with the exception of Kenyon Martin, seemed to be playing through some major acid reflux. Heck, this team wished they could get the runs...Joe has his review, Champagne assembles his Donkey Show...Read on... Playoffs - June 3, 2003 Pickin' Magicians \| NBA Finals All your NBA Finals picks are in, and we've got a shocker: for the first time in Joe Netsfan's playoff pickin' history, one of you DOESN'T pick the Nets! Read on... NBA Finals Game 1: New Jersey Nets @ San Antonio Spurs, June 4, 2003, 8:30pm EST - The Alamo Dome How The West Was Won The Nets head to Coyote Country – finally! – and jingle-jangling Joe takes a long look at the Western Conference Champion Spurs. His full-of-beans pardner Cham-"Rodeo Clown"-pagne adds his picks. Is this the Finals Jersey wins it all? Slap on your chaps and Read on... Eastern Conference Finals, Game 4: Nets 102, Pistons 82 - May 24, 2003 Two Sweep! The Nets: 2-time Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference Champs. Yes, the New Jersey Nets are going to the NBA Finals for the second time 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. A dominating game by NJ slowly builds to a rout, but not without one very scary moment in the fourth quarter...Read on... Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3: Nets 97, Pistons 85 - May 22, 2003 Horsewhipped Jason Kidd forces the spiritually beaten Detroit Ponies to get out on the floor and run. Kidd gets a career playoff-high 34 points and the Nets out-fast break the Pistons 32 to 4. Kenyon Martin's big play in the 4th quarter of Game 2 carries over to the opening 12 minutes tonight, where he scored 14 points and got the Nets pounding into the first turn with all manner of fine defensive plays. The Nets go up 3 - 0 in the series, and stretch their playoff winning streak to 9 games. Incredible. Joe has his report from the Continental Arena...Read on... Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2: Nets 88, Pistons 86 - May 20, 2003 Last Minute Details "Oh yeah," Martin remembered, "I need to score big in the 4th!" The Nets make another grand comeback in the last 12 minutes, this time from being down by 11. The Nets get a 16-point offensive erupton from Kenyon Martin, and a sturdy team defensive stand that culminates in Jason Kidd's straight-as-a-tree, rooted-to-the-floor, inside-the-shorts, no-biting, no-fouling contest of a Chauncey Billups 3-ball attempt with 1.8 seconds left. "Win both games in The Palace at Auburn Hills: Check!"...Joe has the review, Champagne has his "To-Do List"...Read on... Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1: Nets 76, Pistons 74 - May 18, 2003 Dodge Ball You remember Dodge Ball, right? Well, the Nets played a version of the famous last-one-standing game, and come up victorious when Jason Kidd nails a running fadeaway from 20 feet to beat the Pistons. The Nets draw first blood in this nail-biter, which featured defense, scoring runs, and scoring droughts, to go up 1 - 0 in this Eastern Conference Finals. Joe has all the details...Read on... Playoffs - May 18, 2003 Pickin' Magicians Conference Finals Picks We're down to 9 players after 5 of you missed the picking deadline and dropped out after Round 2...Here's the remaining players' Conference Finals picks.. Playoffs Opponent - New Jersey Nets (2) @ Detroit Pistons (1) Round 3, Game 1: May 18, 2003, 1:30pm EST - The Palace at Auburn Hills Breakdown Lane The Pistons have the home track advantage but do they have the staying power to keep pace with Kidd and Co? There'll be more stops than starts, more grease than gas, and perhaps most of all, plenty of breakdowns. Offensive breakdowns. Can the Nets win a series that's gonna start out like a dragster competition, and end up like a demolition derby?....Read on... Round 2, Game 4: Nets 110, Celtics 101 2OT - May 12, 2003 First Sweep! The Nets win the first sweep in their NBA playoff history against the hated Boston Celtics. In a statement game – hell, a statement series! – for Jason Kidd, he saved his best rejoinder to Bob Ryan and the "Wife-beater!" chanters for last: a gratuitous 3-pointer at the 2nd OT buzzer. Rejoice Netsfans, the Celts have been swept out with the garbage. Champagne has his review, and player-by-player series wrap-up...Read on... Round 2, Game 3: Nets 94, Celtics 76 - May 9, 2003 Eviction Notice Just wait until we get back to Boston, the Celtics said. The home crowd, the familiar surroundings and the Celtic tradition would surely change things...and now the Leprechauns are on the verge of getting bounced right out of their own dwelling. Nets go up 3 - 0. Joe has his review of the Nets' Game 3 blowout of the Celts; Champagne his his favorite moments...Read on... Round 2, Game 2: Nets 104, Celtics 95 - May 7, 2003 Kings Of Pain The Nets go up 16 points on the Celts but suffer through a 14 - 0 run and a 6:46-long FG drought at the start of the 4th, but survive to keep the Celts in a winless cell...Pierce played like a King (triple-doubling) but Walker played like a Jester (7 points, 3 - 15 shooting)...Read on... Round 2, Game 1: Nets 97, Celtics 93 - May 5, 2003 Ball Breakers It took brains, guts and tough onions for the Nets to put the Celtics away in their first Round 2 match-up. The Nets fight through foul trouble, stifling Celtics interior defense, a Paul Pierce one-man cha-cha to the foul-line, and the usual flying Celtics 3-balls to get a hairy W. Joe has the review...Read on... May 5, 2003 Pickin' Magicians \| Round 2 Detroit or Philly? Dallas or the Kings? Lakers or the Spurs? Champagne, Joe Netsfan, and our Pickin' Magician wannabes are back with their Round 2 picks and comments. Douglas Weine even uses his forum to fish for romance! Netsfans: every plucky! Read on... Playoffs Opponent - Round 2, Game 1: Boston Celtics (6) at New Jersey Nets (2), May 5, 2003, 7:00pm EST - Continental Airlines Arena Drunken Irishmen Are Boston Celtics fans, physically and spiritually, the ugliest in the land? Joe Netsfan analyzes the Nets' Eastern Conference Semi-Final match-up with the Celts, their new rivals with one season of heated playoff history under their belts already. Joe says Netsfans are going to need a stiff drink to get them through this, due both to Paul Pierce and the unruly leprechauns in the FleetCenter, then makes a surprising pick. With Joe's Keys, Quotes, Unsung Players, and more...Read on... Round 1, Game 6: Nets 113, Bucks 101 - May 1, 2003 Netszilla vs. Bambi Faced with elimination, the Bucks lay down and die on their homecourt. Bambi was crushed by a Netszilla of a team effort, led by Kenyon Martin's 29 points and Jason Kidd's triple double.The Bucks, who never led and were out-rebounded by 17, managed a death-twitch in the middle of the fourth quarter, but that was all. Milwaukee is no more. On to Boston and Round 2! Champagne recaps the Monster plays of the Nets/Bucks Game 6...Read on... Round 1, Game 5: Nets 89, Bucks 82 - April 29, 2003 Made Men Oh! The Nets are now one win away from a 1st Round celebration at Bada-Bings, thanks to a brutal, organized defensive effort, a career playoff-game in rebounds from Jefferson (16), contract-killer shots from the largely silent, but criminally violent from 3-point land Kittles (15 points, 9 coming in the 4th via three 3-pointers), the clutch shooting of gang-leader Kidd (game-high 19 points), and get this: free-throws from Collins and RJ. The Nets family sticks together and survives Game 5. Joe has the report...Read on... Round 1, Game 4: Bucks 119, Nets 114 OT - April 26, 2003 Whistle While You Work The Nets do terrific defensive work in the fourth to shut down the Bucks and go on a 15 - 1 run, but get all dopey from the stripe. A staggering number of whistles go the Nets way (19 more attempts than the Bucks) in a very whistly game (the teams combined for 75 attempts), but they can't capitalize. The Nets shoot 8 - 18 from the line in the 4th – they would have won this if they had just shot 50%! Nets hard work takes them to OT, but eventually goes for naught after Kukoc and Redd can threes. No fairy tale ending for the Nets tonight...Read on... Round 1, Game 3: Nets 103, Bucks 101 - April 24, 2003 Deebo Does It We accept you, we accept you, we accept you, one of us! Rodney Rogers is Rod Thorn's pinhead addition no more. After a big Nets lead was sliced away by the daggers of Sam Cassell and Company, all the way down to a tie game with 2 seconds left, Rodney Rogers canned the winning jumper immediately after missing two free throws. A wild, chippy and sometimes-nasty affair, but the Nets survive and reclaim the home court advantage...Read on... Round 1, Game 2: Bucks 88, Nets 85 - April 22, 2003 Cash Poor The Nets could not sock away enough points for a late fourth quarter rainy day, never leading by more than 4 during this tightly budgeted, halfcourt back-and-forth game. Their free-spending running game was taken away, and the Bucks' Gary Payton arrived with a 22-point past-due notice game. And Kittles and Collins made almost no contributions to the kitty. Series even, 1 - 1, and now it's on to Milwaukee...Read on... Round 1, Game 1: Nets 109, Bucks 96 - April 19, 2003 Resurrection Day Lordy, Lordy, did the Nets roll back the rock on their end-of-season funk! Jason Kidd leads the Nets to their thrilling resurrection in a stomping of the bunny-like Bucks. The Nets out-rebounded Milwaukee by 20, doubled their production in the paint, shot 54%, held Payton to 0 points in 3 quarters, and got 7 Nets in double-digit scoring. Wondrous to behold. Joe has his Epistle to the Netsfans...Read on... April 19, 2003 Pickin' Magicians Which of these fans has the all-seeing eye? Champagne, Steve Charny, Cpaw Fan, Dan from Rutherford, James Ferrone, James Griffin, Anthony Guido, Rich J., Rich McCabe, Leslie Monteiro, Joe Netsfan, Jeffrey Ritkes, Amanda Sheff, Douglas Sheff, Vincent Vincenzo and Douglas Weine compete for the title of "The Pickin' Magician." Round 1 picks are in...Read on... Playoff Opponent - Milwaukee Bucks (7) at New Jersey Nets (2), Round 1, Game 1: April 19, 2003, 12:30pm EST - Continental Airlines Arena Deer In The Headlights Here comes George Karl. And Sam Cassell. And Gary Payton. Uh, oh. The Bucks have strayed onto the post-season road to the Finals. Will the Nets get that deer in the headlights look when they face Milwaukee zone, or will they gun it and run right over these guys? Joe breaks down the Nets' Round 1 matchup, with his Keys, Unsung Players, What Abouts?, Quotes, and more, including his Picks...Read on... Archive \| Backlash \| Bio \| Calendar \| Champagne's Blog \| Diatribe \| Game x Game \| History \| Home \| Joe Netsfan's Blog \| Media \| Opponents \| Players \| Playoffs \| Search \| Specials © 2003 Shawn Belschwender and Michael Kozlowski