The Nets' Captain, coming back in focus
Nets 94, Pistons 79
Round 2
Game 4
File
Jason Kidd breaks out of his scoring
slump, and the Nets blowout the Pistons. Kidd led Nets scoring, and picked
up his 60th career triple-double (10th of this season and 7th in his playoff
career). Balanced scoring – 5 Nets in double digits to 1 for the
Pistons (Richard Hamilton, with 30) – and terrific defense, particularly
from Kenyon Martin (15 rebounds, 3 blocks; Rasheed Wallace held to 6 points),
evens up the series. Detroit has not held a lead in the past 2 Nets wins
(tonight they tied the game twice, early in the 1st quarter).
• Box
Score
Series Record: Tied 2 - 2.
Nets High Men:
• Points: Jason
Kidd, 22.
• Assists: Jason
Kidd, 11.
• Rebounds: Kenyon
Martin, 15.
• Steals: Jason
Kidd and Kenyon Martin each had 2.
• Turnovers: Jason
Kidd, 6.
• Blocks: Kenyon
Martin, 3.
• FG Percentage: Lucious
Harris, 62.5% (5 - 8).
Nets Team Stats:
• FG Percentage: 43.8%
• FT Percentage: 71.4%
• Rebounds: 49
• Rebound Differential: +16
• Turnovers: 16
• Opponent's Turnovers: 16
• Bench
points: 21
•
Bench points Differential: -2
• Steals:
7
• Blocks:
6
•
Points in the Paint: 40
• Double-Doubles:
1 (Kenyon Martin: 16 points, 15 rebounds)
• Triple-Doubles:
1 (Jason Kidd: 22 points, 11 assists, 10
rebounds).
The Kidd Effect:
• Nets Players in Double Digit Scoring:
5
• Nets Fast Break Points: 25
• Kidd's FG Percentage: 53.3%
(8 - 15).
• Scoring
Differential Kidd in the game: +19
• Scoring
Differential Kidd out (Lucious Harris at PG: even; Brandon Armstrong at
PG: +1; Zoran Planinic at PG: -5): -4
• Double-Doubles
this Season: 25
• Triple
Doubles this Season: 10
• Career
Triple Doubles: 60
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Triple Play
With Jason Kidd struggling to find his shot, it's been up to Richard Jefferson and Kenyon Martin to carry the offensive burden against the tough Detroit defense. Tonight, Jason Kidd completed a triple play – a playoff triple double (22 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) – to help Jefferson (19 points), Martin (16 points, 15 rebounds) and the rest of his team to pull off their second dominating victory victory in a row, and even the series up.
Kidd struggled with his shot even as the Nets went on a game-opening 10 -2 run that again included the usual fast breaking (10 fast break points in the first quarter). But Richard Hamilton quickly shot the Pistons back in, tying it at 12 by scoring 10 points. That tie would be as close as Detroit would ever get – for the second straight game they never led.
The Nets' defense was insane again tonight. A sequence in which the Nets forced three straight turnovers keyed a 7 - 0 first quarter run and gave them an 11 point lead. Even with the Pistons striking out offensively, they managed to end the quarter down by only 7, thanks to Hamilton (14 first half points, 30 for the game as the only Piston to hit in double figures).
Second half, rally time – all eyes turned to Captain Clutch as he stepped up to the plate. And he didn't disappoint, leading the Nets through a 30 point third quarter in which he scored 9 straight points. Defense and execution took care of the rest.
Behind Kidd, the Nets never stopped attacking and hustling for loose balls. And that defense – again, it was over-the-top, shutting down every Piston except Hamilton.
Reset the scoreboard to 0 - 0. We've got a series on our hands. And Captain Clutch is just warming up.
Game On
Put Me In Coach - Jason Kidd, 9 - 40 from the field in the first three games and with the world wondering if his knee is bothering him, firmly and decisively answers the question the only way he knows how: triple double in an important game. The Nets had another 25 fast break points, so I'm not sure that knee is a problem. And those Piston traps don't work when Kidd is leading the charge – he refuses to be rattled or baited into making the bad pass. He was toasted by Richard Hamilton tonight, but I'm not sure that Kerry Kittles would have stopped him either. Don't underestimate the Nets' chances of winning the series in Detroit if Kidd has locked in on his otherworldly leadership abilities...
Cleanup Hitter - The Nets destroyed the Pistons on the boards tonight, led by Mr. Intensity himself, Kenyon Martin. Martin was outstanding, suffocating the Pistons' big men (both Wallaces were non-factors tonight) and grabbing 15 rebounds (5 offensive), blocking 3 shots and adding 2 steals with his active hands. Offensively, Martin continues to find ways to get inside (part of the 40 - 22 points in the paint domination) for those hook shots and put-backs.
Defensive Switch - The Nets have acted a lot like the Pistons defensively the past two games, holding Detroit to 37% shooting and wrecking havoc with every player except Hamilton. In fact, if you take away Hamilton's 11 - 20 shooting performance, all you're left with is a collective 29% from the balance (and only 13 field goals made, two more than Hamilton). Despite the constant fouls the Nets seem to be picking up (59 combined fouls: 33 for NJ, 26 for Detroit), the Pistons' big men are doing nothing. Tayshaun Prince managed 8 points off RJ, Ben Wallace had 6 points and 15 rebounds, and Rasheed Wallace could get but 6 points and 6 rebounds – the three combined to shoot 5 - 20. Those are supposed to be Net numbers in the halfcourt, right?
FU Charles Barkley - Did you hear motormouth Net-hater (he doesn't like the way the team dumped Byron Scott) Charles Barkley at halftime? He said, "Detroit is going to win tonight, you have my word on it," figuring that the Nets' 47 points wasn't enough in a game that was to Barkley's eyes, slow, and paced to please the visitors. Sorry Charles, this series isn't as one-sided as you imagine it to be.
Guarding The Line - How about some kudos for the bullpen? Lucious Harris was deadly, combining with Kidd in that defensive sequence in the second quarter in which they forced three turnovers, leading to a Harris jumper off the first, a Harris lay-up on the second, and a touch pass from Harris to a streaking Martin on the third, plus a free throw off the resulting Hamilton technical. Loosh had 11 points and two great offensive rebounds besides. Rodney Rogers was all energy plus 8 points and 5 rebounds, and Aaron Williams and Brian Scalabrine made their contributions in small ways.
Overlooked But Not Lacking Confidence - Just a quick mention of Richard Jefferson, who continues to play under control and make his move to the hoop at the right time, plus shut down Prince. Also Kerry Kittles, who had 14 points and hit two dagger threes.
Chin Music
The Nets got brushed off the plate big-time in Games 1 and 2 on the road by stifling Detroit defense. Badly enough that just about everyone wrote them off as too offensively challenged in the half court to win the series. So the Nets decided to turn the tables and be the ones throwing the high-and-tight fastballs, evening up the series. Behind Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson, tonight the Nets not only made a statement about this being a new series, they've given Detroit enough headaches to clearly shift the momentum away from them. Now, to steal one in Detroit on Friday. Take that, Barkley!
- Joe
Seeing Stars
Joe's sidekick Champagne was dazzled by what he saw tonight. Here are some of his favorite sights:
1: Richard Jefferson's "Statue of Liberty" Play In the 1st quarter, RJ skied to the hole for a dunk with the ball clutched in one hand, in profile resembling the Lady in the harbor. Two beacons of hope! Rightfully, she's in Jersey waters, but our state, our teams, never get any respect – New York has to take everything away from us. But when Jefferson's gone to Brooklyn, we'll remember that he made his star here in NJ.
2: Chinks in Detroit's Armor Hm. They're not as healthy as they seemed. Chauncey Billups had to have electrodes applied to the small of his back at the end of the first, presumably to quell back spasms. And Rasheed Wallace aggravated a foot injury in the 2nd. It could be NJ that wears down Detroit, not vice versa.
3: Sweet Lou's Tipping Point Harris had a nice run at the start of the second quarter. He reaped the benefits of a Veal Steal with a lay-up, and was the middleman between Kidd and Martin immediately after – Kidd made a steal, passed it to Harris, and Loosh tipped it to a streaking Kenyon for a slam. And on the other end, Harris D-ed up Billups well, forcing him into a bad shot from the baseline.
4: Kidd's Rebound, and His Cross-Court Catch Many great plays out of JK tonight. One of them was getting the rebound of his own missed 3-ball attempt directly to Kittles out beyond the arc, who nailed his own try, in the second. And at the end of the first half, with 4.1 seconds to go, Rodney Rogers lobbed a down-court pass to Kidd, who got fouled by Lindsey Hunter after only 6 tenths of a second had elapsed. The Nets picked up the present of an extra point off Kidd's one made free-throw to take with them into the locker room.
5: Move Ovah Jayhovah If Jay Z is our new Daddy (he's part of the ownership team that is going to move the Nets to Brooklyn), Beyoncé is our new hot Mommy. She made an appearance tonight, courtside. I'm sure there's many a Netsfan who'd like to curl up in her ample lap. Or ride those big fine legs.
6: Kittles' Jump Shots of Fury Kerry scored the Nets' first 6 points of the third quarter on 3 jump shots.
7: The Ball Fake in the Midst of Kidd's Slump-Breaking Attack Kidd faked a pass to RJ on the arc, wheeled, and knocked down a bank shot – his prettiest-looking hoop of the night. This was in the middle of his personal 9-point run, in which he also managed a block on Tayshaun Prince. It took three and a half games to get our Captain back. Too long? Or just in time?
8: Kenyon Martin's One-Man Mehmet Okur Humiliation Machine At the end of the third, Larry Brown thought he'd reward Mehmet Okur for his 8 first half points, and get a little more "O" out him. Not gonna happen against Martin's magnificent "D." In one possession, Martin poked the ball out of Okur's hand twice – both went out of bounds. After the first one bobbled out, Martin pounded his fist on the press table three times in frustration. But Mehmet would not score here, or for the rest of the game. After a Kidd lay-up, foul, and free-throw on the other end, Martin went right back to work, this time blocking Williamson. The Nets shut Detroit down and went on a 7 - 0 run at the end of this critical quarter, owed largely to his efforts. The crowd rewarded him justly with a "Ken-yon Mar-tin" chant.
9: Laughing Cow A twenty-one point margin to start a fourth quarter will produce a lot of strange sights, but I wasn't expecting Brian "Veal" Scalabrine's behind-the-back pass. Veal also picked up a charge on Pistons back-up PG Mike James. In the fourth, Detroit would throw up three airballs. Culprits: Big Ben Wallace, Mike James, and rookie Darko "Could have been Carmelo Anthony" Milicic. How long will Detroit have to wait for his star to rise? Denver didn't have to wait a minute for Carmelo's. Heck, they'd take Veal at this point, and they'd be smart.
- Champagne
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