EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For most of his first season in New Jersey, Jason Kidd picked his times to stand up and talk to his new teammates.

There was that game in Boston. And Nets coach Byron Scott swears there was probably another, but he just couldn't recall it.

Otherwise, Kidd has been relatively quiet, always leading by example on the court.

	Jason Kidd shot just 4-of-15 and scored 10 points in Game 4.

Scott smiled while talking about what happened on Wednesday, the eve of the deciding Game 5 in the first-round playoff series between the Nets and Indiana Pacers.

Kidd stood up during a film session following the Nets' worst loss in playoff history to make sure everyone was on the same page heading into what might be the biggest game in franchise history.

"He got his point across pretty good, and not with the diagrams, not unless you can call them verbal diagrams," Scott said, noting not all the words could appear in print.

Scott said Kidd's blunt nature took teammates by surprise in the wake of the Pacers' 97-74 victory on Tuesday night.

"It was good," Scott said. "We have to step up. That's the bottom line. Everybody has to step up and play their best game, simple as that."

Rookie Richard Jefferson said Kidd told the team there was no room for inconsistency on Thursday night.

"Tomorrow is about playing basketball," Jefferson said. "Whatever you have on your brain, we have to get everything clarified on both ends of the court and come with it."

The Nets didn't do that in Game 4. They were flat at the start and lucky to be within striking distance at halftime.

Indiana blew open the game in the third quarter, building a 15-point lead that convinced Scott to keep his starters the bench.

Pacers coach Isiah Thomas insists the pressure is all on New Jersey, the best team in the Eastern Conference in the regular season. Indiana didn't make the playoffs until the final day of the season.

"I think the opportunity of advancing is in everybody's mind," said Pacers star guard Reggie Miller, who stepped back on Tuesday and watched Austin Croshere and Ron Artest keep Indiana alive with 18 points each.

	“	If you have an opportunity to finish off a team, you want to finish it. But as a young team you have to grow and this is what it is all about. ”
		— Jason Kidd

"I think it's really in New Jersey's mind as well," Miller said. "This could be a big step for them as well. It would be a big step for a young team like ourselves. I think both teams are really thinking about that."

It's also a big game for Kidd. While long considered the NBA's top point guard, he has always carried the burden of not having his teams do well in the playoffs.

He has made it out of the first round only once.

"I enjoy this situation," Kidd said. "As a player you don't want to be in this situation a lot. If you have an opportunity to finish off a team, you want to finish it. But as a young team you have to grow and this is what it is all about."

With the teams being so young, the pressure of a deciding playoff game is going to be new for both.

For the Nets to win, they need more players to contribute. Kidd and Kenyon Martin have been the constants, but Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles and center Todd MacCulloch have been inconsistent.

Miller and the defense have been the constants for the Pacers in the series, during which each team won a game on the other's court.

The Nets posted the NBA's third-best home record this season, going 33-8 at the Continental Airlines Arena.

"I'm glad we are playing Game 5 here," Scott said. "I would be a little nervous if we were playing Indiana in Indiana. We're playing at home, and that's big for us."