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Wednesday, May 22 Updated: May 22, 4:08 PM ET Nets try to get boards back in Game 3 Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics have three days to ponder the ugly-beautiful nature of their series thus far.
Game 1 had an uptempo flow that was pleasing to the eye -- and to the Nets.
Game 2 was much more to the Celtics' liking, even if it might have been an eyesore to anyone who watched the teams miss a combined 138 shots.
``They came to do a job, they got a game and now they have home court,'' New Jersey's Jason Kidd said. ``The series is tied. We knew it was going to be a series.''
Kidd has had triple-doubles in each of the first two games, but that's about the only similarity between Game 1 and Game 2.
The Nets were able to run their fast break and control the boards in Game 1, building a large third-quarter lead that withstood a late Celtics run. In Game 2, the Celtics dominated the rebounding and prevented New Jersey from turning missed shots into easy opportunities. They crowded the lane on defense and made the Nets settle for jump shots, then took their turn hanging on in the final two minutes.
``Any time you don't rebound the ball, you can't run. You can't run without the ball,'' Nets forward Kenyon Martin said. ``We had 14 fast-break points and they outscored us in the paint. It was vice versa from the last game.''
Neither team practiced Wednesday, taking the opportunity to get some rest given the long break between games.
Game 3 in Boston begins at 5:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, with Game 4 set for 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Although it is only two games old, this series has already become puzzling. A few sample questions:
The NBA's third-leading scorer shot just 3-for-20 from the field in Game 2 and has made only three 3-pointers in the two games. An 81 percent free throw shooter during the regular season, he has already missed 15 free throws in two games -- a feat even Shaquille O'Neal would have a hard time duplicating.
``They just played harder. They picked up the intensity and we didn't match it,'' said Martin, who didn't name names while noting that some of his teammates seemed nervous.
If the two games can be broken down into one intangible factor, it would be intensity.
Boston played with an urgency in Game 2, New Jersey with a sense of complacency. The Celtics were the ones diving for loose balls and deflecting passes.
If form holds, the team with the most hustle will come out of Game 3 with a 2-1 lead.
``They saw defense tonight. The first game they didn't see any defense,'' Boston's Kenny Anderson said. ``This is how the series is going to be now. This is our type of basketball. Let's see how they respond.''
Although the Celtics and Nets are new to the conference finals, both teams have been through enough during this postseason to not get too high or low after just two games.
The Nets bounced back from a Game 1 loss and survived a Reggie Miller miracle shot in Game 5 to get past the Indiana Pacers in the first round, while the Celtics rebounded from a pair of losses against Philadelphia and beat the 76ers by 33 points in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Each team had a relatively easy time in the second round, and the defining moment of this series likely remains days away.
Boston is 5-0 at the Fleet Center in the playoffs, while the Nets have gone 2-2 on the road. New Jersey has not lost consecutive games in this postseason.
``We're a very resilient bunch of guys. I'm sure everybody's feeling a little disappointed at last night's game, but that's always been a good sign for us,'' Nets coach Byron Scott said Wednesday. ``I would think we have to go up there and hopefully get a split.''
The two games over the upcoming holiday weekend will be the first conference finals in Boston since 1988, when Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge and Robert Parish formed the Celtics' core.
``Any time you go on the road it's going to be hostile. The big thing for us is to understand that and stay together,'' Kidd said. ``Except for Charlotte, it's been hostile. Indiana wasn't an easy place to play, but we went in there and did our jobs and won a ballgame. So we've been in this position before.'' |
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