BOSTON -- Ask Byron Scott why the Nets didn't suffer another spirit-crushing breakdown against the Celtics the way they did in Game 3 and he'll give you two good reasons: Keith Van Horn and Kerry Kittles.

The pair combined for 43 points Monday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, compared with 25 in a Game 3 outing in which everything that could have possibly gone wrong did. The duo had missed everything, gotten beat on defense and played tentatively because of foul trouble. After that fourth-quarter meltdown, Scott ripped into them for their lack of aggression.

If you haven't been following the Nets this year, know that there is nothing that irks Scott more than soft play. That wasn't the case Monday night.

"They really showed me something," Scott said. "But that's just them playing like they are capable of doing."

Let's take a look at the most important adjustment each player made. For Van Horn it was a mental thing. In Game 3 he simply lacked the hard mental edge needed to compete in an intense playoff atmosphere. Without that attitude, you lack the will to drive, rebound and play aggressive, clean defense.

Most importantly, you're virtually powerless when the other team is playing with a swagger like the Celtics had during their miraculous comeback. But in Game 4 Van Horn vowed to mix it up early by attacking the glass. He had seven hard-fought rebounds in the first half and a game-high 10 overall.

He was still a bit reluctant to go to the hole most of the game. But that changed at crunch time. In this series, before the fourth quarter of Game 4, Van Horn hadn't attempted a single foul shot, the absolute tell-tale sign a guy is playing with no heart. And the fact that he's a power forward and still had no free throws was just embarrassing.

But there he was late Monday with the most important game of the season on the line taking the ball strong to the hole, getting fouled and hitting free throws. "I wanted to be aggressive by creating contact," Van Horn said. "I just took it strong when I could."

For Kittles, his adjustment was simple: make your 3-pointers. In Game 3 Kittles was an abysmal 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. Monday night he was 4-for-7 and chimed in with a long ball whenever Boston made a run.

"I knew I had to hit a 3 early in the game to help my confidence," Kittles said. "I got the same looks I did last game, this time I just made them."

Kittles was the main reason the Nets shot a blazing 47.6% (10 of 21) from 3-point range.

"Those guys did what they had to this time," Antoine Walker said. "They played great."

And they'll have to do it again. Here's the bottom line: if the Nets are going to make it to their first ever NBA finals, and possibly win an NBA title, Van Horn and Kittles must play with confidence and knock down the 3. Simple. Just ask Coach Scott.

Chris Palmer is a staff writer for ESPN the Magazine.