Celtics beat Nets, tie series at 1-1

Posted 6:59AM on Wednesday 22nd May 2002 ( 23 years ago )

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Jim O'Brien stood in front of a board in the Boston Celtics locker before Game 2 and wrote the keys to winning. Most of them were about defense and rebounding. The coach's advice was not lost on the Celtics. On a night when Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker struggled with their shots, Boston excelled on defense and controlled the boards to beat the New Jersey Nets 93-86. The outcome evened an Eastern Conference final in which the teams have displayed split personalities. The Nets had their up-tempo offense in gear in Game 1 and made the Celtics' defense look nonexistent. Game 2 on Tuesday night was just the opposite. ``They saw defense,'' Celtics point guard Kenny Anderson said. ``Now they'll have to bring their game. They will see us like this the next four or five games. This is the kind of defense we need to play. Aggressive, helping each other out, swarming.'' The teams will have three days off before playing Game 3 on Saturday in Boston. After watching the Nets shoot almost 50 percent and score 104 points in Game 1, O'Brien spent the next 48 hours tweaking the Celtics' defense and stressing the keys that had limited Detroit to an average of less than 80 points in the conference semifinal. Pressure the ball. Rebound. Get back on defense. Load the middle. Challenge half the Nets' shots. Nothing inside. Stop the drives. ``We cannot change at this point in the season,'' the Boston coach said of his defense. ``They have one of the best offenses in the league and we were dead set on not letting them contribute in the paint.'' That forced New Jersey to take more jumpers, and the Nets clanged a lot of them, hitting just 33 percent. Boston, which didn't shoot much better at 34 percent, was there for the rebounds on both ends, holding a 60-50 advantage. ``We had counters for everything they did,'' Nets forward Kenyon Martin said. ``We just didn't do it. Guys had the ball and it seemed like they were nervous.'' That was never more evident than in the third quarter, when the Nets went without a field goal for 8:19. Boston outscored New Jersey 18-1 in the spurt that started with Walker and Pierce hitting consecutive 3-pointers. It was one of the few times they found the range. Walker had 26 points and Pierce 18, combining to make 14 of 52 shots. Pierce really struggled, making 3 of 20 from the field and 11 of 20 from the line. ``We had so many guys struggling offensively, it almost made it even,'' Nets coach Byron Scott said. ``They had their two best players, but we had four guys who weren't playing particularly well.'' Despite recording his second straight triple-double, Jason Kidd never got the Nets offense in gear. Kidd finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Martin added 22 points. The rest of the Nets starters - Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles and Todd MacCulloch - combined for 12 points on 4 of 27 shooting. They combined for 42 points in Game 1. For Boston, center Tony Battie had 12 rebounds, five blocks and a couple of big baskets. Tony Delk had 10 points, including a big three early in the fourth quarter. Eric Williams was a force inside early and Anderson was solid running the offense with 12 points, seven assists, four rebounds and just one turnover - five fewer than Kidd. ``We have to go back to the drawing board and look at what they did,'' Kidd said. ``The biggest thing I feel is that we can't get frustrated. I think a little bit in the second quarter we weren't scoring and they weren't scoring, and then we started rushing things.'' Down 14 points with 3:40 to play, the Nets made it a game down the stretch. A layup by Van Horn capped a nine-point run that got New Jersey within 88-83 with 1:26 left. The Nets had four shots at drawing closer, but they missed every one. ``We couldn't get a score,'' Scott said. ``It was just one of those nights for us offensively. We seemed to press a little bit.'' Pierce put the game away, making his final four free throws. Van Horn understands what must be done now. ``You have to get some wins on the road if you plan on winning the series,'' he said. ``I feel we're up for the challenge. We get a day off to calm down and regain our composure.'' NOTES: New Jersey never led after the first quarter. ... The loss ended the Nets' six-game home winning streak in the playoffs. ... Boston is 2-4 on the road in the postseason. ... The Celtics are 5-0 at home in the postseason. ... Kidd became the fourth player in NBA history to record triple-doubles in consecutive conference finals games, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

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