Nets take 1-0 lead with win over Celtics

Posted 9:38PM on Sunday 19th May 2002 ( 23 years ago )

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - They ran at every opportunity, scored with ease and never trailed. And with Jason Kidd doing everything he has done all season, the New Jersey Nets showed exactly why they're the No. 1 team in the East. Picking apart Boston's vaunted defense with surprising simplicity, the Nets beat Boston 104-97 Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. From shooting percentage to rebounding differential to free throw shooting, the Nets dominated the Celtics in nearly every facet of the game. An equally big factor was Boston's Paul Pierce, who stated before the series that the Nets had no one who could defend him. What Pierce didn't realize was that something - foul trouble - could stop him. Pierce scored 14 points in the first quarter but was a non-factor the rest of the way. He picked up his third and fourth fouls in a 16-second span early in the third quarter, and the Nets went on an 18-8 run after he went to the bench. Pierce didn't score again until 8:21 remained in the game. By then, the Nets had built their lead as high as 17 and were able to withstand a rally that got the Celtics within six with under 2 minutes left. Kidd finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, getting the triple-double with 3:53 left when he fed Keith Van Horn for a jumper that gave the Nets a 97-86 lead. Kerry Kittles, Todd MacCulloch and Van Horn scored 14 apiece, and seven Nets reached double figures. Pierce and Antoine Walker led Boston with 27 points each. Much was made before the series about the offensive talents of Pierce and Walker and Boston's edge in 3-point shooting, but the Nets negated it by capitalizing on a factor that was not highlighted in recent days - their height advantage. New Jersey outrebounded Boston 49-38 and scored 48 points in the paint. Kenyon Martin scored only nine points, but his defensive presence inside helped the Nets deter the Celtics from taking the ball to the basket. Boston settled for far too many outside shots, even for a team that relies so much on the 3-point shot. The Celtics hoisted 29 3s, making 10, and shot just 41 percent overall. Game 2 is Tuesday night at the Meadowlands. The Celtics' defense, which held the Detroit Pistons to just 79.4 points per game in the second round, was nowhere to be found in this game. New Jersey shot 49 percent from the field and 89 percent from the line. Boston missed 10 free throws, with Pierce and Walker combining to miss five in the fourth quarter. Pierce picked up his third foul early in the third quarter, arguing vehemently when referee Ron Garretson said he fouled Kittles from behind on a jump shot. Pierce was still steaming over the call on Boston's next possession when he drove to his left around a screen and went into the lane. Kidd slid over and blocked his path, and Garretson again called a foul on Pierce - this time for charging. Pierce went to the bench, and the sequence fired up the Nets. Van Horn scored inside, and Kidd sped around Kenny Anderson for a lefty layup from the right side. From there, Kidd kept the pressure on. First, he calmly hit a pull-up jumper with his foot on the 3-point line, then hit a finger roll and a pair of foul shots before feeding Richard Jefferson a 30-foot pass for an alley-oop dunk that made it 79-66 with 1:58 left in the third. The lead reached 17 when Williams hit a jumper with 9:53 remaining. Walker made it 99-92 by hitting a 3 with 1:41 left, and Pierce made one of two from the line 20 seconds later. Walker missed a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left and a chance to make it a three-point game, and Jefferson made two from the line for a 101-93 lead that all but wrapped it up. An early sign that the Celtics' defense was not up to speed came in the first moments of the game when Kittles had two dunks and two layups before the game was even four minutes old. Kittles and MacCulloch had combined for 18 of the Nets' first 23 points. Boston cut a seven-point deficit to two as Pierce scored 14 in the first quarter, but the Nets stayed ahead throughout the second quarter by continuing to get the ball inside for high-percentage shots. A pair of free throws by Kidd gave the Nets their biggest lead of the half, 57-48 with 55 seconds left. NOTES: Kidd, who has 47 career triple-doubles, had eight for the Nets during the regular season. ... The Nets' reserves outscored their Celtics counterparts 35-15. ... This is the first postseason meeting ever between the teams. The winner of the series will be the first team since 1978 to make it to the finals after missing the playoffs the previous season. ... Kidd drew three charges. ... Pierce had only two field goals in the second half.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/5/194498