Nets rally from 26
TORONTO - The Nets traded their future for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to rise in these moments. They held press conferences and dedicated thousands of words to reiterate that these guys bring leadership, they bring the moxie that's required during crunch time of pivotal playoff games.
The price for that luxury? Three first-round draft choices. As the team slogan indicates, the Nets were going 'All In' on two aging future Hall of Famers.
But for an entire fourth quarter in the biggest game of the season Wednesday night, with the Nets staging a miraculous comeback behind Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Mirza Teletovic, Pierce and Garnett were just cheerleaders, bystanders.
When the Nets needed a big stop in the final minute, Jason Kidd never summoned Garnett. When they needed a big shot, Pierce never took off his warmup shirt. The result was a 115-113 loss in Game 5 for the Nets, in a roller-coaster of a game that ended when Andray Blatche threw a pass way off target for a turnover with one second remaining.
The Nets, the most expensive team in NBA history, plunged to the brink of elimination with that pass and with most of their playoff experience on the bench, falling into a 3-2 deficit in the first-round series heading into Friday's Game 6 in Brooklyn.
'I thought the guys on the floor were fighting and they got us back in the game,' Kidd said. 'I asked if they were tired and those guys said they weren't tired, they wanted to continue to keep playing. So it was more of a rhythm. The guys were knocking down shots.'
Kidd's point was well taken. He was riding the hot hands. The game had been getting out of control in the second and third quarters, as Williams was crumbling in yet another big moment, falling under the weight of expectations. By the third quarter, the deficit had ballooned to 26. The crowd in Toronto was mockingly chanting, 'Broook-lyyynnn.' The Nets were fading away.
'We couldn't get a stop,' said Williams, who scored 10 of his 13 points in a fourth quarter during which the Nets outscored the Raptors, 44-24. '(The Raptors) were hitting some tough shots, they were the aggressor and just were playing better than us right there.'
Summed up Johnson: 'We dug ourselves such a big hole and then in the second half we decided to play.'
The fourth quarter brought unexpected life and a 32-10 run, capped by Johnson's three-pointer with 3:27 remaining that knotted the score at 101. It set up the whirlwind finish, with virtually all of Brooklyn's fourth-quarter minutes going to Williams (nine assists, four steals), Johnson (30 points, 13-of-23 shooting), Teletovic (17 points), Blatche (seven points) and Alan Anderson (13 points).
'It is what it is. I thought that group in there was going,' said Garnett, who played only 12 minutes and scored four points. 'I think it's the best team and best group to play. They had the best momentum.'
Pierce also was the good soldier. 'I really wasn't thinking about not playing. I was on the sideline cheering on my teammates,' said Pierce, who had 10 points in 24 minutes. 'They did a lovely job getting us in the game, giving us a chance. And that's the unit that was out there.'
With the Nets holding the momentum, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry - who killed Brooklyn with 36 points in 39 minutes - scored five points on consecutive possessions, capped by a crossover move to fool Williams and a runner to give Toronto a 111-108 lead with 27 seconds left. Following two free throws from DeMar DeRozan, Anderson completed a four-point play to cut Brooklyn's deficit to one with 9.7 seconds remaining. DeRozan then hit two more free throws, and the Raptors purposefully fouled Blatche off an inbounds play with 4.9 seconds left and a three-point advantage.
Blatche made the first free throw, missed the second and grabbed his own rebound. With Williams hanging by the three-point line for a potential game-winning shot, Blatche threw the ball over the point guard's head and past the halfcourt line for a backcourt violation - the game-breaking turnover.
There's a good chance that this spells the end for the Nets, and it would be a downright embarrassment if they are eliminated in the first round.
'Without a doubt (we can win the next two games),' Pierce said. 'We have to play better Friday at home. And we'll see the Raptors here next week.'
Evidently Pierce doesn't have to play in the fourth quarter to make bold predictions.
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