sparky
05-25-2003, 12:19 AM
One year older and immeasurably wiser, the New Jersey Nets are back in the NBA Finals.
The Nets won their 10th consecutive playoff game Saturday night, running full steam to a 102-82 victory to complete an Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Detroit Pistons.
Jason Kidd put the game away after shaking off a twisted ankle in the fourth quarter and finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Kenyon Martin added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
It was New Jersey's Kidd-led fast break that again put its stamp on the game, with the Nets outscoring the Pistons 19-0 in transition on the night -- and 94-15 for the series.
The Nets, who had five days off between their sweep of Boston and the start of the Detroit series, will have 10 days to prepare for the start of the NBA Finals on June 4. They will play either San Antonio or Dallas, who resume their Western Conference final series Sunday with the Spurs leading 2-1.
The Nets were a surprise finalist a year ago, but were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. This year, they are determined to do better.
"Last year, we were just more than happy to be there,'' coach Byron Scott said before the game. "This year, we want to get back and prove it wasn't a fluke. And actually we're a much better team than we were last year.''
The victory came one day after the New Jersey Devils, the Nets' co-tenants in the Continental Airlines Arena, advanced to the Stanley Cup finals. It's the first time two teams who share the same building have advanced to the NBA and NHL finals in the same year since New York's Knicks and Rangers in 1994.
The Nets hold the fourth-longest single-season playoff winning streak in NBA history, behind the 1999 Spurs (12), the 2000 Lakers (11), and the 1989 Lakers (11). The all-time winning streak is 13 by the Lakers over the 1988 and 1989 seasons.
Clifford Robinson scored 21 points, and Richard Hamilton, Detroit's only reliable scoring threat in the series, had 20 to lead the Pistons.
The Nets won their 10th consecutive playoff game Saturday night, running full steam to a 102-82 victory to complete an Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Detroit Pistons.
Jason Kidd put the game away after shaking off a twisted ankle in the fourth quarter and finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Kenyon Martin added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
It was New Jersey's Kidd-led fast break that again put its stamp on the game, with the Nets outscoring the Pistons 19-0 in transition on the night -- and 94-15 for the series.
The Nets, who had five days off between their sweep of Boston and the start of the Detroit series, will have 10 days to prepare for the start of the NBA Finals on June 4. They will play either San Antonio or Dallas, who resume their Western Conference final series Sunday with the Spurs leading 2-1.
The Nets were a surprise finalist a year ago, but were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers. This year, they are determined to do better.
"Last year, we were just more than happy to be there,'' coach Byron Scott said before the game. "This year, we want to get back and prove it wasn't a fluke. And actually we're a much better team than we were last year.''
The victory came one day after the New Jersey Devils, the Nets' co-tenants in the Continental Airlines Arena, advanced to the Stanley Cup finals. It's the first time two teams who share the same building have advanced to the NBA and NHL finals in the same year since New York's Knicks and Rangers in 1994.
The Nets hold the fourth-longest single-season playoff winning streak in NBA history, behind the 1999 Spurs (12), the 2000 Lakers (11), and the 1989 Lakers (11). The all-time winning streak is 13 by the Lakers over the 1988 and 1989 seasons.
Clifford Robinson scored 21 points, and Richard Hamilton, Detroit's only reliable scoring threat in the series, had 20 to lead the Pistons.