INDIANAPOLIS – Another day, another Armageddon gut check.
Having dispatched of the Pistons, Step 1 in a brutal back-to-back road scenario, the Nets sought to eradicate the Pacers in Step 2 here last night.
“Probably the two toughest tests we’ll have for a while,” said Byron Scott, whose Atlantic Division-leading Nets had won eight of 10 games after stopping the Pistons, 82-79, Friday behind a team-wide effort that included Jason Kidd’s triple-double.
“Two of the better teams in the East; they both have the same philosophy as far as being really tough and aggressive on the defensive end,” Scott said. “We’ve come a long ways in the last couple of weeks and we want to see how far we’ve come. By no means, do you look at these two games and say these are two of the most important games of the season . . . but it’s a good chance to kind of test ourselves to see where we are right now.”
The Nets figured to call upon the same style and resolve they used against the Pistons in a game that saw them win at Detroit for only the second time in 19 games.
“We’ve been know when to raise the bar. And we’ve got to do it [against Indiana],” said Kidd, who claimed a rejuvenation in energy that led to a 24-point, 12-assist, 11-rebound triple-double.
Against the Pistons, the Nets defended (Detroit shot .378). They ran (20-12 on fast-break points). They made timely plays (back-to-back steals with 1:48 and 1:22 left). And everybody contributed, including Kidd, Richard Jefferson (27 points) and Kenyon Martin (12th double-double).
“We don’t win pretty games; that’s not our style. Our style is to grind it out and win the games on the defensive end,” said Scott, whose Nets played their sixth straight game without reserve center Aaron Williams (groin).
The Nets, undeniably, have been a different team after a sluggish start. They played maybe the worst game in the annals of mankind at Memphis two weeks ago, but other than that 47-point disgrace they have been solid, losing only while short-handed in Milwaukee.
The Nets are starting to show their confidence, their swagger, again.
“I like the way we’re playing. We just need to keep it up. We’re playing a little better caliber of competition right now, so we’ll see,” team president Rod Thorn said.
“We played a lot of [good] teams when we were struggling. Beating bad teams, we weren’t even doing that. We’re not looking for acceptance from [the media] or other teams,” Jefferson said. “Everybody knows what’s going to happen. In the end, you have to come through New Jersey.
“We don’t need to send any more messages. We’ve been sending messages for the last two years,” Jefferson said. “We know what we have to do and other teams know that until we’re out, there’s not going to be another Eastern Conference champion.”
The Nets had one additional concern last night: fatigue. Kidd played 42 minutes and Jefferson 45 Friday. The Pacers also played Friday, losing in Milwaukee, 101-96. They used their superstar, Jermaine O’Neal, for 45 minutes; he is as important to the Pacers as Kidd is to the Nets.
“I think he’s the best big man in the Eastern Conference and I don’t think there would be a huge debate about it,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s done everything for us. He’s scored, he’s made plays out of the post and he’s defended and did the dirty work. He’s been the guy that set the tone for us in a lot of ways.”