Nets 91
Pistons 84
The Nets lost to the Bobcats and the Blazers. Obviously, they can lose to anybody.
So last night, they proved the opposite. They topped the rampaging Pistons, with the finest record in the galaxy, 91-84 at the Meadowlands, proving to themselves and the NBA that they also can beat anybody.
Starters were sick, sore and hurting. The Nets were coming off a disastrous four-game, all-losing Western trip. And to find Detroit waiting?
“Most people thought this was a bad time to play Detroit, but you’ve got to play them and see what happens,” said Jason Kidd, who finished with near triple-double numbers: 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
“When we stay in character, we have a good chance of winning. We might not win ’em all, but when we’re out of character, we’re as bad as any team in the league.”
Well, last night, the character centered around team and defense – for all 48 minutes. The Nets gave a complete team effort, and still the game never felt secure until Kidd, who sat out practice Monday with a bum foot and knee, gave a quick fake and found himself wide open for a 3-pointer he buried at with 48.3 remaining.
So the Nets, in winning their ninth straight at home, dealt Detroit only its sixth loss in 43 games while halting Pistons’ league-high win streak at 11.
“It was a really gutsy team win,” said coach Lawrence Frank after his Nets held the NBA’s fifth-best shooting team to .366, while not allowing more than 22 points in any quarter. “By defending for 48 minutes, you always give yourself a chance.”
That they did. While there were huge shots in the endgame – such as the triple by Kidd – there were enormous defensive plays. Such as Jason Collins drawing a charge (“Huge play,” praised Frank) on Tayshaun Prince at 1:02 to set up Kidd’s 3-pointer. Such as Carter’s strip of Rip Hamilton (19 points) at :39.9 on the Pistons’ next possession.
“I had to do something to put a mark on the game,” Carter (7-of-20 shooting, 17 points, eight rebounds) said with a smile. “I promise I wasn’t point-shaving.”
With Carter shooting that way, and with Richard Jefferson at 6-of-19 for 19 points, offense came from the likes of Nenad Krstic, brilliant in a 19-point effort. For Detroit, Chauncey Billups scored 30, with 22 in the second half and 14 of those in the fourth quarter – 12 on a dazzling array of four 3-pointers.
“That team, they were hungry,” admired Billups, whose fourth 3-pointer of the quarter (he was 6-of-6 on the night) carried the Pistons within one point, 85-84, at 1:44.
“They scratched and clawed their way to victory. But we still had a chance to win.”
Enter Net defense. After Billups made it a one-point game, Carter passed into the front row. Then Collins showed how he makes his living, taking the charge on Prince.
“I had to step up and take it on the chest, take one for the team,” said Collins, who was sent home sick from the morning workout.
Then Kidd got that wide-open look just to the right of the arc. Down four, Detroit’s last hope faded with Carter stripping Hamilton.
“This was a big character test for us,” Kidd said. “This could have sent us reeling in the wrong direction. I was telling Billups, we acted like we couldn’t play on the West Coast. Then we come home and we won a big ballgame.”
Proving that when they play their game, when they stay in character, they can beat anybody.
fred.kerber@nypost.com
