The Nets were on a potentially disastrous shooting streak, a real Nets-of-old binge: 0-for-12, a span that eventually would stretch from 11:12 of the fourth quarter until :50.7. And in that space, Richard Jefferson put up four bricks.

No biggie, Jefferson said.

“It’s all about being confident,” Jefferson said. “You work every single day all year. I have five, six shots that went in and out. You can’t work on things in the playoffs. You work on things all year long and have confidence in them, and keep going. If they don’t go, they don’t go.”

So Jefferson kept going. And guess who ended the drought? Yup, the Nets’ small forward who ended his night two rebounds shy of a triple-double – 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds – found a seam and drove for a 6-foot runner that brought a 77-73 lead and a huge sense of relief on the Nets’ side.

And Jefferson wasn’t done. After nearly losing the ball to Penny Hardaway’s defense, Jefferson recovered and found Kenyon Martin for a decisive three-point play.

“Richard, his shot wasn’t falling, and he was still close to a triple-double and he just found a way,” said Nets coach Lawrence Frank.

Jefferson ended the night 6-of-20 from the floor with five turnovers – hardly star of the game stuff. But his confidence never wavered and he never quit attacking.

“We won the game,” Jefferson said. “In the playoffs, it’s about the toughest team mentally and physically, not letting fatigue be a factor. We don’t care how ugly it is. This is the playoffs. It’s all about the win.”