LOS ANGELES – The Nets want Keith Van Horn’s evil twin to show up in The Finals.
You’ve seen him, like in Game 5 against Indiana. Like against Boston the entire series. He is the Keith Van Horn who is filled with emotion, who plays like the tough-guy bully, who produces numbers the Nets need to survive.
“I just hope that the meanness comes out, like it has in every other series,” coach Byron Scott said yesterday before the Nets went through last-minute preparations for their first appearance in the NBA Finals.
“I don’t know if he can take it to another level, but this is a challenge for him. It’s a challenge for all of us.”
Van Horn actually put up bigger numbers in the regular season, but his contributions in the playoffs have been magnified. Maybe it’s because the stakes are higher. Maybe it’s because he’s pumping his arms in frequent displays of unbridled emotion.
Whatever, Van Horn – who delivered 3-point dagger in Game 6 that knocked out Boston for good to get the Nets here – has been a different playoff performer. Scott has jokingly referred to Van Horn’s evil side as the player the Nets want.
“Well, I think there’s a regular-season side of me and a postseason side of me,” said Van Horn, who has moved into a far more team-orientated role this season than he has ever had to accept in the past.
“I’m not the only one. I think everybody on the team has that in them, the ability to become more emotional, to bring your game to a higher level when the stakes are higher and when there’s more on the line. For whatever reason, the spotlight has been more on me and it’s more glaring, I guess. I think that’s why it’s written.”
And written and written again. Van Horn, because above all else he is a maximum contract player, has been the most heavily criticized Net. His play in this postseason is silencing much of that negativity. Van Horn, because of his salary, because of his No. 2 draft status, is often held to a different standard whether fair or not.
“Anybody who knows basketball and watches this team play knows it would be very hard [to get high numbers]. It’s just so not typical NBA offense. It would be difficult, which is fine,” Van Horn said. “People can say what they want, but ultimately this is what helps us win. This is what we’re happiest about. I’m happy that we’re winning. That’s what’s most important.”
But the rips will start up again if he fails in the Finals against the team he grew up idolizing. Van Horn comes from nearby Diamond Bar, led his high school to a state title then went on to the legendary college career at Utah.
“My brother still lives here and I have cousins and uncles and stuff,” said Van Horn, who needed to scrape up 30 tickets for family and friends.
“But my mom lives in Nevada and my sister lives outside of Las Vegas. But I still have my roots here. We didn’t have [season] tickets. I couldn’t afford that. But I probably got to a couple of games a year.”
