The way the Nets are operating might be effective, but that doesn’t mean they are enjoying this tractor-pull NBA Finals against the Spurs.
“We don’t like it,” Nets guard Lucious Harris said. “We want to get out and have the crowd jumping and everything.”
That’s not the way it has been, and it might not be that way the rest of the series, but the Nets headed into last night’s Game 5 hoping substance would override style and they could find their way to two more victories.
Shooting 36 percent and grinding to accumulate a mere 77 points is not the way the Nets want to do business, but that was the way they manufactured a 77-76 victory in Game 3 to even the series at 2-2 and inject some doubt into the minds of the frustrated Spurs.
With only two true stars on the court (Tim Duncan for the Spurs, Jason Kidd for the Nets) there simply isn’t enough offensive firepower to redirect this series into something more aesthetically pleasing. The Spurs got here relying on Duncan’s brilliance, the height of Duncan and David Robinson, the maturation of Tony Parker, and the contributions of several role players. The Nets want to run, run and run some more, with Kidd igniting a break featuring the athleticism of Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and Kerry Kittles.
The Nets and Spurs have come together and brought out the worst in each other, two good defensive teams digging in. The Spurs broke 100 in the opener, a 101-89 victory. The Nets have scored 89, 87, 79 and 77 points, yet somehow pulled even at 2-2.
Which team can handle the defensive slugfest best?
“I would probably think it favors us because we have more a post-up offense, they have more of a free-flowing offense,” Spurs forward Malik Rose said. “If any game gets physical, we feel that’s to our advantage because we have size and we have guys who like to play that way.”
Not so, said Nets guard Kerry Kittles.
“We’ve been in those kinds of games more than they have and we have more guys on our team who can deal with that kind of pressure,” Kittles said. “I don’t think San Antonio really wants to have an ugly-type game; they want to have a finesse game, an easy-going game. We can mix it up, we can get in there and bang and hold and grab, a couple of checks here and there, and still be able to manage our temperament. We want to make it an ugly game.
“Defensively we’re going to try to hold Tim Duncan and grab him and push him off the box; if he drives to the hole, give him a hard foul. That’s the kind of game we’re used to playing here in the Eastern Conference. A physical-type game where tempers are flaring, we like that more than they do.”
