Nets 103

Celtics 83

Players always like to say it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. Well, last night it was really about how the Nets started, because that rendered the finish irrelevant.

Learning from their dreadful start on Friday night in Boston, the Nets exploded out of the gate last night, leading whistle to whistle and drowning the Celtics in intensity.

The Nets’ 103-83 demolition of the Celtics was immediate payback for the 99-96 loss in Boston a night earlier.

Only the Nets’ domination prevented Jason Kidd from picking up another triple-double. Kidd – who sat out the entire fourth quarter – finished with seven points, eight assists and nine rebounds. Vince Carter, who also didn’t play in the fourth, had 25. The Celtics (16-24) were led by Paul Pierce’s 20.

The first-place Nets (22-16) now begin a difficult four-game, six-day West Coast road trip that starts tomorrow in Utah.

In contrast to Friday night – when Boston outscored the Nets, 53-44 in the first half – the Nets last night were up by six at the end of the first quarter. At the half, their lead was 18 and after three quarters, it was 29.

The result was never in doubt from the opening tip. A minute and a half in, Carter hit a 3 for the first points of the night for either team. Nearly six minutes later, Carter finished a fast-break dunk and was fouled by Raef LaFrentz. The bookend three-point plays made it 15-4.

Even when Richard Jefferson was forced to the bench with two personals slightly more than halfway through the opening quarter, the Celtics still looked as though they were playing on sand, while the Nets appeared to be on rollerblades.

With 5:40 remaining in the first, Jefferson sat down with his team up 17-9. The Nets finished the quarter up 31-25, as Kidd played a triple-double type quarter.

Kidd had three points, five assists and five rebounds in the first 12 minutes. Carter, in his usual entertaining fashion – a 3 here, a dunk there – racked up 14 points.

With Jefferson out, the Nets actually extended the lead, thanks to some fine feisty play by his replacement, Jacque Vaughn.

While Vaughn saved his most memorable play of the night for the second half, when he went behind his back on a two-on-one break that resulted in a Scott Padgett flush, Vaughn’s 13 first-half minutes resulted in nine points.

Jefferson didn’t return until 7:10 remained in the half, which meant he sat for nearly a full quarter worth of time. When Jefferson re-entered the Nets lead had increased 43-29.

By the end of the half, it seemed as if the Nets were almost toying with the Celtics. Defending a fast break, Zoran Planinic stole the ball from Delonte West’s back pocket.

Planinic started a Nets break the other way, stopping outside the key to find Kidd on the baseline. Trailing the play was Carter, who, of course, Kidd found. Carter flew in for a slam.

That’s what kind of night it was for the Nets.

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Jason Collins, who was limited to 15 minutes Friday night because of a sore right knee, did not play last night.

“With the back-to-back, it doesn’t make sense,” Collins said before the game.

Collins is hopeful he can play tomorrow against his twin brother, Utah center Jarron.

*

Lamond Murray, who left Friday’s game with a bum right knee, went for an MRI yesterday. He was out last night and Frank said he hoped to know more by tomorrow.

andrew.marchand@nypost.com