The Nets just hope to keep it respectable against the Pacers if you listen to Nets coach Lawrence Frank, who is as likely to provide Indiana with bulletinboard fodder as he is to start at linebacker for the Steelers.
But the Nets believe Indiana, after a bizarre season, is better than a typical sixth seed, better than a usual 41-41 team. Still, the Nets like their own chances, both against the Pacers and beyond.
“I think we can win it all,” said veteran Cliff Robinson, “because we can really defend and we can play different styles of basketball. If we have to get into an open court game, a transition game, we’ve shown that we can do that and we’ve shown that we can play in the halfcourt.”
The Nets’ hopes, thoughts and expectations will go on the line Sunday against the Pacers in Game 1 of the best-of-seven first-round series, a repeat of the classic 2002 first-round series, one of the great matchups in recent memory.
This is an intriguing series because the teams essentially haven’t played each other yet. The regular season series means even less than normal because neither team was at full strength in any of the three games. The Pacers have only had Jermaine O’Neal and Peja Stojakovic, acquired in a trade for Ron Artest, together for 16 games.
“These guys are talented. When they’re on their game they can beat anybody in this league,” said Nets captain Jason Kidd.
“The reason they finished 41-41 is they had an unbelievable amount of injuries. They had the Artest situation,” Frank said. “It’s not like they were playing with a full roster and this is their record.”
But even though the Pacers have been re-worked, remade and often stitched together, the Nets are comfortable facing them. It’s not like Indy will be dropping in from Jupiter.
“Being a veteran ball club at some point in our careers, we’ve seen these guys. Maybe not the entire team, but the individual talent they have,” said Jason Collins, who will draw O’Neal (a 20.1-point average in 51 games) as his defensive assignment. “We have played against them so we’re familiar with their games.”
There are intriguing matchups everywhere, with the small forward showdown of Richard Jefferson against Indy’s Stojakovic carrying major importance. Stojakovic is one of the best shooters in the league while Jefferson is a vastly versatile sort. But Indiana rookie Danny Granger feels he could spend a lot of time off the bench on either Jefferson or Nets’ leading scorer Vince Carter.
“Those two guys put up big numbers. I could see myself being assigned to guard one of them,” said Granger, who likes Indy’s chances. “Jermaine’s healthy, in All-Star form. We haven’t had that since his injury [groin]. Peja’s playing well. We have a lot of momentum.”
Each side has concerns. The Nets worry about Indiana’s “length, size, strength” and “perimeter quickness,” according to Frank. The Pacers fret about the Nets in transition. Good reason: The Nets have Kidd.
“If we stop their transition game and slow it down and go to our big guy [O’Neal], we can hurt them,” Stojakovic said.
Naturally, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle adopted the same “woe is us” stance as his Nets counterpart, largely because of Carter, Kidd and Jefferson.
“Those three guys are all tremendous and their big guys are all underrated,” Carlisle said. “Their team is built to play big or small, fast or slow.”
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Nets vs. Pacers
At a glance
Game Date Site Time
Game 1: Sunday at Nets 1 p.m.
Game 2: Tuesday, April 25 at Nets 8 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, April 27 at Pacers 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: Saturday, April 29 at Pacers 3 p.m.
x-Game 5: Tuesday, May 2 at Nets Time TBA
x-Game 6: Thursday, May 4 at Pacers Time TBA
x-Game 7: Saturday, May 6 at Nets Time TBA
x-if necessary
