July 6, 2023 • 42 mins
In the fourth episode of "Something To Prove: The Story of the 2002 & 2003 Nets," we look at the remaining series of the 2002 Nets Playoffs run. From easily handling the Hornets, being showered with coins in Boston, and facing the mighty Lakers, we breakdown each hard-fought series.
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Lead back to twelve, just over five and.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
A half to play here.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
This fourth a.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Huge turnaround, but still and until client for the Celtics
after being dominated for the first three quarters of this game.
The Boston Celtics exploding here on the fourth and perhaps
on the verge of the greatest fourth quarter comeback in
NBA playoff history.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
They were down by twenty one to start this fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
At Pierce hits the big free throw to tie the game,
the Celtics lead one of the.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Most amazing comebacks in NBA history. This crowd is absolutely delirious.
It's not the All Boston Garden, but it certainly feels
like it today. This entire building out its feet and
the Boston Celtics with the greatest port quarter comeback in
the NBA playoff history.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
It was the loudest venue I had been at at
that point in my career. I had never heard anything
like that. In addition to what was being said, it
was a combination. It wasn't limited to just how loud
it was. It was also the way in which it
was being said. It was vitriolic, and it absolutely resonated
(01:26):
with Jason Kidd. I could just tell after that game
in particular, he just made it his personal quest and
he didn't just want to win the series.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
He wanted to.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Embarrass the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And that's broadcaster Iron Eagle has seen a lot more
since doing games for the NBA, NFL, and college hoops.
Game three of the two thousand and two Eastern Conference
Finals NETS in Boston for Memorial Day weekend still stands out.
Speaker 6 (01:53):
Brian Scalabrini, The Boston Garden for the most part is
pretty loud, and then the playoffs it gets a little louder, sick, insane.
We didn't have a lot of loud regular season games.
It was insanely ridiculous when it was that loud. I
just remember it being like so much different than the
regular season.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
On the road to the NBA Finals, the two biggest
tests in Net's face were surviving Game five against the
Pacers and bouncing back from Game three against the Celtics.
They had blown a twenty six point lead, fallen behind
two to one in the series, and would be on
the road again for Game four. Everybody outside the NETS
locker room thought the series was as good as over.
(02:35):
Jason Kidd kind of did two in a different way.
In the locker room after Game three, the point guard
who had changed everything for the franchise, delivered a simple
message to his teammates, something that would have sounded absurd
to anybody who had just watched the game. We are
never losing to these guys again.
Speaker 7 (02:55):
I was known to say some things that people shouldn't
have heard, but that was one that I said, well,
and that would lose to Boston again. After that meltdown
that we had in Game three, I think my teammates
remember that and made sure that that will never happen again.
We never lost to Boston in the playoffs after that.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
After a brutal first round series against the Pacers in
two thousand and two, Round two was almost a breeze
against Charlotte. The Hornets were the fourth seed, and they
beatn Orlando in four games in the first round. It
was their fifth playoff appearance in six seasons, and now
they were led by a rising star, Aaron Davis, a
twenty two year old guard who had just made his
(03:48):
first All Star appearance. But they were also in their
last season in Charlotte before moving to New Orleans, and
the maverage between the team and city had fallen apart
five years earlier, Hornets had led the NBA in attendance.
In two thousand and two, they were last. They had
a feeling of a team marking time in a long goodbye,
(04:09):
and the Nets cruise to a two to nothing series lead.
Jason Kidd had twenty one points, seven rebounds, and seven
assists in Game one, and Keith Van Hord had twenty
points and eleven rebounds in game two. The most eventful
part of the series turned out to be kids violent
head on collision with Hornet's guard David Wesley in the
(04:29):
first half of Game three.
Speaker 8 (04:32):
They collided down the other end.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Kid and Wesley apparently banged heads and both players rarely
shake it up.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
Paul Silas is calling for a time out. They're gonna
take a twenty second time.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Out, and you can see the blood coming.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
From Jason Kidd.
Speaker 8 (04:47):
Me and David go for a loose ball. We collide.
I think I got the worst part of it.
Speaker 7 (04:52):
It opened my eyebrow wide open right before halftime. So
they take me into the locker room. And if anybody
knows about the Charlotte Horns locker room, it wasn't very big,
very old school where he had the seating around on
a bench. The chalkboard is there in front of you.
They put a table right in the middle of that
(05:14):
locker room and started to sew me up in front
of my teammates. I remember Buyering talking, and I don't
think anyone was paying attention to what he was saying.
They were all worried or all a little bit grossed
out that I was bleeding out, but also Doc was
trying to sew me up in the middle of coaches
(05:34):
half ton speech.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Hornets went on to take Game three, and now the
question was whether kid would be able to go for
Game four. But there was a gift in the schedule,
an extra day off between the two games. In Charlotte.
Here's Rod Thorn.
Speaker 9 (05:49):
His head was swollen. He could not see, barely see.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Out of one eye.
Speaker 9 (05:55):
I remember going in at halftime yo to check to
see it goes. He really got up. He was lying
in a shower on the thing that trainers used to tape,
that little thing that they used. He was lying on
that and his eye was totally closed, and it was like, Wow,
he's not gonna play. He'll be lucky if he plays
(06:17):
in the series. The doctor's looking at him like this
could be serious, and Jason's start saying anything and we
go back out. He trs play, couldn't really do it,
and now we lose. We got a game off, a
day off before we play again, and his head started
to get a little bit better. But toward the end
(06:38):
of the day off and he said he was going
to play. In today's world, he wouldn't play because there's
no doubt he had a concussion. In those days, you play,
if you could go out there, you play that. He
ended up playing. They played great, you know, in the
next game and we won that one.
Speaker 10 (06:58):
Ain't Chris Carno I played the next day or play
that Saturday. The kid might not play, but they were
playing on Sundays.
Speaker 6 (07:03):
He had two.
Speaker 10 (07:04):
Days off in between, and he went out in Game four,
got a triple double and the Nets went up three
to one in the series, and then went back and
took him out in game five. A lot of people
talk about that one game though in the straw, but
Bat's one that stood out to me that season and
in the lore of Jason Kidd, that game four, coming
back from getting knocked out of Game three. That was
(07:26):
always one of my most memorable Jason Kidd moments.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Kid returned with twenty four points, eleven rebounds, and eight
assists in Game four, and then had twenty three points,
thirteen assists and five steals in Game five. The Nets
held the Hornets to blow forty percent shooting in both
games and wrapped up the series in five games. The
knockout of the Hornets set the Nets up for a
Conference finals matchup against the league's most fable franchise, the
(07:53):
Boston Celtics. The Nets have put together the league's biggest turnaround,
but they didn't have much history behind them. The Celtics,
even with all their championships, were coming back out of
the wilderness too. They had missed the playoffs six straight years,
the most disimble run in franchise history, but now they
were turning things around with a pair of young stars
(08:15):
in Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. They had finished a
couple of games behind the Nets in the Atlantic Division
with a forty nine and thirty three record and beaten
the second seed at Detroit Pistons in five games.
Speaker 11 (08:29):
They are one of the most storied franchises in all
of sports, and a team that was led by many
of the greats. What a Celtics era came to an end,
a new one Boys began and their dominance spanned generations.
Speaker 12 (08:47):
The Nets have.
Speaker 11 (08:48):
A history of their own, most of it written by
an Aba innovator who was simply knowed as the Doctor.
But now Celtic Friede is back, as this team has
led by hero of a new millennium and a new jersey.
The new Kid of chout As sparkled a revival. Today,
these superstars seek to write their own history as the
(09:09):
battle begins for the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Crown Kid at eighteen points, thirteen rebounds, and eleven assists
as the Nets won the opener in the Metallands, but
the Celtics got a new jersey split with a ninety
three eighty six winning Game two, a brutal game in
which neither team shot thirty five percent. Pierce shot three
for twenty for Boston and the Celtics still won the game,
(09:33):
so they went up to Boston for Game three. May
twenty fifth, Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, the Yankees were
in town two for a four game series with the
Red Sox and the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
With the greatest court putter come back in NBA playoff history,
but an emotional scene as a Celtics to take a
two to one lead in his best.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Of seven Eastern Conference Finals. What seemed to be an
insurmountable New Jersey lead turns into a devastating next loss.
Speaker 6 (10:07):
We got in a locker room and we were like,
We looked around the room, we were like, what the
heck just happened? Like it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Curry Kittles and the Nets had just suffered a historic
playoff loss in Game three of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Their NBA best defense have been dominant to at the start.
The Celtics shot just twenty seven percent in the first
half and the Nets led fifty four to thirty four
at halftime. Three minutes into the second half, the league
(10:33):
was up to sixty five to thirty nine, a twenty
six point margin. Going into the fourth quarter, the Nets
were still up by twenty one, and then it all
fell apart. Here's Nets center Tom McCullough.
Speaker 13 (10:47):
I did think that that game was over for us,
and that we were going to take a two to
one lead and essentially get home court advantage back. And
then all of a sudden, the rims seemed to shrink
for us, and the rims seemed huge to me for
the Celtics, and Paul Pierce was hitting everything and Walker
and McCarty and it just seemed like we just needed
a couple of shots to stem that time, and.
Speaker 12 (11:09):
We just couldn't get them.
Speaker 13 (11:10):
And everything seemed to be going right for them.
Speaker 9 (11:12):
And general manager Rod Thorn were up twenty going into
the fourth quarter. You know, it looks good, and then
all of a sudden, here they go. Paul Pierce, Walker
started really playing well in that fourth period, and here
they come, and at the end of it, they went
right by us. I've never heard a crowd that loud.
(11:34):
It almost lifted you up off your feet. The fans
were so rabid and so loud, and when the game
was over, Walker and Pierce jumped up on the table
like they won the championship, and they were going absolutely berserk.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Rookie center Jason Collins.
Speaker 14 (11:53):
Their fans were literally throwing queens at us, literally throwing
like pennies and Nichols at us on the bench, and
we remember telling our security guard that we're picking.
Speaker 6 (12:07):
Up the coin.
Speaker 14 (12:07):
He's like, they're throwing these at us and our security
because you know, in a sea of crowd like you
can't see who it is. Our security guard said, well,
you got a duck if you say the Copentit were
like thanks.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
The Nets just shot four for twenty two in the
fourth quarter and didn't make a shot in the final
four minutes. They're still up ninety to eighty four after
Aaron Williams made two free throws with two minutes and
twenty nine seconds to go, but they never scored again.
The Celtics finally caught up and went ahead when Paul
Pierce made two free throws with forty six seconds left.
(12:45):
Pierce said nineteen points in the fourth quarter as the
Celtics outscored the Nets forty one to sixteen and one
ninety four to ninety.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
Brian Scalabrini Paul Pierce went to a completely different level
funny story about that Paul had his moments against us,
and Byron Scott refused to like double team him or
do anything different because he's like, why do we have
to do something different with Paul Pierce when when I played,
we didn't do anything different with Michael Jordan. Right, So
we go and he makes that incredible run and really
(13:16):
it's coming out party, right. The truth I remember shoot
around like we were adamant about not double teaming Paul.
Don't double team Paul. We don't need the double team Paul.
It's Paul Pierce. I think going into Game four, I
think the first thing we said during our coaches meeting,
all right, guys, we're gonna double scheme Paul Pierce. And
that was when they created Jason Kidd as a spy.
(13:37):
So he kind of was like a roamer, a floater.
He float off of Anderson and just took the charges
and he made the plates and he got the rebounds,
and it was a great way of like dealing with Paul.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
The Nets were down two to one in the series,
with Game four still looked come in Boston and all
the momentum was going the other way. Here's Chris Carino.
Speaker 10 (13:58):
I remember when that fourth core going on and the
lead is just dissolving right in front of our eyes.
The building was as loud as I've ever experienced a
building in my NBA career. They showed the Red Sox
players in a suite the roof. It may have lost
a couple of screws at that point, but you had
a legendary New Yorker and former Net and Kenny Anderson
(14:21):
running the point and Pierce at Antoine Walker and it
was just this tsunami. It was a wave that just
kept pouring over the nets. They could never get their
heads above water, and they just drowned that fourth quarter.
And you walked out of there that night going, I
don't know if they can recover from this.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And Jason Collins, I'll never forget.
Speaker 14 (14:43):
Like all of us were watching, you know, the highlights
of the game, we felt, you know, obviously horrible after
the game, and I'll never forget. Doctor Jack Ramsey was
doing the ESPN analyst and he said, this series is over.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
This series is absolutely Plenty of teams would have been shattered.
These nets weren't even shaken. Head coach Byron Scott definitely wasn't.
Scott was forty one years old and is just a
second year as a head coach. He was just five
years removed from a fourteen year playing career that included
three NBA Championships and three other trips to the finals.
(15:22):
Here's Iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
We were setting up the next day to go do
a stand up for a piece that would air later
that night, and we waited just a bit at the
hotel Byron Scott was addressing the medium, so this is
the day after, and he was asked a question. Fred
Kerber the New York Post asked him, i'd you sleep
last night? And it was more like, well, how do
(15:45):
you sleep last night? Kind of thing, and Byron said,
slept like a baby. And everybody was taken aback, and
we all looked at one another, and he said, we're
gonna win.
Speaker 8 (15:55):
We're gonna win the next game.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
And he said it with such calm and a raw
I smile, and most of the media members chuckled and
then continued with their day. Finished up that media session,
and pil and I went to tape our stand up,
and maybe he was the only one that knew it,
but Byron was right. Everything he said was correct.
Speaker 10 (16:19):
And Chris Carrino, Byron, they'd been through this stuff with
the Lakers over the years. I know behind the scenes,
Jason Kidd was that way with his teammates, shake it off,
that's it. The other coaches, you know, Eddie Jordan, Michael Korr,
and Lawrence Frank, I mean there, everybody was very confident that, hey,
that was just a bad quarter. Let's go out now
and win the rest of the series, and they did.
(16:39):
They went in in game four talk about as RAF
would say onions right, just getting back up off the
mat and going into game four in Boston and just saying, hey,
that was one game.
Speaker 6 (16:50):
That's a blip. We're better, let's move on. What do
you think, scal We lost that game and everyone's devastated.
We're all like, oh man, how are we going to
win this?
Speaker 8 (16:59):
Now?
Speaker 6 (17:00):
We should have won this game whatever, And Kid comes in.
It wasn't joyous, but he wasn't just blowing smoke either.
He was there, ain't no way I'm never gonna lose
another game to them again. And I once again naive,
dumb and young, and I'm like, didn't you see what
just happened? We just blew a twenty six point league.
(17:21):
How the hell are we not going to lose the
game to these guys again? We're down two to one.
But he was right. That is such the difference between
those players, those elite all time great players. They could
dominate games so many different ways. They can will games
so many ways. Kid just had this unique ability to
(17:43):
find ways to win. And that's what this game is
all about. I love the game for that reason. I
felt like those all time great players just made plays
and kid took three charges. The next game, came up
with big rebounds, a couple buckets passing like he just
found a way to win a game. And that was
(18:03):
him saying it and then delivering on it.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
To get the Nets restarted, Scott totally ignored the game
three finish. He put the focus on the first three
quarters that the Nets had dominated. He pushed the positive
going into game four. Here's Jason Collins.
Speaker 14 (18:20):
B Scott at the team video the next day, and
he reminded us we were up by over twenty points
in the fourth quarter, like they did something historic. But
if we just you know, keep doing what we're doing,
we will be up again against this team, and in
the moment when they do make their push, we will
(18:42):
have poise because we know now what their best punch
looks like. And he said, don't you know something to
the fact of imagine what it will mean if we
win this next game. And then what will all those
naysayers and all those people who've already counted us out,
what are they gonna do? And then also know that
we win this game, the momentum will be back with ups.
(19:04):
So this just focus on this one game, send a message,
keep doing what we're doing.
Speaker 6 (19:09):
And that's what we did.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
And assistant coach michael'corn.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
We just put our hard hats on. We had some
words for the players. Everybody spoke. Whether they took it
to heart or whatever, I don't know, but we met
as a coaching staff the next day. He watched the
game again and said, we did everything right till that
fourth quarter. We just give them credit to because they
defended shots we had we didn't make that we could make.
(19:36):
Sometimes it's got tid we had to your pollent.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
This was the kind of cool, underfire, steady leadership that
Scott had brought to the team all season. Here's next,
Radio analyst Tim Capstraw.
Speaker 15 (19:48):
Byron Scott his coolness under pressure and the way he
would stand there with his arms folded and there could
be all sorts of craziness going on, and he prided
himself on being the coolest guy in the room and
the coolest guy in the arena. He handled everything like
he had seen it all before because he did. He
was a showtime laker. He was a great player on
(20:11):
a great team, and it was hard to impress him.
I thought he had that edge about him that really
helped the organization. He just had the utmost confidence. He
had an error about him that the players on the
team kind of kept his edge. He had a little
edge to him and a confidence, and he looked like
a million bucks. His way of carrying himself and his
(20:33):
approach was really really impressive to me and Aaron Williams.
Speaker 12 (20:39):
Byron. He's been there, done that, so when he speaks
to you gotta listen. He's played with Hall of famers,
He's played with the best of the best, so he
knows what he's talking about. He really believed in us too.
He's probably my favorite coach I've ever played for because
he really believes in the players, and he gave you
opportunity to do what you do best out there on
the court, didn't ask you to do anything you're not
comfortable doing. He's one of my favorite coaches played for.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Scott wasn't the only one with a message for the Nets.
Rod Thorne was an NBA lifer as a player, coach,
league executive, and general manager. Before Game four, it's something
to say to the team that he had put together
one that had already gone further than anybody expected. Seven
months earlier. Here's Curry Kittles.
Speaker 16 (21:23):
The next day, Rod Thorn, I think one of the
best team presidents ever, gave the best team speech ever.
I couldn't tell you what he said. I don't remember
the exact words. All I know is when the team
meeting was over, he reassured us that we were the
better team, and he convinced us by his words, that
we're gonna go out in that next game and destroy
(21:45):
these guys because they're not better than you. Whatever happened
in that game three was what it behind you. Game four,
You're gonna smash them. They can't compete with you. We
left that meeting going they were in trouble. When that
meeting was over, the sentences were in trouble. Just recrushed them,
mave you know, were better than them, and he just
helped us get out of our heads. And it really
(22:05):
shows you what leadership is all about.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Game four went down to the wire. The Net's opened
up with a thirty one to eighteen lead at the
end of the first quarter, and they were up by
fourteen in the third. The Celtics then cut the lead
to four points going into the fourth quarter. There was
no fourth quarter blitz this time. The Celtics never had
to lead the entire game, but they did finally tie
(22:29):
it on two Paul Pierce free throws with seventeen points
six seconds to go. Byron Scott went small for our offense,
subbing them veteran guard Lucius Harris for center Todd McCullough.
The Celtics immediately doubled Kid off the inbounds pass, and
Kid found an outlet from the trap with a cross
court pass to Harris.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Harris tries, tries the file and he'll shoot two. Lucius Harris,
with an aggressive move, you know, go to the free
throw line. With six point six seconds, Romaine Harris, eighty
eight percent from a line in the playoffs, knocks down
the first Nets back up by one clutch pre throws
(23:10):
from Lucius Harris, the oldest member of the New Jersey Nets,
knocks them both down and a two point advantage shoot.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
The thirty one year old guard was in his ninth
NBA season and fifth with the Nets, longer than anybody
but Kittles. When Kittles was out the year before, he
started on career high fifty games with Kittles back, he'd
been in New Jersey's steady and reliable third guard in
a tight backcart rotation. Here's Jason Kidd.
Speaker 8 (23:41):
He was the glue.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
He was the one that kept everyone together. He kept
everyone in good spirits. He was a great vet, helped
with the younger guys. And then he had his opportunity
in Game four to see the game. And there's no
better person that I trust going to the free throw
line to be able to make free throws.
Speaker 8 (23:59):
And that's what he did.
Speaker 7 (24:00):
That's who Usha says is someone who's always gonna fly
out into the radarm. But you love to have him
on your team both offensive land defensively because he's a
trup pro.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
It wasn't over yet. Pierce got back to the line
with a chance to tie the game with one point
one seconds to go. This time he missed both and
the nets escape when the rebound tip from Boston Tony
Batti rolled off the rim. Here's Rod Thrn.
Speaker 9 (24:25):
Tony Batti, who was a backup player for the Celtics
at the town from the second position. We didn't box
him out.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
He is tipping the.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Ball right at the rim and missed it.
Speaker 9 (24:38):
It hit the backgrom and came out. So we ended
up winning.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
We go to two, Van Horn had a double double
with twenty one points and ten rebounds, and Kittles led
the Nets with twenty two points plus six rebounds and
five assists. As usual, Kid was in the triple double
territory with nineteen points, nine rebounds and nine is Here's
iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (25:02):
Jason Kidd, the maestro leading the way and doing basically
what he set out to do. Quiet that Boston crowd
and hurt them in many ways because on the flip
side of what I saw in the Celtic rally, there
was deafening silence at the end of the next game
(25:23):
and certainly by the end of the series.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Back home for Game five, the Nets went up by
fifteen early, led by three going into the fourth, then
put together a thirteen nothing run and locked up a
one to oh, three to ninety two win.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Game five of the Eastern Conference Final. Kid puts it in.
Speaker 5 (25:44):
Some guys want to take big shot. Jason Kidd has
always been.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
One of those players van Horn, but Strick went on him.
Kate van Horn. They had several big books water plays
in Game four, a big bucket there Lucius Harris fourteen
point lead, a thirteen oh run from the New Jersey Nets.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
The Nets have.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Answered every challenge. Tonight, Van Horn bang a twenty to
one run, a twenty point lead for the Nets.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
And then it was back to Boston for Game six
and Thatt's were up by three under a minute ago
when Curry Kittles drove baseline and flung the ball from
underneath the basket out to Keith van Horn at the
top of the key shot.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
Clock winding down.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Kittles inside Ben Hard for three bag Keith van Hard
from downtown another clutch fourth quarter bucket and New Jersey
goes up by six you one the second left on
the clock.
Speaker 14 (26:59):
Carry cas penetrates along the baseline, Andy.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
Fines Keith fan On on top Kettle's underneath, can't get
a shot off himself, but.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
He fives fan On for another huge fourth quarter three pointers.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Keith was a big time scorer with a beautiful jump shot.
He could really come off screens well and knock down shots,
and throughout the two thousand and two playoffs he had
his biggest games at the most crucial moments. In Game
five against Indiana twenty seven points with five to three pointers.
In Game four against Boston a double double with twenty
(27:36):
one points, and ten rebounds. He had nineteen points and
four three pointers in Game five, and in Game six,
he delivered the dagger that buried the Celtics for good.
Here's iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Keith van Orrin was a key contributor during that postseason
run and it was one of the best stretches of
his career. And I'm not sure Keith gets enough credit
for the.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
Role that he played.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Keith made big time plays in that postseason.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Ben Horn's three pointer put the Nets up ninety four
to eighty eight, and the Celtics never scored again. After
a quarter century in the NBA with one playoff series win,
after winning just twenty six games the season before, the
New Jersey Nets, we're going to the NBA Finals for
the first time. Mike o'corn was a New Jersey native
(28:27):
who hit it off to college at North Carolina right
when the Nets were moving to New Jersey. Four years later.
They made him a first round draft pick in May
of two thousand and two. He had been with the
team for nearly all of the previous twenty years as
either a player, a broadcaster, or an assistant coach.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Yeah, I'll be an older guy now that watched the
Boston Lakers games back years ago, and you know with
Will Tamlin and Bill Russell, those guys, and to win
a playoff game in Boston Garden, not the real old
Boston Guard, but the TV Guard, it was special to
do that up there. It really was the history that
the Bust and Celtics have and to beat them in
the playoff series, especially to go to the NBA Finals
(29:07):
was something and that's never done and I personally had
never done, none of us really except for Byron. They
want games up there all the time when he was
with the Lakers, so it was all half of him.
But it was something special to do that, and that's
going to the NBA Finals. That just sounded so good,
it really did. One of their guys after they beat
us in Game three jumped out of the scores table
(29:27):
and you know, I was going to the crowd going nuts.
They came back and they deserved it, but somehow that
got to us a little bit.
Speaker 9 (29:33):
Him doing that.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
I think it was Antoine Walker, if I'm not mistaken.
He games out of his mind, happy and good for him,
but something about him jumping like they had won it,
I think rubbed us a little bit. And that might
have helped us a little bit down the line, maybe
a little that much, but maybe a little center.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Jason Collins was just a rookie, but after the experience
of Game three, he didn't need decades of history to
appreciate the moment.
Speaker 14 (29:56):
There is no greater feeling than going to your opponents
home court and shutting everyone up, like or seeing like
tears on their father fixes and like the home crowd,
like their home crowd as you're beating their team, especially
after their fans had been throwing coins at us and
like throwing projectiles at us. To see them they had
(30:20):
stopped because at that point it was over, and like
the realization was hitting them. You're just seeing them the
look of their team loss and knowing that we did
that to the team, but we add it to their fans.
Speaker 9 (30:33):
Kind of thing.
Speaker 14 (30:34):
So there's a sweet joy in that.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Tom mccullor felt the same way as he headed to
the finals for the second straight year after winning the
East with the Sixers a year earlier.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
It felt great.
Speaker 13 (30:45):
I mean, it was a completely different environment when that
game was over and we had won. The energy in
the building had just got sucked out of there. There's
something to be said for celebrating on your home court
and winning the Eastern Championship in front of your home fans.
And then there's something else to be said for going
on the road and really only having the people in
that locker room and any family that was there, to
(31:06):
go into a building and just go up against all
this twenty thousand fans that would love to see lose
and come out victorious.
Speaker 12 (31:12):
There's something special about that experience as well.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Finally, there was Jason Kidd who held up his end.
He told the nets after Game three they weren't losing
another game, and they didn't. He closed the Celtics out
with another trimple double fifteen points, thirteen assists, thirteen rebounds, and.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Here comes Kidd four free break for New Jersey, and
just like that, it's ete nothing. Jason Kidd always finds
the loose balls, he always finds the long rebounds, and
Jason Kidd with another rebound.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
Nice fame.
Speaker 14 (31:49):
The fast breaks. They happened in the blink of an eye.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
But anytime Jason Kidd gets a deep rebound, a rebound
out near the pre throw line, He's going coast to coast.
Runts again, the quick fast break and a foul.
Speaker 6 (32:04):
Just so explosive.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Soon as he gets the ball, Kid nice feed to Harris.
Speaker 6 (32:09):
Lies in the back of his head.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Hiaron Williams afoul Jason Kidd setting him up beautifully. Kid
rattles it in Jason Kidd with a big bucket. Kid
Holly m Martin oh on a sensational pass from Jason Kidd.
Jason Kidd, by the way with his numbers to night
averaging a triple double, averaging it a triple double for
(32:33):
the series, A very resilient team led by that man
who was a team first player.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
As good as he is, he's playing the best basketball
of his career when you.
Speaker 8 (32:44):
Win Game six in Boston.
Speaker 7 (32:46):
To be able to celebrate the Eastern Conference championship something
that no one had obtained as a net so it
was just it was great for our owners, who was great,
for our coaches, everyone from top to bottom, and also
the city when you talk about Jersey, to be able
to represent Jersey was a great failing. But it was
just surreal because this is something that's the key you
(33:09):
dream about it now Monstra ticket to go to the
World champions to be able to play the Lakers, and
we were excited.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
This was a Lakers team on the verge of dynasty status.
Shaq and Kobe were coming off two consecutive championships and
I in a three peat, something that coach Phil Jackson
was familiar with. Kerry Kettles had seen a version of
this before when he and the Nets ran up against
Jackson and the last stand Chicago Bulls in the nineteen
(33:36):
ninety eight playoffs, but that was the first round. This
was the finals and a whole different deal.
Speaker 12 (33:44):
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into
against the Lakers. The media.
Speaker 16 (33:48):
I'll never forget the media day at their facility in
LA and we walked in and we were just like, oh,
this is just too much for us. But I will
say though, that those Shaq and Kobe teams were dominant scene.
They were those three years. They were an incredible group.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
I mean, from top to bottom, they were an incredible group.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
The rookie radio man Chris Carino was going to the
finals in year one, but it was an entirely new
experience for the organization, and the scope of it was
tough to handle.
Speaker 10 (34:20):
From a preparation standpoint, from just a comfort standpoint, It's
just all so different, and it was overwhelming, and now
you're going up against Shaq and Kobe and the Lakers
going for their third in a row. We kind of
felt like the opening act like the ones. Nobody was
paying attention to.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Center Todd McCullough was the only player on the roster
who had been to the Finals before losing five games
with the Sixers a year earlier.
Speaker 13 (34:45):
We'd watched a lot of tape on the Lakers, and
guys had watched them in previous seasons, so I think
we knew we were going to have our hands fall.
But the enormity of the moment, I don't think there's
any way to really prepare for, especially when you're starting
in LA and you know that fan base is maybe
different than playing in Boston, but they love their Lakers,
that team plays well in the road, that team plays
well at home, and them having the experience of winning
(35:09):
the previous two years, I don't think they're overwhelmed by
the moment. I think they had a mission at the
start of each of those years. Our goal is to
win this thing. We did last year. We know we
can do it again, and we were sort of discovering
new territory throughout the year. We were going further than
the Nets had gone before. So we were in kind
of a new adventure, and so I think it did
take us a while to get our standing. And by
(35:30):
that time, you can't really give up too many wins
against that Laker team. They're they're gonna steamroll you.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
And that's exactly what happened. It was a sweep the nets.
Last chance the whole lot to this series slipped away
when they went back to New Jersey for Game three.
They led by as many as six points in the
fourth quarter, but Robert Rory's three pointer put the Lakers
up for good was just over three minutes to go.
The Nets lost one oh six to one oh three.
(35:57):
Three nights later, it was over general manager Rod Thorne.
Speaker 9 (36:02):
The first game was real close. They sort of won
it in the last minute and a half of the game.
Second game they were more dominant. Third game, we're in
the game going in the fourth quarter. We were either
ahead or right there. In the fourth quarter they pulled away,
and the fourth game, same thing happened.
Speaker 12 (36:19):
And Darren Williams it was an epic series for us
in the wrong ways. If you're gonna lose to a
team and gets swept by a team. There's no shame
in Shaq and Kobe. Come on, those are two top
ten players of all time in their prime. Kobe's the
second coming of Michael Jordan, and Shaq is arguably the
most dominated big player to ever played the game. There's
(36:41):
no shame. Although we didn't think they were that much
better than us, for whatever reason, things didn't go our way.
They were just a force. They weren't gonna be stopped
no matter what defensive plan we had, with offensive plan,
with double triple whatever. They were on a mission and
they were just that good. They were just that good
(37:02):
and there was really nothing we could do.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Nets broadcaster Iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
The Nets met their match. It was the first time
that I saw them a bit overwhelmed in the moment,
and in most cases that year, when they needed recent
kid to step forward and take over, he could, and
against the Lakers he could not. He needed a lot
more help, and they just didn't have the firepower to
(37:29):
deal with Kobe and Shaq. Shack in particular, was completely overpowering.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
O'Neill was at his fearsome peak when he in his
third straight Finals MVP while averaging thirty six points and
twelve rebounds and shooting sixty percent. Here's assistant coach Michael Korn.
Speaker 5 (37:48):
Early game one, I mean real early, maybe eight plus
minutes to go, in the first court of Todson on
the bench with couple of fouls because Shaq is shack,
and I remember looking all over Lars Frank and Eddie
Comb in the middle. Eddie's all my right next to Byron.
Lars is to my left, and I said, guys, we're
in trouble. They give me the old Mike. What are
you talking about? So eight minutes we're down six, don't
(38:10):
worry about it. I said, no, look down, now, look down.
Aaron Williams' guards shack and we can't see him. That's
how big Shack was. And that son of a gun.
Oh he was terrific the whole four gigs. He was dominant.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Brian Scalabrini.
Speaker 6 (38:29):
Game one I thought was over, like in the first
five minutes of the game. And this is the weirdest thing,
because I'm a pretty confident person that you could always
find a way to win. Okay, so game one happened,
Boom boom. It's oh, Dave, okay, we're down one. We
should can get the next one, Game two is happening.
It's about four minutes ago in the second quarter. And
I'm not a big scoreboard watcher. I do time a lot,
(38:51):
so I look at the time, look at the game,
look at the time, and I'm thinking to myself, like, man,
we are balling right now, like we're playing really good basketball.
I'm like, if I would say, like all the marks
of a good team. I feel like we're rebounding the
ball well, I feel like we're contesting shots. I feel
like we're low turnover, We're getting a fair amount of
stuff out of transition, and in the half court we're
getting really good shots.
Speaker 12 (39:11):
Right.
Speaker 6 (39:12):
So like when we did those things, we'd be up
by twenty five, like the game was out of reach.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Right.
Speaker 6 (39:18):
So I remember watching the game and thinking like all right,
like this is this is good, Like we're playing good.
I look up at the score. I think I remember
we were up by six and then they ran center
opposite three straight times. It went to shock three straight times,
and I think the bucket bucket foul and the next
thing you know, like all that we're playing really good basketball.
(39:40):
I don't know if there's another level for us to
go to, and we're up by one and then Kobe
does something. We're down by one, we're down by three,
down by seven. I'm like, WHOA, what just happened here?
And then I remember Game four, we had somewhat of
a fight. Byron went with a smaller lineup. It kind
of worked. I just never I've only felt this way
(40:02):
two times in my NBA career. It was that series
against Shaq, and in the series against the Miami Heat
against Shaq, and it was my last series with the Nets.
I just felt like the guy's like insurmountable, Like there's
nothing you can do. You can play good basketball, you
can have good position, you can do all the things right,
and he's just a force.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
And backup center Jason Collins.
Speaker 14 (40:27):
Shaq absolutely destroyed us in the finals. In the two
thousand and two finals, there was a scene a picture
where Aaron Williams, one of our backup centers. He's one
of the strongest players I've ever played with. And I'm
talking like not a basketball course strength, but also weight
room strong. The guy warms up at two twenty five
(40:47):
on the bench press.
Speaker 8 (40:49):
Super streng guy.
Speaker 14 (40:51):
There was one picture that I saw and when we
saw it in the locker room, where Shack Pump faked
Aaron Aaron air and sort of just landed on Shack
and sort of was like our bear hug, but like
his feet were sort.
Speaker 9 (41:05):
Of dangling off our shack.
Speaker 14 (41:09):
Lucia's one of the funniest teammates I played with. Lucia said,
he said, how we gonna win with the strongest guy
on our team? Looks like a little kid off grown
man's back.
Speaker 2 (41:21):
O'deo was the one obstacle the Nets couldn't overcome, but
it didn't take away from the brilliant turnaround and the
story wasn't over yet. Michael o'corran.
Speaker 5 (41:31):
We lost, and if you take it hard because you're there,
you almost get a chance to win a championship. But
to Luis the Lakers, Phil Jackson Kolbe, Shack, of course,
what are you gonna do? They would have bet a
team and they showed it and they didn't fool her out.
I mean, even up three to zero at home, even
game three, we would go pretty good, but they would
shut the door on us every time we were getting close,
(41:53):
and they would just do something and take over the game.
They turned out through a heck of a year for
us from going the year before, not being our good
team to go to the NBA Files, and then that's
on the map. Now we were no joke anymore. We
were ready to rubble against anybody, and we certainly proved
it again the next year when we went back to
the files.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
In our final episode. The Nets weren't going to take
anybody by surprise the next season, but they met the
challenge and lived up to the expectations with a second
straight run to the NBA Finals.
Lead back to twelve, just over five and.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
A half to play here.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
This fourth a.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Huge turnaround, but still and until client for the Celtics
after being dominated for the first three quarters of this game.
The Boston Celtics exploding here on the fourth and perhaps
on the verge of the greatest fourth quarter comeback in
NBA playoff history.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
They were down by twenty one to start this fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
At Pierce hits the big free throw to tie the game,
the Celtics lead one of the.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Most amazing comebacks in NBA history. This crowd is absolutely delirious.
It's not the All Boston Garden, but it certainly feels
like it today. This entire building out its feet and
the Boston Celtics with the greatest port quarter comeback in
the NBA playoff history.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
It was the loudest venue I had been at at
that point in my career. I had never heard anything
like that. In addition to what was being said, it
was a combination. It wasn't limited to just how loud
it was. It was also the way in which it
was being said. It was vitriolic, and it absolutely resonated
(01:26):
with Jason Kidd. I could just tell after that game
in particular, he just made it his personal quest and
he didn't just want to win the series.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
He wanted to.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Embarrass the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And that's broadcaster Iron Eagle has seen a lot more
since doing games for the NBA, NFL, and college hoops.
Game three of the two thousand and two Eastern Conference
Finals NETS in Boston for Memorial Day weekend still stands out.
Speaker 6 (01:53):
Brian Scalabrini, The Boston Garden for the most part is
pretty loud, and then the playoffs it gets a little louder, sick, insane.
We didn't have a lot of loud regular season games.
It was insanely ridiculous when it was that loud. I
just remember it being like so much different than the
regular season.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
On the road to the NBA Finals, the two biggest
tests in Net's face were surviving Game five against the
Pacers and bouncing back from Game three against the Celtics.
They had blown a twenty six point lead, fallen behind
two to one in the series, and would be on
the road again for Game four. Everybody outside the NETS
locker room thought the series was as good as over.
(02:35):
Jason Kidd kind of did two in a different way.
In the locker room after Game three, the point guard
who had changed everything for the franchise, delivered a simple
message to his teammates, something that would have sounded absurd
to anybody who had just watched the game. We are
never losing to these guys again.
Speaker 7 (02:55):
I was known to say some things that people shouldn't
have heard, but that was one that I said, well,
and that would lose to Boston again. After that meltdown
that we had in Game three, I think my teammates
remember that and made sure that that will never happen again.
We never lost to Boston in the playoffs after that.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
After a brutal first round series against the Pacers in
two thousand and two, Round two was almost a breeze
against Charlotte. The Hornets were the fourth seed, and they
beatn Orlando in four games in the first round. It
was their fifth playoff appearance in six seasons, and now
they were led by a rising star, Aaron Davis, a
twenty two year old guard who had just made his
(03:48):
first All Star appearance. But they were also in their
last season in Charlotte before moving to New Orleans, and
the maverage between the team and city had fallen apart
five years earlier, Hornets had led the NBA in attendance.
In two thousand and two, they were last. They had
a feeling of a team marking time in a long goodbye,
(04:09):
and the Nets cruise to a two to nothing series lead.
Jason Kidd had twenty one points, seven rebounds, and seven
assists in Game one, and Keith Van Hord had twenty
points and eleven rebounds in game two. The most eventful
part of the series turned out to be kids violent
head on collision with Hornet's guard David Wesley in the
(04:29):
first half of Game three.
Speaker 8 (04:32):
They collided down the other end.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Kid and Wesley apparently banged heads and both players rarely
shake it up.
Speaker 5 (04:38):
Paul Silas is calling for a time out. They're gonna
take a twenty second time.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Out, and you can see the blood coming.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
From Jason Kidd.
Speaker 8 (04:47):
Me and David go for a loose ball. We collide.
I think I got the worst part of it.
Speaker 7 (04:52):
It opened my eyebrow wide open right before halftime. So
they take me into the locker room. And if anybody
knows about the Charlotte Horns locker room, it wasn't very big,
very old school where he had the seating around on
a bench. The chalkboard is there in front of you.
They put a table right in the middle of that
(05:14):
locker room and started to sew me up in front
of my teammates. I remember Buyering talking, and I don't
think anyone was paying attention to what he was saying.
They were all worried or all a little bit grossed
out that I was bleeding out, but also Doc was
trying to sew me up in the middle of coaches
(05:34):
half ton speech.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Hornets went on to take Game three, and now the
question was whether kid would be able to go for
Game four. But there was a gift in the schedule,
an extra day off between the two games. In Charlotte.
Here's Rod Thorn.
Speaker 9 (05:49):
His head was swollen. He could not see, barely see.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Out of one eye.
Speaker 9 (05:55):
I remember going in at halftime yo to check to
see it goes. He really got up. He was lying
in a shower on the thing that trainers used to tape,
that little thing that they used. He was lying on
that and his eye was totally closed, and it was like, Wow,
he's not gonna play. He'll be lucky if he plays
(06:17):
in the series. The doctor's looking at him like this
could be serious, and Jason's start saying anything and we
go back out. He trs play, couldn't really do it,
and now we lose. We got a game off, a
day off before we play again, and his head started
to get a little bit better. But toward the end
(06:38):
of the day off and he said he was going
to play. In today's world, he wouldn't play because there's
no doubt he had a concussion. In those days, you play,
if you could go out there, you play that. He
ended up playing. They played great, you know, in the
next game and we won that one.
Speaker 10 (06:58):
Ain't Chris Carno I played the next day or play
that Saturday. The kid might not play, but they were
playing on Sundays.
Speaker 6 (07:03):
He had two.
Speaker 10 (07:04):
Days off in between, and he went out in Game four,
got a triple double and the Nets went up three
to one in the series, and then went back and
took him out in game five. A lot of people
talk about that one game though in the straw, but
Bat's one that stood out to me that season and
in the lore of Jason Kidd, that game four, coming
back from getting knocked out of Game three. That was
(07:26):
always one of my most memorable Jason Kidd moments.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Kid returned with twenty four points, eleven rebounds, and eight
assists in Game four, and then had twenty three points,
thirteen assists and five steals in Game five. The Nets
held the Hornets to blow forty percent shooting in both
games and wrapped up the series in five games. The
knockout of the Hornets set the Nets up for a
Conference finals matchup against the league's most fable franchise, the
(07:53):
Boston Celtics. The Nets have put together the league's biggest turnaround,
but they didn't have much history behind them. The Celtics,
even with all their championships, were coming back out of
the wilderness too. They had missed the playoffs six straight years,
the most disimble run in franchise history, but now they
were turning things around with a pair of young stars
(08:15):
in Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. They had finished a
couple of games behind the Nets in the Atlantic Division
with a forty nine and thirty three record and beaten
the second seed at Detroit Pistons in five games.
Speaker 11 (08:29):
They are one of the most storied franchises in all
of sports, and a team that was led by many
of the greats. What a Celtics era came to an end,
a new one Boys began and their dominance spanned generations.
Speaker 12 (08:47):
The Nets have.
Speaker 11 (08:48):
A history of their own, most of it written by
an Aba innovator who was simply knowed as the Doctor.
But now Celtic Friede is back, as this team has
led by hero of a new millennium and a new jersey.
The new Kid of chout As sparkled a revival. Today,
these superstars seek to write their own history as the
(09:09):
battle begins for the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Crown Kid at eighteen points, thirteen rebounds, and eleven assists
as the Nets won the opener in the Metallands, but
the Celtics got a new jersey split with a ninety
three eighty six winning Game two, a brutal game in
which neither team shot thirty five percent. Pierce shot three
for twenty for Boston and the Celtics still won the game,
(09:33):
so they went up to Boston for Game three. May
twenty fifth, Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, the Yankees were
in town two for a four game series with the
Red Sox and the Boston Celtics.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
With the greatest court putter come back in NBA playoff history,
but an emotional scene as a Celtics to take a
two to one lead in his best.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Of seven Eastern Conference Finals. What seemed to be an
insurmountable New Jersey lead turns into a devastating next loss.
Speaker 6 (10:07):
We got in a locker room and we were like,
We looked around the room, we were like, what the
heck just happened? Like it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Curry Kittles and the Nets had just suffered a historic
playoff loss in Game three of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Their NBA best defense have been dominant to at the start.
The Celtics shot just twenty seven percent in the first
half and the Nets led fifty four to thirty four
at halftime. Three minutes into the second half, the league
(10:33):
was up to sixty five to thirty nine, a twenty
six point margin. Going into the fourth quarter, the Nets
were still up by twenty one, and then it all
fell apart. Here's Nets center Tom McCullough.
Speaker 13 (10:47):
I did think that that game was over for us,
and that we were going to take a two to
one lead and essentially get home court advantage back. And
then all of a sudden, the rims seemed to shrink
for us, and the rims seemed huge to me for
the Celtics, and Paul Pierce was hitting everything and Walker
and McCarty and it just seemed like we just needed
a couple of shots to stem that time, and.
Speaker 12 (11:09):
We just couldn't get them.
Speaker 13 (11:10):
And everything seemed to be going right for them.
Speaker 9 (11:12):
And general manager Rod Thorn were up twenty going into
the fourth quarter. You know, it looks good, and then
all of a sudden, here they go. Paul Pierce, Walker
started really playing well in that fourth period, and here
they come, and at the end of it, they went
right by us. I've never heard a crowd that loud.
(11:34):
It almost lifted you up off your feet. The fans
were so rabid and so loud, and when the game
was over, Walker and Pierce jumped up on the table
like they won the championship, and they were going absolutely berserk.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Rookie center Jason Collins.
Speaker 14 (11:53):
Their fans were literally throwing queens at us, literally throwing
like pennies and Nichols at us on the bench, and
we remember telling our security guard that we're picking.
Speaker 6 (12:07):
Up the coin.
Speaker 14 (12:07):
He's like, they're throwing these at us and our security
because you know, in a sea of crowd like you
can't see who it is. Our security guard said, well,
you got a duck if you say the Copentit were
like thanks.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
The Nets just shot four for twenty two in the
fourth quarter and didn't make a shot in the final
four minutes. They're still up ninety to eighty four after
Aaron Williams made two free throws with two minutes and
twenty nine seconds to go, but they never scored again.
The Celtics finally caught up and went ahead when Paul
Pierce made two free throws with forty six seconds left.
(12:45):
Pierce said nineteen points in the fourth quarter as the
Celtics outscored the Nets forty one to sixteen and one
ninety four to ninety.
Speaker 6 (12:54):
Brian Scalabrini Paul Pierce went to a completely different level
funny story about that Paul had his moments against us,
and Byron Scott refused to like double team him or
do anything different because he's like, why do we have
to do something different with Paul Pierce when when I played,
we didn't do anything different with Michael Jordan. Right, So
we go and he makes that incredible run and really
(13:16):
it's coming out party, right. The truth I remember shoot
around like we were adamant about not double teaming Paul.
Don't double team Paul. We don't need the double team Paul.
It's Paul Pierce. I think going into Game four, I
think the first thing we said during our coaches meeting,
all right, guys, we're gonna double scheme Paul Pierce. And
that was when they created Jason Kidd as a spy.
(13:37):
So he kind of was like a roamer, a floater.
He float off of Anderson and just took the charges
and he made the plates and he got the rebounds,
and it was a great way of like dealing with Paul.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
The Nets were down two to one in the series,
with Game four still looked come in Boston and all
the momentum was going the other way. Here's Chris Carino.
Speaker 10 (13:58):
I remember when that fourth core going on and the
lead is just dissolving right in front of our eyes.
The building was as loud as I've ever experienced a
building in my NBA career. They showed the Red Sox
players in a suite the roof. It may have lost
a couple of screws at that point, but you had
a legendary New Yorker and former Net and Kenny Anderson
(14:21):
running the point and Pierce at Antoine Walker and it
was just this tsunami. It was a wave that just
kept pouring over the nets. They could never get their
heads above water, and they just drowned that fourth quarter.
And you walked out of there that night going, I
don't know if they can recover from this.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And Jason Collins, I'll never forget.
Speaker 14 (14:43):
Like all of us were watching, you know, the highlights
of the game, we felt, you know, obviously horrible after
the game, and I'll never forget. Doctor Jack Ramsey was
doing the ESPN analyst and he said, this series is over.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
This series is absolutely Plenty of teams would have been shattered.
These nets weren't even shaken. Head coach Byron Scott definitely wasn't.
Scott was forty one years old and is just a
second year as a head coach. He was just five
years removed from a fourteen year playing career that included
three NBA Championships and three other trips to the finals.
(15:22):
Here's Iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
We were setting up the next day to go do
a stand up for a piece that would air later
that night, and we waited just a bit at the
hotel Byron Scott was addressing the medium, so this is
the day after, and he was asked a question. Fred
Kerber the New York Post asked him, i'd you sleep
last night? And it was more like, well, how do
(15:45):
you sleep last night? Kind of thing, and Byron said,
slept like a baby. And everybody was taken aback, and
we all looked at one another, and he said, we're
gonna win.
Speaker 8 (15:55):
We're gonna win the next game.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
And he said it with such calm and a raw
I smile, and most of the media members chuckled and
then continued with their day. Finished up that media session,
and pil and I went to tape our stand up,
and maybe he was the only one that knew it,
but Byron was right. Everything he said was correct.
Speaker 10 (16:19):
And Chris Carrino, Byron, they'd been through this stuff with
the Lakers over the years. I know behind the scenes,
Jason Kidd was that way with his teammates, shake it off,
that's it. The other coaches, you know, Eddie Jordan, Michael Korr,
and Lawrence Frank, I mean there, everybody was very confident that, hey,
that was just a bad quarter. Let's go out now
and win the rest of the series, and they did.
(16:39):
They went in in game four talk about as RAF
would say onions right, just getting back up off the
mat and going into game four in Boston and just saying, hey,
that was one game.
Speaker 6 (16:50):
That's a blip. We're better, let's move on. What do
you think, scal We lost that game and everyone's devastated.
We're all like, oh man, how are we going to
win this?
Speaker 8 (16:59):
Now?
Speaker 6 (17:00):
We should have won this game whatever, And Kid comes in.
It wasn't joyous, but he wasn't just blowing smoke either.
He was there, ain't no way I'm never gonna lose
another game to them again. And I once again naive,
dumb and young, and I'm like, didn't you see what
just happened? We just blew a twenty six point league.
(17:21):
How the hell are we not going to lose the
game to these guys again? We're down two to one.
But he was right. That is such the difference between
those players, those elite all time great players. They could
dominate games so many different ways. They can will games
so many ways. Kid just had this unique ability to
(17:43):
find ways to win. And that's what this game is
all about. I love the game for that reason. I
felt like those all time great players just made plays
and kid took three charges. The next game, came up
with big rebounds, a couple buckets passing like he just
found a way to win a game. And that was
(18:03):
him saying it and then delivering on it.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
To get the Nets restarted, Scott totally ignored the game
three finish. He put the focus on the first three
quarters that the Nets had dominated. He pushed the positive
going into game four. Here's Jason Collins.
Speaker 14 (18:20):
B Scott at the team video the next day, and
he reminded us we were up by over twenty points
in the fourth quarter, like they did something historic. But
if we just you know, keep doing what we're doing,
we will be up again against this team, and in
the moment when they do make their push, we will
(18:42):
have poise because we know now what their best punch
looks like. And he said, don't you know something to
the fact of imagine what it will mean if we
win this next game. And then what will all those
naysayers and all those people who've already counted us out,
what are they gonna do? And then also know that
we win this game, the momentum will be back with ups.
(19:04):
So this just focus on this one game, send a message,
keep doing what we're doing.
Speaker 6 (19:09):
And that's what we did.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
And assistant coach michael'corn.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
We just put our hard hats on. We had some
words for the players. Everybody spoke. Whether they took it
to heart or whatever, I don't know, but we met
as a coaching staff the next day. He watched the
game again and said, we did everything right till that
fourth quarter. We just give them credit to because they
defended shots we had we didn't make that we could make.
(19:36):
Sometimes it's got tid we had to your pollent.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
This was the kind of cool, underfire, steady leadership that
Scott had brought to the team all season. Here's next,
Radio analyst Tim Capstraw.
Speaker 15 (19:48):
Byron Scott his coolness under pressure and the way he
would stand there with his arms folded and there could
be all sorts of craziness going on, and he prided
himself on being the coolest guy in the room and
the coolest guy in the arena. He handled everything like
he had seen it all before because he did. He
was a showtime laker. He was a great player on
(20:11):
a great team, and it was hard to impress him.
I thought he had that edge about him that really
helped the organization. He just had the utmost confidence. He
had an error about him that the players on the
team kind of kept his edge. He had a little
edge to him and a confidence, and he looked like
a million bucks. His way of carrying himself and his
(20:33):
approach was really really impressive to me and Aaron Williams.
Speaker 12 (20:39):
Byron. He's been there, done that, so when he speaks
to you gotta listen. He's played with Hall of famers,
He's played with the best of the best, so he
knows what he's talking about. He really believed in us too.
He's probably my favorite coach I've ever played for because
he really believes in the players, and he gave you
opportunity to do what you do best out there on
the court, didn't ask you to do anything you're not
comfortable doing. He's one of my favorite coaches played for.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Scott wasn't the only one with a message for the Nets.
Rod Thorne was an NBA lifer as a player, coach,
league executive, and general manager. Before Game four, it's something
to say to the team that he had put together
one that had already gone further than anybody expected. Seven
months earlier. Here's Curry Kittles.
Speaker 16 (21:23):
The next day, Rod Thorn, I think one of the
best team presidents ever, gave the best team speech ever.
I couldn't tell you what he said. I don't remember
the exact words. All I know is when the team
meeting was over, he reassured us that we were the
better team, and he convinced us by his words, that
we're gonna go out in that next game and destroy
(21:45):
these guys because they're not better than you. Whatever happened
in that game three was what it behind you. Game four,
You're gonna smash them. They can't compete with you. We
left that meeting going they were in trouble. When that
meeting was over, the sentences were in trouble. Just recrushed them,
mave you know, were better than them, and he just
helped us get out of our heads. And it really
(22:05):
shows you what leadership is all about.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Game four went down to the wire. The Net's opened
up with a thirty one to eighteen lead at the
end of the first quarter, and they were up by
fourteen in the third. The Celtics then cut the lead
to four points going into the fourth quarter. There was
no fourth quarter blitz this time. The Celtics never had
to lead the entire game, but they did finally tie
(22:29):
it on two Paul Pierce free throws with seventeen points
six seconds to go. Byron Scott went small for our offense,
subbing them veteran guard Lucius Harris for center Todd McCullough.
The Celtics immediately doubled Kid off the inbounds pass, and
Kid found an outlet from the trap with a cross
court pass to Harris.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Harris tries, tries the file and he'll shoot two. Lucius Harris,
with an aggressive move, you know, go to the free
throw line. With six point six seconds, Romaine Harris, eighty
eight percent from a line in the playoffs, knocks down
the first Nets back up by one clutch pre throws
(23:10):
from Lucius Harris, the oldest member of the New Jersey Nets,
knocks them both down and a two point advantage shoot.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
The thirty one year old guard was in his ninth
NBA season and fifth with the Nets, longer than anybody
but Kittles. When Kittles was out the year before, he
started on career high fifty games with Kittles back, he'd
been in New Jersey's steady and reliable third guard in
a tight backcart rotation. Here's Jason Kidd.
Speaker 8 (23:41):
He was the glue.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
He was the one that kept everyone together. He kept
everyone in good spirits. He was a great vet, helped
with the younger guys. And then he had his opportunity
in Game four to see the game. And there's no
better person that I trust going to the free throw
line to be able to make free throws.
Speaker 8 (23:59):
And that's what he did.
Speaker 7 (24:00):
That's who Usha says is someone who's always gonna fly
out into the radarm. But you love to have him
on your team both offensive land defensively because he's a
trup pro.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
It wasn't over yet. Pierce got back to the line
with a chance to tie the game with one point
one seconds to go. This time he missed both and
the nets escape when the rebound tip from Boston Tony
Batti rolled off the rim. Here's Rod Thrn.
Speaker 9 (24:25):
Tony Batti, who was a backup player for the Celtics
at the town from the second position. We didn't box
him out.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
He is tipping the.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Ball right at the rim and missed it.
Speaker 9 (24:38):
It hit the backgrom and came out. So we ended
up winning.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
We go to two, Van Horn had a double double
with twenty one points and ten rebounds, and Kittles led
the Nets with twenty two points plus six rebounds and
five assists. As usual, Kid was in the triple double
territory with nineteen points, nine rebounds and nine is Here's
iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (25:02):
Jason Kidd, the maestro leading the way and doing basically
what he set out to do. Quiet that Boston crowd
and hurt them in many ways because on the flip
side of what I saw in the Celtic rally, there
was deafening silence at the end of the next game
(25:23):
and certainly by the end of the series.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
Back home for Game five, the Nets went up by
fifteen early, led by three going into the fourth, then
put together a thirteen nothing run and locked up a
one to oh, three to ninety two win.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Game five of the Eastern Conference Final. Kid puts it in.
Speaker 5 (25:44):
Some guys want to take big shot. Jason Kidd has
always been.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
One of those players van Horn, but Strick went on him.
Kate van Horn. They had several big books water plays
in Game four, a big bucket there Lucius Harris fourteen
point lead, a thirteen oh run from the New Jersey Nets.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
The Nets have.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Answered every challenge. Tonight, Van Horn bang a twenty to
one run, a twenty point lead for the Nets.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
And then it was back to Boston for Game six
and Thatt's were up by three under a minute ago
when Curry Kittles drove baseline and flung the ball from
underneath the basket out to Keith van Horn at the
top of the key shot.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
Clock winding down.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Kittles inside Ben Hard for three bag Keith van Hard
from downtown another clutch fourth quarter bucket and New Jersey
goes up by six you one the second left on
the clock.
Speaker 14 (26:59):
Carry cas penetrates along the baseline, Andy.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
Fines Keith fan On on top Kettle's underneath, can't get
a shot off himself, but.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
He fives fan On for another huge fourth quarter three pointers.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Keith was a big time scorer with a beautiful jump shot.
He could really come off screens well and knock down shots,
and throughout the two thousand and two playoffs he had
his biggest games at the most crucial moments. In Game
five against Indiana twenty seven points with five to three pointers.
In Game four against Boston a double double with twenty
(27:36):
one points, and ten rebounds. He had nineteen points and
four three pointers in Game five, and in Game six,
he delivered the dagger that buried the Celtics for good.
Here's iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
Keith van Orrin was a key contributor during that postseason
run and it was one of the best stretches of
his career. And I'm not sure Keith gets enough credit
for the.
Speaker 5 (27:59):
Role that he played.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Keith made big time plays in that postseason.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Ben Horn's three pointer put the Nets up ninety four
to eighty eight, and the Celtics never scored again. After
a quarter century in the NBA with one playoff series win,
after winning just twenty six games the season before, the
New Jersey Nets, we're going to the NBA Finals for
the first time. Mike o'corn was a New Jersey native
(28:27):
who hit it off to college at North Carolina right
when the Nets were moving to New Jersey. Four years later.
They made him a first round draft pick in May
of two thousand and two. He had been with the
team for nearly all of the previous twenty years as
either a player, a broadcaster, or an assistant coach.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Yeah, I'll be an older guy now that watched the
Boston Lakers games back years ago, and you know with
Will Tamlin and Bill Russell, those guys, and to win
a playoff game in Boston Garden, not the real old
Boston Guard, but the TV Guard, it was special to
do that up there. It really was the history that
the Bust and Celtics have and to beat them in
the playoff series, especially to go to the NBA Finals
(29:07):
was something and that's never done and I personally had
never done, none of us really except for Byron. They
want games up there all the time when he was
with the Lakers, so it was all half of him.
But it was something special to do that, and that's
going to the NBA Finals. That just sounded so good,
it really did. One of their guys after they beat
us in Game three jumped out of the scores table
(29:27):
and you know, I was going to the crowd going nuts.
They came back and they deserved it, but somehow that
got to us a little bit.
Speaker 9 (29:33):
Him doing that.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
I think it was Antoine Walker, if I'm not mistaken.
He games out of his mind, happy and good for him,
but something about him jumping like they had won it,
I think rubbed us a little bit. And that might
have helped us a little bit down the line, maybe
a little that much, but maybe a little center.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Jason Collins was just a rookie, but after the experience
of Game three, he didn't need decades of history to
appreciate the moment.
Speaker 14 (29:56):
There is no greater feeling than going to your opponents
home court and shutting everyone up, like or seeing like
tears on their father fixes and like the home crowd,
like their home crowd as you're beating their team, especially
after their fans had been throwing coins at us and
like throwing projectiles at us. To see them they had
(30:20):
stopped because at that point it was over, and like
the realization was hitting them. You're just seeing them the
look of their team loss and knowing that we did
that to the team, but we add it to their fans.
Speaker 9 (30:33):
Kind of thing.
Speaker 14 (30:34):
So there's a sweet joy in that.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Tom mccullor felt the same way as he headed to
the finals for the second straight year after winning the
East with the Sixers a year earlier.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
It felt great.
Speaker 13 (30:45):
I mean, it was a completely different environment when that
game was over and we had won. The energy in
the building had just got sucked out of there. There's
something to be said for celebrating on your home court
and winning the Eastern Championship in front of your home fans.
And then there's something else to be said for going
on the road and really only having the people in
that locker room and any family that was there, to
(31:06):
go into a building and just go up against all
this twenty thousand fans that would love to see lose
and come out victorious.
Speaker 12 (31:12):
There's something special about that experience as well.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
Finally, there was Jason Kidd who held up his end.
He told the nets after Game three they weren't losing
another game, and they didn't. He closed the Celtics out
with another trimple double fifteen points, thirteen assists, thirteen rebounds, and.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Here comes Kidd four free break for New Jersey, and
just like that, it's ete nothing. Jason Kidd always finds
the loose balls, he always finds the long rebounds, and
Jason Kidd with another rebound.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
Nice fame.
Speaker 14 (31:49):
The fast breaks. They happened in the blink of an eye.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
But anytime Jason Kidd gets a deep rebound, a rebound
out near the pre throw line, He's going coast to coast.
Runts again, the quick fast break and a foul.
Speaker 6 (32:04):
Just so explosive.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Soon as he gets the ball, Kid nice feed to Harris.
Speaker 6 (32:09):
Lies in the back of his head.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Hiaron Williams afoul Jason Kidd setting him up beautifully. Kid
rattles it in Jason Kidd with a big bucket. Kid
Holly m Martin oh on a sensational pass from Jason Kidd.
Jason Kidd, by the way with his numbers to night
averaging a triple double, averaging it a triple double for
(32:33):
the series, A very resilient team led by that man
who was a team first player.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
As good as he is, he's playing the best basketball
of his career when you.
Speaker 8 (32:44):
Win Game six in Boston.
Speaker 7 (32:46):
To be able to celebrate the Eastern Conference championship something
that no one had obtained as a net so it
was just it was great for our owners, who was great,
for our coaches, everyone from top to bottom, and also
the city when you talk about Jersey, to be able
to represent Jersey was a great failing. But it was
just surreal because this is something that's the key you
(33:09):
dream about it now Monstra ticket to go to the
World champions to be able to play the Lakers, and
we were excited.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
This was a Lakers team on the verge of dynasty status.
Shaq and Kobe were coming off two consecutive championships and
I in a three peat, something that coach Phil Jackson
was familiar with. Kerry Kettles had seen a version of
this before when he and the Nets ran up against
Jackson and the last stand Chicago Bulls in the nineteen
(33:36):
ninety eight playoffs, but that was the first round. This
was the finals and a whole different deal.
Speaker 12 (33:44):
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into
against the Lakers. The media.
Speaker 16 (33:48):
I'll never forget the media day at their facility in
LA and we walked in and we were just like, oh,
this is just too much for us. But I will
say though, that those Shaq and Kobe teams were dominant scene.
They were those three years. They were an incredible group.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
I mean, from top to bottom, they were an incredible group.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
The rookie radio man Chris Carino was going to the
finals in year one, but it was an entirely new
experience for the organization, and the scope of it was
tough to handle.
Speaker 10 (34:20):
From a preparation standpoint, from just a comfort standpoint, It's
just all so different, and it was overwhelming, and now
you're going up against Shaq and Kobe and the Lakers
going for their third in a row. We kind of
felt like the opening act like the ones. Nobody was
paying attention to.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Center Todd McCullough was the only player on the roster
who had been to the Finals before losing five games
with the Sixers a year earlier.
Speaker 13 (34:45):
We'd watched a lot of tape on the Lakers, and
guys had watched them in previous seasons, so I think
we knew we were going to have our hands fall.
But the enormity of the moment, I don't think there's
any way to really prepare for, especially when you're starting
in LA and you know that fan base is maybe
different than playing in Boston, but they love their Lakers,
that team plays well in the road, that team plays
well at home, and them having the experience of winning
(35:09):
the previous two years, I don't think they're overwhelmed by
the moment. I think they had a mission at the
start of each of those years. Our goal is to
win this thing. We did last year. We know we
can do it again, and we were sort of discovering
new territory throughout the year. We were going further than
the Nets had gone before. So we were in kind
of a new adventure, and so I think it did
take us a while to get our standing. And by
(35:30):
that time, you can't really give up too many wins
against that Laker team. They're they're gonna steamroll you.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
And that's exactly what happened. It was a sweep the nets.
Last chance the whole lot to this series slipped away
when they went back to New Jersey for Game three.
They led by as many as six points in the
fourth quarter, but Robert Rory's three pointer put the Lakers
up for good was just over three minutes to go.
The Nets lost one oh six to one oh three.
(35:57):
Three nights later, it was over general manager Rod Thorne.
Speaker 9 (36:02):
The first game was real close. They sort of won
it in the last minute and a half of the game.
Second game they were more dominant. Third game, we're in
the game going in the fourth quarter. We were either
ahead or right there. In the fourth quarter they pulled away,
and the fourth game, same thing happened.
Speaker 12 (36:19):
And Darren Williams it was an epic series for us
in the wrong ways. If you're gonna lose to a
team and gets swept by a team. There's no shame
in Shaq and Kobe. Come on, those are two top
ten players of all time in their prime. Kobe's the
second coming of Michael Jordan, and Shaq is arguably the
most dominated big player to ever played the game. There's
(36:41):
no shame. Although we didn't think they were that much
better than us, for whatever reason, things didn't go our way.
They were just a force. They weren't gonna be stopped
no matter what defensive plan we had, with offensive plan,
with double triple whatever. They were on a mission and
they were just that good. They were just that good
(37:02):
and there was really nothing we could do.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Nets broadcaster Iron Eagle.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
The Nets met their match. It was the first time
that I saw them a bit overwhelmed in the moment,
and in most cases that year, when they needed recent
kid to step forward and take over, he could, and
against the Lakers he could not. He needed a lot
more help, and they just didn't have the firepower to
(37:29):
deal with Kobe and Shaq. Shack in particular, was completely overpowering.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
O'Neill was at his fearsome peak when he in his
third straight Finals MVP while averaging thirty six points and
twelve rebounds and shooting sixty percent. Here's assistant coach Michael Korn.
Speaker 5 (37:48):
Early game one, I mean real early, maybe eight plus
minutes to go, in the first court of Todson on
the bench with couple of fouls because Shaq is shack,
and I remember looking all over Lars Frank and Eddie
Comb in the middle. Eddie's all my right next to Byron.
Lars is to my left, and I said, guys, we're
in trouble. They give me the old Mike. What are
you talking about? So eight minutes we're down six, don't
(38:10):
worry about it. I said, no, look down, now, look down.
Aaron Williams' guards shack and we can't see him. That's
how big Shack was. And that son of a gun.
Oh he was terrific the whole four gigs. He was dominant.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Brian Scalabrini.
Speaker 6 (38:29):
Game one I thought was over, like in the first
five minutes of the game. And this is the weirdest thing,
because I'm a pretty confident person that you could always
find a way to win. Okay, so game one happened,
Boom boom. It's oh, Dave, okay, we're down one. We
should can get the next one, Game two is happening.
It's about four minutes ago in the second quarter. And
I'm not a big scoreboard watcher. I do time a lot,
(38:51):
so I look at the time, look at the game,
look at the time, and I'm thinking to myself, like, man,
we are balling right now, like we're playing really good basketball.
I'm like, if I would say, like all the marks
of a good team. I feel like we're rebounding the
ball well, I feel like we're contesting shots. I feel
like we're low turnover, We're getting a fair amount of
stuff out of transition, and in the half court we're
getting really good shots.
Speaker 12 (39:11):
Right.
Speaker 6 (39:12):
So like when we did those things, we'd be up
by twenty five, like the game was out of reach.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Right.
Speaker 6 (39:18):
So I remember watching the game and thinking like all right,
like this is this is good, Like we're playing good.
I look up at the score. I think I remember
we were up by six and then they ran center
opposite three straight times. It went to shock three straight times,
and I think the bucket bucket foul and the next
thing you know, like all that we're playing really good basketball.
(39:40):
I don't know if there's another level for us to
go to, and we're up by one and then Kobe
does something. We're down by one, we're down by three,
down by seven. I'm like, WHOA, what just happened here?
And then I remember Game four, we had somewhat of
a fight. Byron went with a smaller lineup. It kind
of worked. I just never I've only felt this way
(40:02):
two times in my NBA career. It was that series
against Shaq, and in the series against the Miami Heat
against Shaq, and it was my last series with the Nets.
I just felt like the guy's like insurmountable, Like there's
nothing you can do. You can play good basketball, you
can have good position, you can do all the things right,
and he's just a force.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
And backup center Jason Collins.
Speaker 14 (40:27):
Shaq absolutely destroyed us in the finals. In the two
thousand and two finals, there was a scene a picture
where Aaron Williams, one of our backup centers. He's one
of the strongest players I've ever played with. And I'm
talking like not a basketball course strength, but also weight
room strong. The guy warms up at two twenty five
(40:47):
on the bench press.
Speaker 8 (40:49):
Super streng guy.
Speaker 14 (40:51):
There was one picture that I saw and when we
saw it in the locker room, where Shack Pump faked
Aaron Aaron air and sort of just landed on Shack
and sort of was like our bear hug, but like
his feet were sort.
Speaker 9 (41:05):
Of dangling off our shack.
Speaker 14 (41:09):
Lucia's one of the funniest teammates I played with. Lucia said,
he said, how we gonna win with the strongest guy
on our team? Looks like a little kid off grown
man's back.
Speaker 2 (41:21):
O'deo was the one obstacle the Nets couldn't overcome, but
it didn't take away from the brilliant turnaround and the
story wasn't over yet. Michael o'corran.
Speaker 5 (41:31):
We lost, and if you take it hard because you're there,
you almost get a chance to win a championship. But
to Luis the Lakers, Phil Jackson Kolbe, Shack, of course,
what are you gonna do? They would have bet a
team and they showed it and they didn't fool her out.
I mean, even up three to zero at home, even
game three, we would go pretty good, but they would
shut the door on us every time we were getting close,
(41:53):
and they would just do something and take over the game.
They turned out through a heck of a year for
us from going the year before, not being our good
team to go to the NBA Files, and then that's
on the map. Now we were no joke anymore. We
were ready to rubble against anybody, and we certainly proved
it again the next year when we went back to
the files.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
In our final episode. The Nets weren't going to take
anybody by surprise the next season, but they met the
challenge and lived up to the expectations with a second
straight run to the NBA Finals.
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