I don't know what the hell happened to the Nets in that quarter. This loss is going to completely demoralize this team. Even though the Nets are only down 2-1, it seems like they are already out.
This might be the greatest comeback or collapse in all of sports. A 26 point lead with four minutes left in third quarter of a critical playoff game? That's got to go right up there with the Oilers and Bills.
Cat -- the Rockets were up by 20 with 10 minutes left in the game. Guess that was what JB was referring to.
One other note: this is exactly why Jason Kidd isn't MVP. Remember last night, when the Kings had a 27 point second half lead, and the Lakers made their charge to cut it to 12? Chris Webber was right there to answer, taking the ball and calmly drilling a shot right in Shaq's face to stop the momentum. When all the momentum was surging toward Boston, where was Jason Kidd? He certainly wasn't there to make the one or two baskets the Nets needed to hold off the Celtics. The elite of the elite find a way to elevate their games in the biggest moments. When everything is going against them, and it seems like hope is lost, they can just find a way to make the big basket to give their team the win. That's my problem with Jason Kidd, and also to an extent with Shaquille O'Neal. The best of the best are able to deliver for their team in the biggest and most bleak of moments. That's Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Webber, etc. It's not Jason Kidd.
I think the Nets will still come back strong. The Celtics are acting like they won freaking CHAMPIONSHIP!
NJ could very well be down and out. On the other hand this kind of win makes teams believe they are destined to go all the way. i will not be surprised if Boston wins the championship. Damn the biggest CHOKE job in history!
One other note: this is exactly why Jason Kidd isn't MVP. Remember last night, when the Kings had a 27 point second half lead, and the Lakers made their charge to cut it to 12? So I guess Hakeem didn't deserve MVP in '94 when he and the Rockets blew their lead?
True. Remember, the Rockets won the series against the Suns after they blew the huge lead in game two. Jason Kidd for one has too much pride to let the Nets crumble without a fight.
I'm guessing you'd celebrate like that too if you pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. So I guess Hakeem didn't deserve MVP in '94 when he and the Rockets blew their lead? You're comparing one game to a number of games. I and others on this BBS have said this all season about the Nets, and it's starting to show. With the exception of game 5 against the Pacers, Jason Kidd has never been a player who has thrived with the ball in his hands in the final seconds. You need a star-- a MVP-- to be able to get you that one basket you really need in the fourth quarter. My argument against Kidd has always been this... as good as his overall game is, and is great as his numbers are, he's not the best in the game because he cannot be counted on to consistently score in crucial moments, like Paul Pierce can.
And you're not? You're calling Chris Webber "the elite of the elite" for one basket he made against LA, when he has a 9-year history of playoff failure?
I've been as critical as anyone of Webber, but he's truly had a remarkable postseason to this point. It may be too soon to call him the elite of the elite, but for this entire postseason he and the Kings have shown a totally different mentality than the failures in the past.
The Cat I'd be more partial to a Larry Bird or Phil Jackson reaction with that kind of victory. That way I wouldn't look like a fool if you lose the series. Not Dancing around, screaming, yelling, falling on the floor, jumping on the scores table and having an oragasim.
NBC showed a graphic: coming into today, teams entering the 4th quarter in a playoff game with a 19+ point lead were 171-0. Make that 171-1.
