NBA FINALS Nets tie series as Kidd connects

He went 5-for-6 at the line in the final 20 seconds to help the Nets win, 87-85.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Jason Kidd wiped his right hand against his hip, brought it to his mouth and blew a kiss to his family -- just as he does every time he shoots a free throw.
Six times he went to the line in the final 20 seconds, and five of those times he calmly sank the shot.
Did you think this was going to be a noncompetitive NBA Finals? Kiss that notion good-bye.
Kidd's free-throw shooting, along with the defense of Dikembe Mutombo and Jason Collins against Tim Duncan, led the New Jersey Nets to an 87-85 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, evening the series at one game apiece.
The Spurs had a chance to win it at the end, but Stephen Jackson missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, and no one gained control of the loose ball before the final buzzer sounded.
To New Jersey
The series now heads to New Jersey for a week, and it looks a whole lot different than it did a day earlier, when the Nets were questioning and almost ridiculing the strategies used by coach Byron Scott.
Scott made plenty of adjustments, most notably giving 20 minutes of playing time to Mutombo -- the four-time defensive player of the year who had barely played in the post-season.
Mutombo made his first two shots, blocked three others and gave the Nets an inside presence that prevented the Spurs from scoring with ease from the inside, as they had in Game 1.
Collins, a second-year center, also was effective in neutralizing Duncan as the Nets held the MVP to 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Duncan hurt his own team by missing seven of 10 free throws, and he also committed four of the Spurs' 22 turnovers.
Kidd scores 30
Kidd led the Nets with 30 points -- including 13 in the fourth quarter -- and seven rebounds. Kenyon Martin had 14 points and two blocks, and Lucious Harris came off the bench to score 10. Those were the only four players to score in double figures for the Nets.
Tony Parker scored 21 points for San Antonio, with Jackson adding 16. The Spurs shot just 14-for-25 (56 percent) from the foul line.
On offense, the Nets were much more aggressive taking the ball inside and challenging San Antonio's shot blockers.
On defense, they let Collins and Mutombo handle the bulk of the assignment on Duncan, and each was able to contain him. San Antonio didn't reach 50 points until 2:37 remained in the third quarter.
Duncan had only eight points at halftime and didn't have a field goal in the fourth quarter until there was 4:46 left. That jump hook was followed by an airball from Martin and a short jumper by Parker, to cut San Antonio's deficit to 78-75 with 4:14 left.
One-point game
Three nifty touch passes led to a layup by Martin, but Robinson dunked on a fast break and Parker sped upcourt for a running 9-footer that made it a one-point game, 80-79, with 2:06 left.
Kidd's running jumper from the baseline gave New Jersey an 82-79 lead with 1:16 left, and San Antonio had a turnover and two missed shots on its next two possessions.