NBA FINALS Nets seeking answer for Spurs, in danger of falling behind 3-1

No team ever has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a Finals series.
THE RECORD
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The daunting task of coming back from a 3-1 deficit is staring at the New Jersey Nets if they have a repeat performance of Game 2, where they couldn't score and coughed up the basketball 20 times.
No team ever has come back from 3-1 to win an NBA Finals series. Since the league instituted the 2-3-2 format in 1985, there have been two seventh games and the home team won both. Clearly, history is on the side of Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs should they win Game 4 tonight at the Meadowlands.
New Jersey confident
But the Nets are confident that it won't be deja vu all over again. They're confident they won't score just nine points in the second quarter and that they will have an answer for the Spurs' zone defense. They believe Tony Parker won't outplay Jason Kidd again and that Richard Jefferson will break out of his 8-for-23 slump over the past 11 quarters.
"I think we made a great adjustment today to slow Tony Parker," Dikembe Mutombo said after practice Tuesday at Continental Arena. "If we can get Parker and Duncan to slow down the pace a little bit, I think we have a chance to win Game 4 with a large margin -- which we will win, no matter what."
This isn't false bravado. The Nets believe. A team that is a Stephen Jackson 3-pointer away from being down 3-0 couldn't sound more positive. They said they had two great days of practice and preparation to make sure they answer what the Spurs throw at them.
The Nets have had trouble with the Spurs' high pick-and-roll with Parker and Duncan. Parker, the beneficiary of all the attention Duncan is receiving on defense, has burned the Nets for 47 points the past two games, including 26 in Game 3.
Weakside help needed
Mutombo promised that the Nets would send more weakside help to prevent easy baskets.
"We have to give Jason a little bit of help because they're hitting him with a lot of pick and rolls," Mutombo said. "He's our leader on the floor and we will not allow him to get beat up the way he's getting beat with the pick and roll with all of the bodies they're throwing at him. They're trying to get him tired down the stretch and we as big guys need to support him."
Offensively, is where the Nets have struggled. The ball isn't moving as well. And the Spurs are sending three and four players back to defend in transition.
They haven't had one alley-oop because of Duncan and David Robinson patrolling the paint. The Nets' one attempt resulted in a turnover.
The Nets are preaching patience tonight, whether they face zone or man-to-man defense. They want to work the ball around for the best available shot. They're averaging 85 points in this series, nearly 14 fewer than in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
"You want to drive and penetrate more so than passing it and swinging it around the perimeter like we were doing in Game 3," Kerry Kittles said. "We'll try and improve that. We'll try to get more assists, more paint scores, and more free throws."
Great expectations
The Nets believe that tonight will be different. That Kidd will bounce back from a 6-for-19, 12-point effort, and that their bench will produce more.
"About eight minutes of bad basketball has cost us two games, so we have to just go out there and continue to fight hard," Jefferson said. "We don't need to change any of our schemes. We don't need to change any of our defensive strategies. We just have to continue to work hard and be positive with each other."
It could mean the difference between 2-2 and 1-3, or hope and despair.