Jason Kidd's play on home court has Nets on verge of series sweep
Detroit had no solution for 18 turnovers and a 50-39 rebounding deficit.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- For a change, Jason Kidd didn't wait until the final seconds to make a play to win the game. Instead, he made a whole bunch of them all evening long.
Leading a fast break that had been stifled for two games on the road, Kidd had a career playoff-high 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals as the New Jersey Nets beat Detroit 97-85 Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Chants
Kidd made 11 of 21 shots and 11 of 13 free throws and heard chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" as he stood at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. He was just 14-for-40 from the field in Games 1 and 2, when he had to make plays in the final two seconds -- a 20-foot fadeaway and a defensive stop -- in a pair of two-point victories.
"I had the same shots in Game 1 and Game 2, and unfortunately I was building the house," Kidd said. "I couldn't throw it in the ocean. A couple of balls finally went through the hoop instead of hitting the iron."
More importantly, the Nets finally ran with abandon after two games of low-scoring drudgery. Kidd and Kenyon Martin, who added 19 points, spurred a 32-4 advantage in fast-break points.
"Let's force our will on them," said coach Byron Scott, repeating his pregame message to his players. "Let's not get into a walk-it-up-and-down-the-floor type of game. Let's not get in the 80s. Let our presence be felt on the offensive end. If they can stop it, so be it. If not, we're going to get some easy buckets."
The Nets needed fourth-quarter rallies to win the first two games, with the scores in the 70s and 80s. The defending conference champions have won nine straight playoff games and can close out their second straight sweep Saturday when they play host to Game 4.
"It's what we talked about all season long -- getting back to the finals, having a chance to win the championship," Scott said. "We thought about this in October, when training camp started."
Detroit's best
Richard Hamilton scored 21 points -- but only six in the second half -- to lead the Pistons, who now must attempt to become the first team in NBA history to come back from 3-0 down to win a series.
"We didn't come out tonight and compete at all," forward Corliss Williamson said.
Martin scored 14 points in the first quarter, when New Jersey took the lead for good. Kidd scored 15 of New Jersey's 19 points and had two steals during a 9 1/2-minute stretch starting late in the second quarter.
Desperate to find a winning formula, Detroit coach Rick Carlisle benched struggling starters Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince for much of the second half, but there was no solution for 18 turnovers, a 50-39 rebounding deficit and a fast Nets team that seemed to have its hands everywhere.