Nets Put End to Sweep Talk

Richard Jefferson was the reason why Kenyon Martin’s foul trouble and Jason Kidd’s poor shooting didn’t matter much.

The Nets used their fastbreak to take a big early lead, and Jefferson scored a career playoff-high 30 points to help New Jersey finally defeat the Detroit Pistons, 82-64, Sunday night.

The Pistons lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, 2-1, with Game 4 set for Tuesday.

“I would say I was due more than anything,” said Jefferson, who made six of 25 shots in Games 1 and 2 before going 11 for 19 in Game 3. “I’ve progressively gotten better in this series. You get used to the way they’re playing you, you make adjustments, you find your shots and you’ve just got to knock them down.”

Ben Wallace had 24 rebounds but was the only Detroit player to display the same type of energy that fueled lopsided victories in Games 1 and 2.

Plenty of factors could have hurt the Nets, including another awful shooting performance by Kidd (two for 14) and foul trouble for Martin that limited him to 21 minutes.

But New Jersey never let an early 21-point lead get too low.

“The resolve and determination and will of this team, it should never be questioned,” Net guard Kerry Kittles said. “Whether we win or lose a series or a couple games, our integrity and the makeup of this team should never be questioned.”

After Games 1 and 2, plenty of people questioned whether New Jersey could play with a Piston team swept by the Nets in the conference finals last year.

“They were really prepared. They played great,” Piston Coach Larry Brown said. “I think their effort was phenomenal. It was a carbon copy of Game 1 only the teams were reversed.”

Kerry Kittles scored 17 points, but his biggest contribution was his defense on Chauncey Billups, who averaged 17 points in the first two games but was limited to two on one-for-10 shooting. Taking that defensive assignment away from Kidd was probably the best adjustment made by Net Coach Lawrence Frank.

Wallace and Richard Hamilton had 15 points each for the Pistons, who made only 22 of 76 shots (29%).

The game got away from the Pistons quickly, Rasheed Wallace going to the bench with two fouls before Detroit scored a point. Seven of New Jersey’s first 11 points came on the fast break, and the Nets took their first double-digit lead before the game was four minutes old.

“They won, but I’m putting an asterisk by this win,” said Rasheed Wallace, upset with the officiating. “Don’t even waste your time with no more questions.”