The Cavaliers and Nets are two of the thinnest teams left in the playoffs. Each is dependent on the strong play of their stars to win games. For Cleveland that means LeBron James and for New Jersey that means the trio of Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd. Last night at the Continental James brought his A-game - 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists - but the Jersey trio was lacking. The 87-85 Cleveland win pushes the Nets to the brink of elimination and there's no one to blame but the horses that got you there.
Kidd grabbed 17 rebounds and delivered seven assists but shot 2-of-13 from the floor and never got to the free throw line. Jefferson shot just 3-of-12 and couldn't do enough to slow down James, contrary to what the above picture might have you believe. Carter, on the other hand, scored 25 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out nine dimes which seems like a strong line but the end of the game was when he lost his nerve. In the closing minutes Carter missed free throw and field goal attempts, committed a bad foul that led to two Cav points and threw a pass away. All of that was prelude to the final Net possession. With Eric Snow harrassing him, Carter lost the ball 15 feet from the basket frittering away a last chance and, perhaps, a season.
(AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Comments