NBA

Nets clinch a spot in playoffs

And the last slot in the NBA playoffs goes to New Jersey.

Both the Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers finished off the season with victories Wednesday night, but it was New Jersey that controlled its own destiny in a last-ditch attempt to clinch the final spot in the NBA postseason.

Vince Carter paced the visiting Nets, who got off to a shaky start and a strong finish - the same way the team's season went.

Carter shook off an early injury and scored 24 of his 37 points in the second half to lead a comeback from a 19-point, second-quarter deficit in a 102-93 win over the Celtics.

New Jersey needed to make one final rally after the Celtics used an 8-0 run to close to 96-93 with 1:16 left. The Nets scored the final six points, all on free throws, then shook hands with Boston players and walked calmly off the court.

The Nets got the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and play at top-seeded Miami on Sunday. The Celtics already had clinched the No. 3 seed and open their first-round series at home Saturday night against Indiana.

New Jersey started the season with a 2-11 record but finished with a 15-4 surge. Still, the Nets went into the final day of the regular season competing with Cleveland for the last playoff spot. Had the Nets lost, they would have been eliminated because Cleveland won at Toronto.

Both teams finished 42-40, but the Nets had the tiebreaker edge by winning the season series over the Cavaliers.

As he did the previous night against the Cavaliers, Celtics coach Doc Rivers did not use his best two players, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, in the fourth quarter. Two other starters who played against Cleveland sat out against New Jersey - Gary Payton with lower back spasms and Raef LaFrentz with a groin injury.

Pierce led the Celtics with 21 points and Delonte West added 15. The Nets got 19 points from Jason Kidd and 18 from Nenad Krstic.

The Nets missed 10 of their first 11 shots and got an early scare when Carter hobbled off the court and into the locker room after missing a layup with 7:29 left in the first quarter. He hurt his left Achilles tendon but returned with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter.

CAVS 104, RAPTORS 95: LeBron James had 27 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds to pace visiting Cleveland, though in vain.

James did what he could, and by halftime was only one rebound short of a triple-double as Cleveland led by 15. The 20-year-old star recorded his fourth triple-double of the season by grabbing a rebound just 23 seconds into the second half, and the Cavaliers began the half with a 16-2 run that included two 3-pointers by James.

Cleveland lost seven of its last 11 games.

[Last modified April 21, 2005, 01:06:12]