NBA

Nets lead big, then hold on

By TIMES WIRES
Published May 9, 2006

MIAMI - By any standard, the Heat made a huge closing run. It still wasn't nearly enough to overcome three quarters of miscues and missteps against the Nets.

Vince Carter scored 27, Jason Kidd added 22 and Richard Jefferson had 20 before leaving with an ankle injury as New Jersey saw most of a 28-point third-quarter lead vanish before hanging on to beat Miami 100-88 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series Monday night.

Dwyane Wade scored 25 for Miami, which got 20 points and 10 rebounds from Shaquille O'Neal - who was not effective until late, sitting out most of the first half with foul trouble. Jason Williams added 12 points for the Heat, which was doomed by 17 turnovers that led to 24 points.

Game 2 is Wednesday inMiami.

Cliff Robinson's 3-pointer with 9:53 left gave New Jersey an 89-65 lead, and many fans who booed the Heat on at least three occasions continued a steady stream up the stairs and out of the arena.

They missed a good comeback.

Miami rallied with an 18-3 run over the next 51/2 minutes. O'Neal had 11 points in the burst, including a putback to close the run with 4:21 left that drew Miami within 92-83.

But Carter scored five straight points, and Kidd delivered a backbreaking jumper with 1:56 left to restore a 13-point lead.

Nenad Krstic added 11 points for New Jersey, which got nine rebounds and seven assists from Kidd.

The tone was set early. O'Neal won the opening tip, and Williams made a layup 10 seconds later to give the Heat the lead. Until the fourth, that was about the only moment the home crowd could cheer.

New Jersey used a 12-0 first-quarter burst to build its cushion, then a 13-0 run in the third quarter to take control - and take away the homecourt advantage from the Heat, which swept the Nets in the last season's opening playoff round but have lost the past four meetings with New Jersey by an average of 11 points.

By the midway point of the first quarter, the outcome looked all but decided. O'Neal was on the bench with two quick fouls, the Heat was turning the ball over on more than half its possessions, and the Nets simply wouldn't miss.

Jefferson, who left in the third quarter, was 4-for-4 for 11 points in the first 3:55, staking New Jersey to an 18-5 lead. X-rays on his ankle were negative. He left the arena in a walking boot.

Kidd, who shot 29 percent in the Nets' first-round win over Indiana, hit his first six shots. And oddly enough, the only Nets starter who didn't go offensively bonkers early was Carter, who averaged 38.5 points against Miami in the regular season but was only 3-for-7 in the first quarter.

[Last modified May 9, 2006, 00:42:06]