Kenyon Martin. For the second straight night, Kenyon Martin did all the manly work for the Nets. He completely dominated the Pistons' frontcourt in a 25-point, nine-rebound performance. His 16-point explosion in the fourth nearly matched Detroit's total of 19.
Kerry Kittles. He should be showing up for Game 2 any minute now. In addition to going 25 minutes without a field goal, Kittles was lit up like a Christmas tree by Richard Hamilton (24 points) for the second straight game. His empty box score line: two points, one rebound, no assists, no blocks and no steals. No wonder Lucious Harris got the crunch-time minutes.
While the castle was being sacked, the Palace guards were out to lunch. During the last 90 seconds, the Pistons' star backcourt of Hamilton and Chauncey Billups was nowhere to be found. Instead, with their season on the line, Clifford Robinson and Corliss Williamson got the call on three straight post-ups that yielded one point.
The Pistons shut down the Nets' vaunted fast break, but Kidd showed his value with the defensive stop of the game. With Detroit having 1.5 seconds to get a shot, he enveloped Billups completely, forcing the Pistons to call a timeout. On the second try, Kidd stood up Billups and forced a wild shot that had no chance. Fans clamored for a foul, but Kidd's play saved the day.
Photo Credits: Kenyon Martin (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images), Kerry Kittles (AP), Richard Hamilton (Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images), Jason Kidd (Einstein)