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Getting physical Nets figure out how to slow down DuncanPosted: Saturday June 07, 2003 4:04 PMEAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AP) -- The New Jersey Nets might have a way slow down Tim Duncan in the NBA Finals. New Jersey limited Duncan to 19 points and 12 rebounds with an array of bumps, pushes, hacks and defenses on Friday night, evening the best-of-seven series with an 87-85 victory in Game 2. "We were a little more physical with him and kept him away from the basket," center Jason Collins said. "We came with the double team and made him pick up his dribble; that way he couldn't find his teammates that easy." The Nets will get a chance to see if the defense works again as the series resumes Sunday in New Jersey with Game 3 at the Continental Airlines Arena. New Jersey is 6-1 at home in the playoffs, winning its past five games. If things stay the same, Duncan is going to see a number of defenders again, although Kenyon Martin may not play the two-time defending MVP as much. Martin got into foul trouble in the first two games, and the Nets were able to have Collins and Dikembe Mutombo muscle Duncan. Several times during the game, Duncan stared at the officials when he didn't get a call after either missing a shot or having the ball taken away. "They did a great job of playing between guys, and they just found a way to kind of cut off the lanes," said Duncan, who had 32 points and 20 rebounds in Game 1. "I thought they were very good on defense." The one thing the Nets did a lot better Friday was make sure Duncan felt pressure any time he got the ball close to the basket. Not only was he being bumped from behind, but the Nets were also "digging down" with nearby defenders to help out. It's not actually a double team, but it looks and feels like one. "We wanted to get it [the ball] out of his hands," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "That's what we do to any great post-up player." Mutombo, who had played only 33 minutes in the first three rounds of the playoffs, was also huge. The four-time NBA defensive player of the year gave New Jersey a presence in the lane and forced Duncan to compete against someone 2 inches taller. "He is their playmaker, and how he goes is how the Spurs go," said Mutombo, who got a postseason personal-high of 20 minutes Friday. "We cannot stop him, but if we can find a way to slow him down we are going to have great success in this series." Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that the Nets didn't do anything that Duncan hasn't seen this season, although they may have played the defense better than most team. San Antonio didn't help itself. The Spurs had 21 turnovers and missed 11 free throws. Expect them to adjust. "We just didn't play smart," center David Robinson said. "You look at that first half -- we drove and we tried to throw it through three guys. We were just giving the ball away. It was stupid stuff. That's not the way we play basketball." The victory was the Nets' first in six NBA Finals games. They were swept by the Lakers last season. It also sent them back to New Jersey with momentum for the next three games. "I think it was good for us to get the win, but I don't think that our confidence has lacked at all during this whole series," said guard Lucious Harris, who had 10 points, including a desperation fourth-quarter jumper that beat the shot-clock. "We just had a lot of guys contribute and we were more aggressive on the defensive end," Harris said. Duncan probably would agree. |
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