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Fighting the injury bug Nets' Kidd still trying to overcome sore right anklePosted: Thursday June 12, 2003 5:48 PMUpdated: Friday June 13, 2003 11:58 AM EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- There is a little more behind the New Jersey Nets' decision to have Kerry Kittles guard Tony Parker in Game 4 of the NBA Finals instead of Jason Kidd than having a different defensive look. A little longer and quicker than Kidd, Kittles also played on two healthy ankles in limiting Parker to three points on 1-for-12 shooting as the Nets posted a 77-76 win over the San Antonio Spurs to even the best-of-seven series. While Kidd isn't limping, he has been bothered in the finals by the right ankle he sprained May 24 in Game 4 of the Nets' sweep of Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals, coaches and teammates said Thursday. "I know J's ankle is still swollen a little bit," said Anthony Johnson, who backs up Kidd at the point guard. "I know he is not going to use that as an excuse, the guy that he is. J is playing a lot of minutes, and when you play a lot of minutes on a bad ankle it wears on you." After averaging 20.3 points, 8.3 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 turnovers in the first three rounds of the playoffs, Kidd's numbers have slipped in the finals against the Spurs. He is averaging 17.0 points, 8.3 assists, 6.5 rebounds and four turnovers in a series where the defenses have dominated. His shooting percentage has dropped from the mid 40s to 33 percent. Even more telling is the fact that Parker dominated Kidd in the Spurs' wins in Games 1 and 3. He was so quick, Kidd had trouble staying with him coming off the screens. "I don't think we've seen the best of J-Kidd," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "He can play better. I'm sure he would tell you the same thing. He could play a lot better than he's playing. But he's a warrior. He's going to go out there and give everything that he's got." Kidd said his ankle isn't the only thing that's sore. "At this time in June, if you're playing, you're going to have some soreness or some bumps and bruises," Kidd said. "You've got to play through that. It just happens to be my ankle is a little sore, but that's not going to slow me down." Nets forward Donny Marshall, who is one of Kidd's closest friends on the team, said Kidd would never let anyone know if his ankle was really bothering him. "He wouldn't tell you even if he was in excruciating pain," Marshall said. Marshall then remembered looking at the box score from Game 4. Kidd played 47 of the 48 minutes, sitting 62 seconds in the second quarter. "When he got subbed out, he told them he didn't want to come out," Marshall said. "He said, 'This is crunch time, I need to be on the floor 48 minutes.' "A guy who is worried about his ankle is not going to do that," Marshall said. Kidd wasn't the only Net with health issues Thursday. Power forward Kenyon Martin did not feel well and was sent home before practice ended. Scott and Kidd both said K-Mart would be back for Game 5 at the Continental Airlines Arena on Friday. Martin felt the same way for Game 4 and had 20 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes. "We know when it comes to game time, he'll be there," Kidd said. |
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