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No more Kidding around Nets star will improve, but can N.J. stop Duncan?Posted: Thursday June 05, 2003 1:43 PMUpdated: Tuesday June 10, 2003 12:53 PM
Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs rose to the occasion in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, while Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets did not. SI.com spoke with Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum about Wednesday's 101-89 opener as well as what we can expect in Game 2 Friday at the SBC Center. SI.com : Do you think New Jersey's 10-day layoff had anything to do with its poor shooting in Game 1? Do you expect the Nets to come out sharper in Game 2? McCallum : The ironic thing about Wednesday night's game is that the Nets should've jumped out to something like a 20-8 lead. The Spurs were horrible in the beginning of the game. As far as the shooting goes, there's no question that rustiness was a factor. Jason Kidd [4 of 17 shooting, 10 points] didn't blame his poor performance on the layoff, but he did say that whenever you have that much time off, there is an adjustment you have to go through. Don't expect Kidd to shoot as terribly as he did Wednesday, or to play as badly overall, again in this series. The Spurs are certainly not counting on that. If you take away the first four minutes of the game, Kidd was awful, positively awful. That won't happen again. SI.com : Is there anything the Nets can do in Game 2 to slow down Tim Duncan (32 points, 20 rebounds, seven blocks)? McCallum : One of the things Nets coach Byron Scott said after the game was that New Jersey was mechanical and just going through the motions on defense. The players didn't come hard at Duncan. The Nets threw a lot of stuff at him, but they weren't aggressive. When a Net would double team, he would still leave room for Duncan to move toward the basket. So obviously the Nets have to double Duncan, but I wonder if they need that second man to be bigger. But that will lead to another problem because if you bring the man covering David Robinson -- in this case Jason Collins -- the Admiral will just be more effective. SI.com : There was a Dikembe Mutombo sighting in Game 1. Do you expect him to get some playing time in this series since he has the height to guard Duncan? McCallum : After the loss, the Nets said they will stick with their gameplan, which didn't involve Mutombo. However, I absolutely, positively, definitely think we'll see more of Mutombo in the series. There are three reasons for this: a) The height factor; b) The experience factor: Remember, Mutombo played against the Lakers in the NBA Finals two years ago and was perceived as someone who slowed down, not stopped, but slowed down, and hung tough with Shaq -- at least once in a while; and c) The irritation factor. If Duncan is out there just placidly doing his thing, Mutombo has a way, even if it's not intentional, of hitting someone with an elbow, mucking up someone's nose, climbing over an opponent to get the ball, etc. So, I don't think there is any question the Nets have to use Mutombo. There was a lot of talk after Game 1 about Mutombo's lack of playing time throughout the playoffs, but I don't fault Scott for that. The Nets won 10 postseason games in a row without Mutombo. A lot of people like to say 'Maybe we should've seen it [the Nets need to have Mutombo ready to guard Duncan] coming,' but I don't buy that at all. Now, though, having seen Game 1 ... yeah, we'll see Mutombo get more minutes. SI.com : Kenyon Martin , who guarded Duncan, fouled out of Game 1. Will the Nets try other players, such as Mutombo, on Duncan in Game 2 as a way of protecting Martin? McCallum : Martin will not under any circumstances change the way he plays. Without saying it, the Nets forward gave hints after the game that he felt he was penalized with some phantom calls Wednesday night. The one thing New Jersey knows is that Martin has to start the game guarding Duncan. And I thought Martin was effective early in the contest. The Spurs weren't going into Duncan as much as they should have because Martin played him pretty well. And I think Martin will come at Duncan the same way in Game 2, with all the aggressiveness, and hope he doesn't get tagged with what he perceives as some ticky-tack calls. SI.com : David Robinson (14 points, six rebounds) was great Wednesday night. Do you think he's motivated because these are his last days as an NBA player, and do you think he'll be a factor for the entire series? McCallum : To answer the former, absolutely he's motivated. One thing about Robinson is that even when he was at the height of his career and named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, there were times when his laid-back personality is what you talked about -- his lack of aggressiveness and calm demeanor, the fact that he'd be hesitant to take over games, things like that. But now, as a 37-year-old veteran playing alongside a low-post player like Duncan, you can see why Robinson would be hesitant to take over. But the Spurs have told him that the team needs him in this series, and that he has extra motivation because this is the end of his career. I do think, however, that Robinson will have games in which he's not a factor. Robinson vs. Jason Collins was a key matchup that nobody talked about going into the Finals, but sometime in this series the Spurs will have to get at least another 14-and-8 or 12-and-8 game out of Robinson. SI.com : The Spurs blew several fourth-quarter leads throughout the playoffs, but in Game 1 they never let up. How important was that for San Antonio? McCallum : Along with the way the Spurs got back on defense and the play of Robinson, protecting a lead and showing confidence were the keys for San Antonio in Game 1. Protecting the lead was something the Spurs had been emphasizing and working on, and maintaining that advantage in the final quarter definitely gave the Spurs a confidence boost. Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. |
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