Retro night

Kerr's experience more useful than Jersey's jerseys

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Nets broke out their retro jerseys for Friday’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

What they needed was a retro player. A guy who knows how to stay calm in a pressure situation. A guy who can knock down a few outside shots and doesn’t turn the ball over in the frantic final minutes.

In other words, a guy like Steve Kerr.

How fitting that Kerr, the 37-year-old sharpshooter with four NBA rings, would turn out to be a surprise hero of his team’s pivotal 93-83 victory. All night New Jersey struggled and strained to put the ball in the hoop. Jason Kidd tried his best, but Kenyon Martin (2-of-8), Kerry Kittles (3-of-9), Lucious Harris (1-of-7) and Rodney Rogers (0-for-3) could not make San Antonio pay for sagging into its 3-2 zone defense.

Then, after Kerr helped spark a key Spurs’ fourth-quarter run, Martin killed any hopes of a Nets comeback by playing Santa Claus with the basketball. "Just a bad game at the wrong time," said Martin, refusing to use a bout of the flu as an excuse. "I had a couple of bad turnovers and missed easy baskets. I put it on my shoulders."

SI.com On Site  Marty Burns: The Nets broke out their retro jerseys for Friday's Game 5 of the NBA Finals. What they needed was a retro player. A guy who knows how to stay calm in a pressure situation. A guy like Steve Kerr • Click here for more  Analysis and Opinion  • Fast Breaks: Deke's prediction fails • McCallum: Finals have been ugly • Burns: These Finals need Shaq • Picks: Burns | Hollinger | McCallum More Stories  • Game 5: Recap | Box Score • MVP Duncan delivers down stretch • Flu-ridden Martin can't help Nets • Arena targeted by fires, bomb threat • Notebook: Rose rebounds in Game 5 • Nets can't win over N.Y. fans • Mutombo predicts Game 5 win   Instant Poll  Why can't the Nets score against San Antonio? Spurs are too good Nets can't shoot Poor halfcourt strategy Not running enough View Results

Shortly after checking into the game early in the fourth quarter, Kerr showed the Nets how big games like this are won. It was more than his zone-busting shooting. Just as he did in Game 6 of the Mavericks series, he immediately brought a calming presence.

He set up Tim Duncan with perfect entry passes.

He spaced the floor, forcing Kidd to stay close to him and not dig down as far on Duncan in the post.

He came up with a defensive gem, reaching back to strip Martin on a drive, then diving to the floor to corral the loose ball.

He nailed a killer 3-pointer off a kick-out from Duncan on a set play after a timeout.

He plunged the final dagger with a 15-foot runner around Kidd.

"My role is what it is," said Kerr, who finished with six points, a rebound and a steal in nine minutes. "If they need me, be ready."

The next time somebody tells you experience is overrated, think of Kerr. Experience alone might not be enough to win an NBA title, but experience combined with talent can be a pretty lethal combination.

It worked against Dallas, when Kerr came off the bench and hit four straight 3-pointers to help his team clinch. And it worked Friday in Game 5, when Kerr did everything but burp and change his team’s diapers down the stretch.

"I was really nervous my first time in the Finals in 1996 and I did not shoot well," said Kerr, a member of three Bulls title winners. "I understand what’s going on out there for a lot of the guys. You miss a few shots and it feels like the whole world’s coming down on you."

Kerr’s sensational performance in brief stints during two key postseason games only begs the question: Why hasn’t he played more?

As one foreign journalist asked Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after San Antonio's miserable shooting performance in a Game 4 loss: "Why not use one of best shooters in this game, Steve Kerr, on your bench who did a great job against Dallas?"

"I’ve got to answer that, right?" Popovich said with more than a trace of sarcasm. "Because I decided to do something else."

The Nets only wish Popovich had remained stubborn. The Nets only wish they had a guy like Steve Kerr.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.