With the NBA on hiatus and New York continuing its battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, Brooklyn Nets games will not be played for the foreseeable future.
For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.
Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight impressive individual performances and major moments throughout Nets history:
The New Jersey Nets only mustered up 58 points through the first three quarters of Game 2 of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals on May 20. Their opponents, the Detroit Pistons, didn’t shoot the lights out either, but they led by nine points going into the final quarter after losing the first game of the series at home.
Turns out, nine points wasn’t enough, especially with the way Kenyon Martin played in the fourth. The big man scored 16 of his 25 points, nearly outscoring the Pistons on his own in the fourth on the way to an 88-86 Nets win (full box score).
Martin also had nine rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot.
“I’ve been watching this kid from Day 1, and I’ve seen him grow unbelievably,” Nets head coach Byron Scott said after the win. “Now he is playing like a superstar. This is the time of the year where you can make a name for yourself, and that’s what he is doing.”
Jason Kidd (20 points) and Jason Collins (11) were the only other Nets to finish in double figures. Collins also grabbed 14 boards.