Celtics Bring Their ‘D’ Game

All those free lanes, open layups, gone.

All the movement, the cuts and screens, stopped with a thud, a thump, a bash and crash.

The Boston Celtics decided to play defense Tuesday night at Continental Airlines Arena. The Celtics became bullies, acted as if they’d spent Monday lifting tonnage and eating spinach to get big, strong and mean. These bullies, with their chests puffed out and their elbows swinging, beat the New Jersey Nets, 93-86, to tie the best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference finals, 1-1. Game 3 is Saturday at Boston’s Fleet Center.

The Celtics won even though shooting stars Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker combined to go 14 of 52, even though this team that thrives on the three-point shot was six of 23 from that range. The Celtics won because, as Net Coach Byron Scott said, “They just seemed to want it a little more than we did. They got more aggressive.”

The Celtics won because, after getting outrebounded by 11 in Game 1, they outrebounded the Nets, 60-50. The Celtics won because every time the Nets got close, a Tony Battie or an Eric Williams or Walker or Pierce refused to let the Nets make that one key basket.

The Celtics won because they kept the Nets from scoring for 16 consecutive possessions in the third quarter, because they kept the Nets from making a field goal for 8:24, because they had an 18-1 run that turned a one-point lead into an 18-point bulge. In that quarter, they ran harder for every ball, fought harder for every rebound and made every shot for New Jersey more difficult than the Nets could imagine.

“There was always a body where we wanted to go, always a hand in our face,” Net guard Jason Kidd said.

Kidd was the only Net who didn’t need to re-examine his game. Kidd had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his second consecutive triple-double, becoming the first player to do that in the playoffs since the Lakers’ Magic Johnson in 1984. But this is not a one-man game.

Where seven Nets scored in double figures Sunday, only one other starter besides Kidd--Kenyon Martin (22 points)--and two reserves--Aaron Williams (16) and Lucious Harris (11)--had double digits on Tuesday.

It was his final assist, the one which gave Kidd his triple-double, that was most spectacular and almost game-changing.

On an inbounds play, Keith Van Horn got a finger on a Pierce pass. Kidd stole the misdirected ball and made an eye-crossing behind-the-back-pass to Van Horn, who scored a layup with 1:26 left. It made the score, 88-83, in favor of Boston and brought the crowd to its feet for the first time.

But after stopping Boston on offense, the Nets’ Williams and Kidd missed. Celtic guard Kenny Anderson then took a curious, unnecessary and off-balance jump shot that missed badly, but Kerry Kittles clanked an open three-point shot.

And that was it.

That final blooper left Kittles two of 11 from the field. Van Horn was two of 12 and center Todd MacCulloch, who had 14 points Sunday, was held without a field goal.

“The Celtics went and made it a perimeter-type game,” Kidd said. “They made us kick it out. They did their job, they got a game, now they have home court. They beat us to every loose ball, they were more aggressive than we were. It’s pretty simple. That’s why they won the game.”

Walker finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, although he took 32 shots to get those points.

“It wasn’t a pretty game,” Walker said. “Paul and I don’t want to make this a habit. But we can win ugly like this.

“We have a coach [Jim O’Brien] who basically gives [Pierce] and I the green light. Obviously we want to take good shots, but when things aren’t going well for us, we still are allowed to be aggressive.”

Said the Celtics’ Anderson: “We played defense. That’s our statement. Defense. And now it’s a series, isn’t it?”