Quietly, Kidd Nurses Bad Ankle

There was more behind the New Jersey Nets’ decision to switch defenders on Tony Parker than to try to slow him down.

Not only is 6-foot-5 guard Kerry Kittles quicker and an inch taller than Jason Kidd, he also has two sound ankles. The switch in Game 4 of the NBA Finals limited Parker to three points on one-for-12 shooting as the Nets defeated San Antonio, 77-76, to even the best-of-seven series.

While Kidd isn’t limping, he has been bothered by the right ankle he sprained May 24 in Game 4 of the Nets’ sweep of Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals.

“I know J’s ankle is still swollen a little bit,” Anthony Johnson, who backs up Kidd at point guard, said Thursday. “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 against the Spurs to 17.0 points, 8.3 assists, 6.5 rebounds and four turnovers.

His shooting percentage has dropped from the mid-40s to 33%.

More telling is the fact that the 6-2 Parker dominated Kidd in the Spurs’ wins in Games 1 and 3.

Kidd had trouble staying with Parker coming off screens.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the best of J-Kidd,” Net 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 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 Martin would be back for Game 5 at Continental Airlines Arena tonight.

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.

History will be on the side of tonight’s winner.

Of the 22 previous times the Finals have been tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to take the title 16 times -- a 73% success rate.

Since adopting a 2-3-2 format in 1985, there have been five championship series that were tied 2-2. The team with home-court advantage won four of those times, and the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series three of five times.

“Last one that I remember was against Detroit, so I don’t want to talk about that one,” Scott said in reference to his playing days with the Lakers, who dropped Game 5 against the Pistons in 1988 before winning the final two games.

It should be noted that either the Pistons or Lakers reached 100 points in each of those seven games, while in this series that magic number has been reached only once -- in Game 1 when San Antonio defeated New Jersey, 101-89.

No one has reached 90 points since.

The point totals have dropped in each game, from 190 to 172 to 163 to 153, with Games 3 and 4 ranking among the seven lowest-scoring Finals games in league history.

Meanwhile, the Finals are getting personal.

There were five technical fouls, a couple of shoves and plenty of staredowns in Game 4. After a week of docile behavior by the Nets and Spurs, bad feelings are stirring.

“There’s no friendships here,” Kittles said. “Friendships are for the summertime. We don’t hate anybody over there, but they’re trying to take what we want.”

San Antonio put most of the blame for the physical nature of Game 4 on the Nets, who clearly got more aggressive in front of their home fans. The officials called 49 personal fouls -- the most in the series.

“I think with all the things that were going on the last game, they have to be careful, because the officials see it,” Spur forward Bruce Bowen said Thursday. “The officials that are at home watching the game, they see it.

“It’s kind of the situation where this team right here is trying to be the bully, so to speak, and we’re going to nip that in the bud.”

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The Series

*--* SAN ANTONIO VS. NEW JERSEY Series tied, 2-2 GAME 1 San Antonio, 101-89 GAME 2 New Jersey, 87-85 GAME 3 San Antonio, 84-79 GAME 4 New Jersey, 77-76 GAME 5 Tonight at New Jersey, 5:30 p.m GAME 6 Sunday at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m GAME 7 Wed. at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m.* *if necessary All times PDT

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