Nets Grab Last Playoff Spot

Vince Carter landed awkwardly, grimaced and leaned on a table near Boston’s bench. The game wasn’t even five minutes old and already New Jersey’s playoff chances seemed to sink as he limped to the locker room.

He knew better.

Less than three minutes after missing a layup and being kneed in the left Achilles’ tendon by Antoine Walker, Carter returned to help the Nets earn the NBA’s last playoff berth with a 102-93 victory over Boston on Wednesday night.

“I just wanted to add some drama,” he joked, a smile in place of the look of pain. “I knew I didn’t do anything bad. I was just uncomfortable.”

But he was comfortable with his shooting in the second half when he scored 24 of his 37 points. He even outscored the Celtics, 15-8, in the third quarter and sparked the Nets’ rally from a 19-point, second-quarter deficit to the victory that gave them the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.

New Jersey and Cleveland, which defeated Toronto, both finished at 42-40, but the Nets held the tiebreaker edge.

“It’s a great feeling. We accomplished a lot,” said Carter, obtained from Toronto on Dec. 17. “My goal was just to come out and lend a helping hand.”

He did much more than that. The Nets were 32-24 with him and 10-16 without him. He led them in scoring in 16 of their last 19 games, averaging 32.5 points in those 16 contests.

“Vince has carried us since he’s been here,” New Jersey Coach Lawrence Frank said. “Vince, time after time after time, delivers.”

The Nets will play at top-seeded Miami on Sunday. The Celtics, who already had clinched the No. 3 spot, will open their first-round series at home Saturday against Indiana.

“I thrive when the stage gets bigger and I’m definitely ready,” said Paul Pierce, who led Boston with 21 points. “It’s that time of the year, playoff time. There’s no time like it.”

The Nets will participate after winning a game that went the way their season did -- a shaky start and a strong finish.

“This game sums up our whole season for us,” Jason Kidd said.

“We were down but didn’t fold the tent.”