PEJA Stojakovic couldn’t go, again, which took the stretch out of the Pacers offense, again. It not only made it a reach for the Pacers to win this series, but it challenges heretofore common knowledge that far and away the best big man in it is Jermaine O’Neal.
Let’s put it this way: The end-zone stands at the Meadowlands for Game 5 were a lot less packed than were the Nets whenever the ball went into the Pacers center, trying to will his crippled team. Exhausting work it was against the big body of Jason Collins, who was spelled by the almost-as-big body of Cliff Robinson, significant help coming from a Nets’ no-longer-weak-side, anchored by Nenad Krstic.
Krstic grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked two shots to go with 19 points that still didn’t quantify his down-the-stretch contributions to a 92-86 Game 5 victory. Vince Carter had the flying, left-handed dunk that put it away, which is his job. He took off, 8 feet from the basket, out of the contributions of a lot of Nets, who had exhausted all means in the effort to exhaust O’Neal.
“There is a scheme out there where the help is supposed to come from, what my responsibilities are to force Jermaine,” said Collins. “Sometimes Jermaine will make All-Star caliber plays and sometimes the help will be there.”
Despite all that assistance, O’Neal wound up with 19 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks, two of which were on Krstic. Nevertheless, down the stretch the Pacers center was called for an offensive foul (against Robinson), was called for traveling, then failed to score in the final four minutes, leaving the Pacers’ last heaves in the hands of the golden-slippered Anthony Johnson, for whom midnight has arrived.
“The guys got a little fatigued, probably,” said Johnson. You wonder how much energy the guys can regenerate at Conseco tomorrow night in the last-ditch effort to bring themselves back to the Meadowlands on Saturday to die.
For all the depth Lawrence Frank keeps insisting Rick Carlisle has, the Nets have more guys who can make plays at the ends of the games. Collins, in foul trouble throughout last night, could play without fear knowing Robinson could come off the bench, knowing Krstic, nimble enough to guard Austin Croshere (3-for-8) on the perimeter, had the centers’ backs.
“Cliff is a very good post defender,” said Collins. “I can afford to go out there and be aggressive because you can’t be passive out there, can’t let people go where they want to go.
“Nenad, he’s always learning.”
Krstic’s 19 points followed his 22-point Game 1 and a 21-point Game 4. His averages for the series, (18 points, 7.8 rebounds, one block), aren’t far off O’Neal’s (21, 7.8, 2.8) in virtually the same number of minutes, albeit not against the same defensive scrutiny.
Of course, that’s the picked-poison beauty of the Nets, thanks in part to Krstic’s emergence as not only a big man with a consistent spot-up touch, but defender and rebounder. In a 1:34 span midway through the fourth quarter, he grabbed four boards, then went up strong after catching two lobs, only to be foiled by the flying O’Neal.
Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes he gets you. This is no easily-pushed off the blocks beanpole jump shooter, but already one of the NBA’s better low-post presences in his second season.
“A guy his size we need to play big on both ends of the court,” said Robinson. “All year he has gotten better at putting himself in position to help defensively. He has blocked a few more shots, taken a few more charges.”
A fourth head grows on the Nets’ monster, three too many for the Pacers.
“I didn’t guard O’Neal except a few possessions,” shrugged Krstic. “I tried to help while challenging Croshere’s shots.
“I just like to win. But if people now say its the Big Four, it means a lot to me.”
To the Nets, too.