Associated Press
Nets Use 3-Pointers To Stop Heat
The postseason, Pierce said repeatedly, is no time to panic. And the Heat, apparently, are nothing to fear.
"We're not scared of them," Pierce said.
Joe Johnson scored 19 points, Andray Blatche had career playoff highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets handed the Heat their first loss this postseason, 104-90 on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
More From Game 3
In
Game 3, Nets point guard Deron Williams didn't settle the often
contentious debate on whether Brooklyn should keep waiting for him to be
its franchise star, Johnette Howard writes. Story
The Nets played like a balanced team that kept hitting the champs from each and every direction, Ohm Youngmisuk writes. Blog
The
Miami Heat's first loss of the playoffs in Game 3 was the inevitable
wake-up call the defending champions were facing, writes. Story
• Begley: Nets nail 3s
• Mazzeo: Blatche comes through
• Stats & Info: Keys to Heat's victory
• Grades | Series home
"Tonight was the type of urgency we're going to need for the rest of the series," Pierce said.
Brooklyn, which swept Miami in the regular season, can tie the series with a victory at home Monday night in Game 4.
"I think this is a must-win coming up Monday," Garnett said. "If we want to give ourselves any type of room ... any type of chance, I think that we've definitely got to take care of home."
James scored 28 points for the Heat, who hadn't even faced a fourth-quarter deficit in these playoffs before having their eight-game winning streak in the postseason snapped. It was their first loss since Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The two-time defending champions were having an easy path to another finals, winning their last four games by double digits. But the Nets shook off the Heat's sizzling start, then held them to 33 points over the middle two quarters to take control.
"I've been part of a lot of series and understand that the series is never won in two games or in three games," James said. "And you move onto the next one and you learn from the previous one how you can get better."
Mirza Teletovic and Shaun Livingston each scored 12 points for the Nets in their first home postseason victory ever against the Heat. Teletovic made four of Brooklyn's 15 3-pointers.
Williams, 0 for 9 in Game 2, shot just 3 for 11 but finished with nine points and 11 assists. Garnett, just 2 for 10 for four total points in Miami, shot 5 of 6 for 10 points and seven rebounds.
Catching Fire
The Nets were 15-of-25 from deep in Game 3, good for 60 percent. It's
the fifth time in NBA playoff history that a team has taken at least 25
3-pointers and made 60 percent or more.
| Opponent | 3-pt Pct. | |
|---|---|---|
| Sonics (1996) | Rockets | 74.1 |
| Rockets (1995) | Jazz | 67.9 |
| Celtics (2002) | 76ers | 65.5 |
| Mavs (2011) | Lakers | 62.5 |
| Nets (2014) | Heat | 60.0 |
He made a free throw to bring Miami to 59-56 in the third quarter, but Teletovic made a 3-pointer, followed by baskets by Blatche, Johnson and Livingston to make it 68-56. Teletovic made two more 3s and Williams knocked down another before the end of the quarter, which ended with the Nets ahead 77-63.
Teletovic opened the fourth with another 3, and Alan Anderson hit a pair later in the period while also getting in a skirmish with Ray Allen that led to double technical fouls. The Nets held Allen to two baskets after he hurt them in both games in Miami.
The Nets shot 53 percent from the field, 60 percent from behind the arc, and outrebounded the Heat 43-27. Brooklyn outscored Miami 53-41 in the second half, making 20 of 33 shots.
"To sum it up, they outplayed us. They outplayed us, particularly in that whole second half," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Williams ended his slump with the game's first basket, but Miami made eight of its first 11 shots, including one by James while Pierce was trying to wrap him up and was called for a flagrant foul. James was 6 of 7 in the period, and the Nets were lucky to be down only 30-29 when Livingston threw in a 36-footer just before the buzzer.
James then took just one shot in the second, a missed 3-pointer, and the Nets pulled ahead late in the period and took a 51-49 lead into halftime.
Game notes
The Nets improved to just 2-10 in the postseason against the Heat, who swept them in the 2005 first round and beat them in five games in the 2006 Eastern Conference semifinals. ... Rapper Busta Rhymes, from Brooklyn, announced the Nets' starting lineup. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Jerry Seinfeld, Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudekis were among the other entertainers in the crowd.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
Research Notes
In Game 3, the Nets had 10 uncontested jump shots (47 total jumpers) and made eight (all assisted).
|
LeBron James was 4-of-5 shooting when Paul Pierce
guarded him in the first quarter. The rest of the series, James is
4-of-11 against Pierce, including 0-of-2 in the first three quarters of
Game 3.
|
The Nets scored 14 transition points during Game 3, due in part to excellent 3-point shooting.
[+] |
LeBron James scored 16 points in the first quarter but had just 12 the rest of the game.
[+] |
The
Heat are off to another hot start - and that is nothing new considering
they've now gone 5-1 or better through their first 6 playoff games in
every postseason dating back to when LeBron and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in South Beach. The Heat franchise record for consecutive wins to begin a postseason is 8 in 2004-05.
[+] |
The
Heat could become the 6th team under the current format to win its
first 7 playoff games in a season, and each of the previous 5 ended up
losing in the Conference Finals.
The first round went to best-of-7 in the 2003 playoffs.
[+] |
LeBron James
is shooting a career-high 56.3 percent from the floor in 6 games this
postseason. To put that in perspective, he shot 48.7 percent in his
first 3 postseasons with the Heat and has a career playoff shooting
percentage of 47.5 percent.
[+] |
No team in NBA history has gone undefeated in an entire postseason.
The 2000-01 Lakers posted the best win percentage in a single postseason in NBA history (.938).
[+] |
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