May 2, 2002: Game 5 Indiana Pacers 109, New Jersey Nets 120
The first-ever home OT playoff game in Nets franchise history came in a decisive Game 5 of the 2002 Eastern Conference first round matchup, between the top-seeded Nets and the eighth-seed Indiana Pacers. The Nets appeared to have the game wrapped up in the waning moments of regulation when former Nets guard and mustache hero Kevin Ollie missed a shot with five seconds remaining. After Richard Jefferson grabbed the rebound, the Pacers fouled Jefferson, and all he needed to do was hit one free throw to seal the series-clinching win. Naturally, he missed both.
Then Reggie Miller did this:
Jason Kidd had a shot to win the game at the buzzer of the first overtime that rattled in and out, but the Nets dominated the second OT 13-2 to take the game and the series. The 2012-13 New York Knicks on the Nets had quite a game: Kidd led the Nets in scoring (31), assists (7) steals (4), and tied for the team lead in rebounds (8) with Kenyon Martin; Martin finished second on the Nets with 29 points.
Here’s the SportsCenter segment on the game, narrated by Jeremy Schaap. It includes great lines about Kidd “outslinging the ultimate gunslinger (Miller)” and Kenyon Martin on Reggie Miller’s game tying three at the buzzer (“That’s what he do.”)
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