April 27, 2013, 3OT:
Brooklyn Nets 134, Chicago Bulls 142
The game wasn’t supposed to go this way. This was supposed to be the game when the Nets re-discovered the offensive magic from the Game 1 Blackout Blowout in Brooklyn. This was the game when Brook Lopez hit his first career three-pointer, in comically Brook fashion. This was the game when Deron Williams dunked again. This was the game when Gerald Wallace and Reggie Evans proved they could, in fact, play alongside each other. This was the game when Crash laid out Nate Robinson on a deadly pick. This was the game when the Nets were ahead 109-95 with three minutes to play in regulation. This was the game when the Nets tied the series at two and re-claimed home court advantage.
But the NBA is a categorical, results driven league; to the victor goes the narrative. So instead, we have the game when C.J. Watson missed a wide-open dunk with 3:15 remaining in the fourth quarter that would have put the Nets up 16. We have the game when Nate Robinson went into NBA Jam mode, scoring 12 points in a 1:43 stretch in the fourth and 23 points in the entire quarter, one point shy of Michael Jordan’s franchise record for points in a playoff quarter. We have the game when the Nets wasted Big Shot Joe Johnson’s game-tying jumper at the buzzer of the first overtime. We have the game the Nets lost in the third overtime, with Nate Robinson and Joakim Noah having both fouled out. We have the game when the Bulls took a commanding 3-1 series lead, leaving the Nets one loss away from their inaugural season being over.
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