Coach Kidd Countdown: No. 5

Over the course of the offseason, we’ll be counting down the five best games from Jason Kidd’s first season as a the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

First on the list: the triumph of Jason’s squad in his first ever playoff appearance as a coach. 

No. 5: Nets’ Vets Give Coach Kidd First Playoff Win

As a player, Jason compiled a wealth of playoff experience. In his 17-year career, J-Kidd competed in 158 playoff games, captured the Eastern Conference title twice, and claimed an NBA Championship as a member of the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks. So, although Game 1 of the opening round of the 2014 Eastern Conference playoffs was J-Kidd’s first postseason appearance as a coach, he handled the challenge like a seasoned veteran, making all the right moves down the stretch to piece together a 94-87 road win over the Toronto Raptors.

Coach Kidd’s first playoff triumph came on a daunting stage. His No. 6 seed Brooklyn squad, comprised of wily veterans, was matched up with a young and athletic third-seeded Raptors team—and the city of Toronto was brimming with excitement over its team’s postseason prospects.

The first playoff contest between the two Atlantic Division rivals was a torrid, back-and-forth affair. Game 1 featured six ties and six lead changes throughout the duration of the contest, and the lead-up to the game was just as enthralling.

When the ball was finally tipped, the visitors appeared to be motivated by all the extra-curriculars, and led by the backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, Brooklyn  jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. Toronto fought back on the shoulders of Jonas Valanciunas and took an 11-7 advantage at the 6:37 mark. But Brooklyn weathered the storm, and swiftly opened up a double-digit lead thanks to the sharp shooting of Williams, Johnson, and Paul Pierce.

Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry knocked down a trey with less than a minute remaining to make things 29-21 in Brooklyn’s favor through 12 minutes of play.

Holding onto a steady lead, Coach Kidd turned to his bench to start the second quarter of action. In contrast, Toronto’s starters stayed in the game and quickly erased the Nets’ advantage. Powered by All-Star DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors were able to tie things up at 35 with 8:23 left in the half. Kidd wasted no time ushering his starters back into the ball game and they once again fought through the charging Raptors to take a 50-46 halftime lead.

Williams led all scorers with 18 points, and Johnson added 12 of his own. Through 24 minutes of play, Kidd’s squad shot just over 42 percent from the field while holding the Raptors to 38 percent shooting. The Nets’ biggest advantage came in the turnover margin, as they forced 11 from the young Toronto squad while only committing three in the half.

Defensive adjustments ruled the third frame, as each squad shot less than 40 percent from the field after the break. The home side took a one-point lead less than two minutes into the half, but Jason’s Nets remained unflappable and responded by again opening up an eight-point lead.

Midway through the frame, an electrical malfunction caused the shot clocks to stop working. The replacement clocks also malfunctioned, leaving the public address announcer and an official with a stopwatch in charge of the 24-second clock. Once again, Brooklyn kept its cool, mirroring its always poised head coach, and clung tight to a 67-62 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes of regulation.

Kidd’s coaching chops were truly tested in the fourth quarter. A Patrick Patterson trey and a dunk on consecutive possessions tied the contest at 67 with 9:50 to go.Brooklyn answered back with a pair of Shaun Livingston free throws and a Mirza Teletovic jumper, but the Raptors kept knocking on the door and took a 76-75 lead with just over five minutes left.

Despite falling behind late, the Nets remained collected and regained control of the game thanks to the strong play of veterans Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who combined for nine points in the contest’s waning minutes.

“You just get that feeling in the game and I’ve been in those situations a number of times,” Pierce said. “You know, I don’t get rattled in fourth quarters or down the stretch in playoff settings. I’ve been in pretty much every playoff setting that you can imagine so I just try to stay calm and bring my calmness to the game and just try to compose the rest of the guys and I thought we did a great job today.

Pierce’s late-game effectiveness pulled the defense to him over the final few possessions, and with Brooklyn up by just one, and a little over three minutes remaining, Pierce put his trust in his long-time teammate Garnett. KG had not made a field goal all game, but delivered, knocking down an eight-foot jumper.

”That just symbolized who we are as a team, that we trust one another no matter what someone is shooting from the floor, how someone is playing, that we all trust that someone is going to step up and make a shot,” Kidd said about the play.

Free throws from Williams and Johnson and strong team defense in crunch time helped put the game to bed and give Brooklyn a crucial 94-87 Game 1 win.

“This is playoff basketball,” J-Kidd said. “It’s about getting stops at crucial times.”

Pierce echoed the sentiments of his coach.

“The most important thing, I thought we did a great job defensively,” Pierce said. “It wasn’t about our offense, even though we executed; the defense was great tonight in the fourth quarter.”

The win gave Brooklyn a load of confidence that later resulted in a series win for the rookie head coach and his team.