Nets look to finish off the Pistons

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New Jersey Nets are playing so well, they can hit a big shot even when there's no game.

The latest hero is backup guard Anthony Johnson, who gave his teammates the day off by banking in a shot from halfcourt Friday at the Nets' practice gym.

"I didn't call it, but I'll take it. It's cool to have a day off," Johnson said. "I was hot last night. I had a feeling I would knock it down."

Coach Byron Scott said if any player made the shot, practice would be canceled. There were only three players left in line when Johnson hit pay dirt, and he led the team off the court with arms raised in celebration -- although all of them returned later to do some light shooting on their own.

"Today is not a grind-out day," Scott said. "Today you want to be relaxed. You just want to have some fun. I just try to break up the monotony. Things are going good now."

Good indeed. The Nets are in rarified air, having won nine straight playoff games. It's the fourth-longest single-season playoff streak in NBA history, tied with the 1996 Bulls and 1982 Lakers.

The Nets can make it 10 in a row Saturday night, when they try to complete a sweep of the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. The record is 12 by the 1999 Spurs, a mark that until recently seemed safe from the franchise in the Meadowlands.

"We've been kicked around so much in this league for so many years here, this is a good chance to kick somebody else around," guard Lucious Harris said. "So when you have a team down, you've got to try to bury them."

The Pistons, meanwhile, are literally and figuratively in another state. Coach Rick Carlisle and his team worked out at college in Manhattan, trying to find a way to convince a dispirited team that they can become the first in history to rally from 3-0 down to win a series.

"We're down, but we're not out," Carlisle said. "We're in a tough spot, obviously. But there's 25 other teams sitting out there that would love to have an opportunity to win one more game."

The Pistons spent much of the second half of Thursday night's 97- 85 loss with hands on hips, without a clue as to how to stop New Jersey's running game. Center Ben Wallace doesn't know whether his teammates still have the heart needed to win, but he said he was too upset to talk to them about it.

"Right now the way I'm feeling, the way it comes out might be a little offensive," Wallace said. "So I'm going to let everybody work it out on their own."

If the Pistons lose Saturday, at least they can get a head start in putting all their focus on whether they'll take Carmelo Anthony or Darko Milicic with the No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft. Detroit won the selection at Thursday's lottery, a consolation prize on an otherwise bad night.

"It's thrilling to have that type of good fortune," Carlisle said.

Carlisle said he plans no lineup changes for Game 4. Point guard Chauncey Billups, just 10-for-32 in the series on a sprained ankle, and struggling rookie Tayshaun Prince will continue to start.

The Nets, of course, don't plan to change a thing, but they wouldn't mind canceling their reservations for a would-be Game 5 in Detroit. New Jersey has won four straight close-out series games, although they had to go to double overtime in the last round to finish off a sweep of Boston.

"We don't want to make that plane ride," Scott said. "So we're going to come out and try to be more aggressive.

"It's like a pit bull. That bull grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. That's our mind-set right now. We've got a bunch of guys out there that are like a bunch of pit bulls, and right now, they've got a hold of them."

Last year, New Jersey won the East only to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals in four games. So even if they keep their streak alive Saturday, the Nets know they'll still be the big underdog against whoever comes out of the West.

"Why wouldn't we?" Harris said. "Last year, we got swept. We've been underdogs all year, so it wouldn't be anything new. Our goal was to get back, and anything can happen, underdog or not."

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