Chris Giraldo | Multi Sport Writer
There were 6.2 seconds left in the game. The Nets led Toronto 104-103 in Game 7 of the opening round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs. This most likely was going to be last play of what had been a wild, back and forth series. History was going to be made no matter the result, because neither team had ever won a game 7. Both teams carried a substantial amount of pressure, although it loomed larger on the Nets. You see, Toronto came out of nowhere, surprising many and finishing 3rd in the Eastern Conference. This came after a few brutal years since the departure of superstar, Chris Bosh. Blowing a 3-2 series lead would hurt but the season was going to be considered a success regardless. Brooklyn however, needed to win the series. It was only their second season in Brooklyn but it had been labeled ‘championship or bust’ since the previous NBA draft.
The night of the 2014 NBA draft, the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics agreed on a blockbuster deal that shook the basketball world. The Nets acquired Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry in exchange for three first round picks (2014,2016,2018) and the ability to swap picks in 2017. For Boston, it was the beginning of a rebuild that Pierce and Garnett, wanted no part of. For Brooklyn, it would form a scary starting lineup on paper, heading into the 2013-14 season. They were paying a steep price for a couple of aging veterans with expiring contracts but it was a gamble that the aggressive ownership was willing to take. The team had also hired Jason Kidd as head coach, the same guy who was a star in New Jersey and took them to the Finals back to back seasons. There was a lot of hype, many people had them as the team most likely to de-throne Miami as kings of the East. Brooklyn even landed on the cover of Sport Illustrated.
The borough of Brooklyn had it’s own Big Five. Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Brook Lopez. All the attention the team was getting was well deserved because, a lineup like that could do a whole lot of damage. They would make a huge statement in the regular season by sweeping the defending champion, Miami Heat. Not everything went well for Brooklyn. Brook Lopez suffered yet another foot injury and was forced to have season-ending surgery in December. That forced Kidd the starting five which now featured Guard Shaun Livingston who had a career reviving season. Jason Terry who was part of the blockbuster trade was later traded alongside Reggie Evans to Sacramento for shooter Marcus Thornton. The Nets would finish 6th in the East.
Here’s how's the first six games of the Raptors-Nets series went.
Game 1: BKN 94 - TOR 87
Game 2: TOR 100 - BKN 95
Game 3: BKN 102 - TOR 98
Game 4: TOR 87 - BKN 79
Game 5: TOR 115 - BKN 113
Game 6: BKN 97 - TOR 83
Game Seven was highly anticipated, and as I mentioned earlier, there was tremendous pressure on both teams. But if the Nets did not make it out of the first round, the season would’ve been a disaster. Finishing sixth was bad in it’s own way for a team that many saw possibly ending up on top of the conference. Game seven was a back and forth battle between the Johnson’s. Amir and Joe went at it practically all game and it remained a nail-bitter all the way through. Joe finished with 26 points on a terrific shooting display and Amir had 20, showing dominance in the paint. After scoring on a layup, Terrane Ross forced a turnover on an inbound pass from Livingston. As he was about to go out of bounds, Ross, deflected the ball off of Pierce’s foot, giving the Raptors possession of the ball with 7.9 seconds to go. An intentional foul setup the pivotal play of the game, which would decide the series. Kyle Lowry received the inbound pass and drove to the basket after getting past Williams and Garnett he appeared to have a clear path to the basket until, The Truth showed up. If Pierce wasn’t there, Lowry scores and the Raptors move on. But that never happened because of Pierce’s block, arguably the greatest in franchise history.
Ultimately, the Nets would lose in 5 games to the Heat, the following round. Pierce would leave that same Summer and Garnett would be traded halfway into the 2014-15 season. Jason Kidd was let go after one season and so was Williams a year later. The trade was clearly won by Boston and the tale has yet to end and won’t for another 2 years. But, the block by Pierce will forever live in Nets lore.
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