Nets at Heat
The Brooklyn Nets were no match for the Miami Heat in Game 1 and will try to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series when the teams again meet in South Beach on Thursday. The Nets were bullish on their chances against Miami after sweeping the four regular-season meetings but were easily handled by the Heat in the opener. The two-time defending champions dominated the second half and shot 56.8 percent from the field for the contest while posting a 107-86 victory.
Miami was well-rested after having not played since April 28 and chipped the rust off in the first half before kicking its play into a higher gear. “Having eight days off before a game, I feared the rhythm,” forward LeBron James said afterward. “I guess I don’t have to fear that anymore.” James scored 22 points and veteran guard Ray Allen made four 3-pointers en route to 19 points. The Nets also were pushed around in the interior as Miami recorded a 52-28 edge in points in the paint.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
ABOUT THE NETS: Brooklyn’s bravado evaporated pretty quickly as Miami operated at will on the offensive end in the opener. “Our defensive game plan wasn’t executed at all,” point guard Deron Williams told reporters. “We made a lot of defensive mistakes. We allowed them to roam free. I know I got beat on a lot of backdoor cuts.” Williams and Joe Johnson were solid on the perimeter with 17 points apiece but the frontcourt was highly inefficient. The veteran club figures to come out with an edge in Game 2 with the possibility of a 0-2 hole looming.
ABOUT THE HEAT: Allen was at least partially motivated by the sight of former Boston teammates Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett even if he declines to admit so publicly. The two players criticized Allen for leaving the Celtics for the Heat two years ago but Allen isn’t fond of looking back on those times. “For me, those other five guys on the other team are blank to me,” Allen told reporters. “Regardless of who they are, you just have a team you want to beat and you have to do what you can to beat them.” The big Game 1 outing comes on the heels of Allen averaging only 3.3 points on 26.3 percent shooting in the four-game first-round sweep of the Charlotte Bobcats.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Miami C Chris Bosh had 15 points and 11 rebounds in Game 1 for his first double-double of the postseason.
2. Garnett went scoreless in a playoff game for the first time in his career.
3. Heat F Chris Andersen (knee) left Tuesday’s contest early but declared on Wednesday that he will play in Game 2.