Down two in overtime, the clock had run out, the ball released from Vince Carter's hand, the Nets' playoff chances were floating in the air. The ball bounced off of the rim and the game seemed over. But inexplicably the ball came down and touched the rim again, then again, then again. The Nets' players and fans heads turned skyward, their basketball dreams hung in the balance. The ball dropped in. Dwyane Wade grabbed it in disappointment and threw it against the basket seemingly representing Miami's chances of coming back to win in the second overtime.
However, Vince Carter repeatedly forced jumpers when driving to the basket would have served him better. Shaq was hobbled and saddled with five fouls. One defensive mistake on his part would have shifted the contest towards the Nets. But Carter showed why he scores a lot of points and doesn't win a lot of games. Kidd couldn't wrestle control of his team from Carter, despite his triple-double. Carter nearly completed the first double triple-double by teammates in playoff history, finishing one rebound short. Carter needs to learn that stats mean nothing without wins, a fact that his cousin Tracy McGrady has apparently learned. Miami won in the end, in spite of a lackluster performance, catapulting them one game closer to the second round.
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