This was the kind of game the Nets wouldn’t have won last year or earlier this season; the kind of game in which a big lead gets erased in the fourth quarter, giving the other team all the momentum and eventually a victory.
Mental toughness was never the Nets’ strong suit until Deron Williams and Joe Johnson figured out how to bring the best out of each other and benefit the team more than their stat sheets.
The blending of talent, instincts and chemistry happened sometime after the calendar turned to 2014 and the Nets finished the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. If anyone needed a reminder of how far Williams and Johnson have come, they got it Friday night at Barclays Center.
No, the Nets’ 102-98 victory over the Raptors on Friday wasn’t a total work of art. Blowing a 15-point lead in the final five minutes will prompt an extended video session to determine what exactly went wrong. But when the tension became tighter than wet rope, it was Johnson who bailed out the Nets late after Williams jumpstarted them early.
In the end, the duo would combine for 51 points with Johnson scoring 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter after Williams had 14 of his 22 by halftime. It was two free throws by Johnson with 3.1 seconds left that secured the victory, allowing the sellout crowd to exhale and enjoy a 2-1 lead in the series.
“They’re two great one-on-one players and there’s no one guy that’s going to guard them by themselves,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “So we’ve got to make sure we get help there.”
Good luck with that. Williams and Johnson have found a special groove at the right time, taking turns sparking the Nets when the team needs a lift. Williams did it for much of the first half, when he was 5-of-7 from the field. Johnson was a terror late, finishing the game 11-of-17 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
“In the second half, I got some easy looks and the basket just opened up for me,” Johnson said.
This was the kind of one-two punch the Nets envisioned when they signed Johnson before last season to join Williams.
“Those two are playing extremely well,” Nets coach Jason Kidd said. “They’re very aggressive. Joe is causing a lot of problems. He seems to get better as the game gets closer to the end.”
Chemistry between star players doesn’t happen overnight. The Nets are just glad it’s happening now.
“We had to learn to play with each other,” Williams said. “We’ve had to learn to share the ball and learn where each other is going to be on the court. I think we have a good understanding of that now.”
Neither was pleased about the Nets blowing their big lead and having to sweat out the final seconds. It was too close for comfort.
“Honestly I think we got a little lackadaisical,” Johnson said. “It’s uncharacteristic of us to blow a big lead like that. I’m sure J-Kidd will make us take a look at it and we’ll see some things we can improve on. But that’s not us by no means.”
Williams, who contributed to the tension by missing three free throws in the final minute, wasn’t happy either.
“We’ve got to work on putting teams away, especially in our building,” he said. “We’ve got to put our foot on people and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Most importantly, they got the win, avoiding what would have been another demoralizing playoff defeat at home. The last time they played a playoff game at Barclays Center, the Nets were beaten by the Bulls in Game 7 of their opening series last year. It brought a stunning end to their inaugural season in Brooklyn.
But that was before Williams and Johnson figured out how to play with each other and build the kind of chemistry and mental toughness that wins games like the Nets won Friday night.