Given the opponent they faced and how they played in the NBA Finals a year ago, the New Jersey Nets are thrilled to be going against two-time defending MVP Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs this time around.
That's not a knock at Duncan.
The Nets don't match up well against Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers, and they admit it.
When Shaq wants to play -- which he did last year in leading the Lakers to a sweep and a third straight NBA title -- there is little the Nets can do to stop him.
Against any other team, they feel they have a shot.
"Thirty-four is not there, so that helps," Jason Kidd said Friday as the Nets practiced for the first time knowing their opponent for the NBA Finals, which start Wednesday. "Shaq changes the game by being out there. San Antonio has a guy like that in Tim Duncan."
But it's still not the same. The Spurs don't have a Kobe Bryant, and Duncan isn't Shaq in terms of size and bulk.
He's lighter and more athletic, someone Nets power forward Kenyon Martin can battle.
"Any time you put Shaq in the equation, it's going to be rough," said Martin, who has emerged as one of the league's top defensive players.
"So everybody has a chance when you don't have to deal with him. No matter who came out of the East or the West, everybody started looking at that and saying they had a legitimate shot, knowing the big guy's not in there."
The Nets also believe they are much better than a year ago, both on the court and in their approach to the finals.
A year ago, they were just happy to be in the finals after Kidd turned them from a laughingstock into a first-time conference champion.
In the year since, Martin has become both a force inside and a leader. Richard Jefferson has moved into a starting role and become the third option. Kerry Kittles is stronger in his second full season back from another knee surgery, and Jason Collins is emerging in the middle.
Forwards Aaron Williams and Rodney Rogers and guards Lucious Harris and Anthony Johnson give the Nets depth.
"I think all our players feel a little more confident than we did last year," coach Byron Scott said. "Last year, we said all the right things, but I don't believe we truly felt we could beat the Lakers. We felt we could compete with the Lakers but we didn't feel we could beat them.
"This year is a totally different situation," Scott said. "We have a lot of guys who are peaking at the right time. As a team, we are peaking at the right time."
The Nets are rolling into the finals on a 10-game winning streak. They have won 12 of 14 postseason games.
The big concern for New Jersey is its extended layoff. Because of their sweep of Detroit, the Nets will have been idle for 10 days when they take the court in San Antonio on Wednesday.
The Spurs nailed down their conference title on Thursday night, finishing off Dallas in six games.
"I don't care if it was a two-week layoff," Scott said. "You are playing for the NBA championship. I don't see where we're going to lose any type of focus.
"We might be a little rusty when the game starts, but as far as our intensity and our focus, our aggressiveness, being as hungry as we are to win a championship, I don't care if it's two weeks or three weeks. We'll be ready to play."
The Nets and Spurs split two regular-season games. Each team won on its home court.
RSS