"That third-quarter blitz, we were never able to respond," Frank said, sighing.
Brown said, "I don't know if we can play any better than that."
When the fourth quarter came, the Pistons' offense made the difference. Detroit missed its first shot of the quarter and then dropped in eight straight field goals, including three consecutive 3-pointers. The 34 points the Pistons scored in the fourth quarter matched their first-half total.
By the time the Pistons finally missed, the lead was up to 15 points and the deafening crowd was serenading the Nets back to New Jersey.
The Pistons starting backcourt of Chauncey Billups (28 points and 13 assists) and Richard Hamilton (28 points) combined to outscore Kidd and Kerry Kittles, 56-14.
"It's frustrating," Jefferson said. "But you understand it's the game of basketball. You're not going to jump out the window. They did what they're supposed to do. They won their first two games at home. It's going to be crazy in New Jersey, where the last three years we're one of the top three or four teams in the NBA at home."
Jason Collins pointed to the Nets' inconsistency.
"Tonight, that first half was Nets basketball," he said. "That second half, they made a run and we didn't answer them. We haven't played a solid 48 minutes yet. They did their job. They won two games here at home. Now it's our turn."
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