With his team trailing by a point with 7.2 seconds to play and Raptors guard Jose Calderon headed to the free-throw line, Nets coach Lawrence Frank gathered his players to deliver instructions.
If Calderon were to make only one of his two free throws, Frank wanted the Nets to push the ball up to Vince Carter, who had the hot hand Sunday. He was to take a 2-point shot to try to send the game into overtime. But Carter, a former star with Toronto who was booed throughout the game, would have none of it.
"I just told him I was going to win it," Carter said afterward. And he did.
PHOTO: EPA
Calderon missed his second free throw, and Jason Kidd grabbed the rebound and charged up the court. As he approached the 3-point line, he slipped a pass to Carter, who buried a shot with a tenth of a second remaining to give the Nets a spectacular 105-104 victory.
"Thank God I made it," said Carter, whose Nets had trailed by eight points with two minutes left and by six with a minute remaining. "The atmosphere, the emotion, the hostility in the arena, it was a fun game."
The shot quieted the 18,935 fans at Air Canada Center, prompted Kidd to vault onto Carter's shoulder, and, most important, gave the Nets their 10th straight victory to kick off a four-game trip. It is their longest winning streak since a 14-game run Jan. 25-Feb. 24 in 2004.
Carter finished with 42 points, including 24 in the fourth quarter. He also had a team-high 10 rebounds.
"To stick a dagger in their heart right when they thought they were going to win it, it don't get no better than that," Nets forward Lamond Murray said. "That's sweet revenge."
Kidd, who finished with 22 points and 15 assists, said Carter "has been off the charts."
"It just seemed like things were going against us," Kidd said. "We'd get back, but couldn't get over the hump, and then that shot at the end."
Afterward, Frank praised Carter.
"What a great ending," he said. "There aren't many guys who can do that."
The Nets entered the game as the NBA's hottest team, but the Raptors had also been among the league's best recent performers. Toronto opened the season by losing 15 of 16 games, but it had won five straight before playing the Nets. The Raptors have been led recently by forward Chris Bosh, who had 27 points and four blocks Sunday, and by point guard Mike James, who added 26 points and seven assists.
The Nets were sluggish at the start. Richard Jefferson left with back spasms after just two minutes, but he said he would be able to play Tuesday, when the Nets visit San Antonio.
Carter, meanwhile, launched air balls with his first two shots, a long 3-point attempt and a fadeaway jumper from about 10 feet.
The Nets had several defensive breakdowns, leading Frank to call two timeouts in the first six minutes of the game.
Calling the second timeout seemed to pay off. The Nets led, 29-23, after the first quarter, and Murray played well in place of Jefferson. He finished with 12 points and Nenad Krstic added 16 and eight rebounds for the Nets.
The second quarter belonged to Toronto. At one point, the Raptors went on a 19-5 run to take a seven-point lead. They led at halftime, 51-48.
But Toronto was dealt a blow just before the break.
On many nights, Carter can make the difference in a game with dunks, fadeaway shots and free-throw shooting. But Sunday, with time winding down in the first half, he added the playful tap to his repertory.
With 23 seconds remaining in the half, Toronto forward Morris Peterson was called for a technical for arguing with officials. Carter then patted him on the cheek as if to say to his former teammate, "Don't sweat it."
Peterson, Toronto's third-leading scorer, responded by reaching out and swatting Carter on the forehead. The referee Steve Javie saw only Peterson's swipe and ejected him. Peterson had to be restrained by his teammates; he ripped off his jersey and threw it into the stands as he left the court.
"It's just unfortunate," Peterson said. "I couldn't be out there in the fourth quarter. I probably could have made a difference."
Carter said he would pay Peterson's fine.
"I felt bad," Carter said. "It was far from what they assumed it to be."
Knicks 120, SuperSonics 116
In New York, Stephon Marbury had 23 points and 15 assists, the final one setting up rookie David Lee for the tiebreaking basket with 21 seconds left, and New York beat Seattle for its season-high third straight win.
Maurice Taylor also scored 23 points and Eddy Curry added 22 for the Knicks, who erased a 12-point first-half deficit. Nate Robinson finished with 17 points.
Seattle had a chance to tie, but Luke Ridnour missed two free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining.
Vladimir Radmanovic had an NBA career-high 30 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. Ray Allen scored 33 for the Sonics, who fell to 1-2 since firing Bob Weiss and replacing him with former Knicks coach Bob Hill.
Nuggets 92, Rockets 90
In Houston, Denver's Carmelo Anthony hit a baseline jumper with a second left to give the Nuggets a victory over the already injury-depleted Rockets.
Houston's Tracy McGrady missed a long jumper in the final seconds of the first half, then crumpled to the floor, grabbing his back and screaming in pain as the buzzer sounded. He had missed eight games earlier this season with back spasms and the Rockets lost them all.
Earl Watson scored 20 and Anthony finished with 19 for the Nuggets, who played most of the final three quarters without Kenyon Martin, who strained his back.
Rafer Alston scored a season-high 24 for Houston.
Heat 118, Trail Blazers 89
In Portland, Oregon, Dwyane Wade scored 31 points and Jason Williams added 20 to lead Miami over the Trail Blazers.
The pair sat out the Heat's 111-93 loss at Phoenix on Friday night with injuries. Wade had a bruised left shin, while Williams suffered from right knee tendinitis.
Ruben Patterson scored 16 points to lead the Blazers, who have lost six straight.
Pacers 108, Kings 83
In Sacramento, California, Stephen Jackson scored 17 of his 31 points while hitting five 3-pointers in the third quarter, and Jermaine O'Neal had 12 points and eight rebounds in his return to Indiana's lineup.
Fred Jones scored 18 points for the Pacers, who hit 13 3-pointers and cruised to their second straight victory on a tough road trip thanks to two prolonged runs in the middle quarters. Jackson hit four consecutive 3-pointers during a decisive run in the third, when Indiana guaranteed it would snap a six-game losing streak against the Kings.
Kenny Thomas had 21 points for the injury-depleted Kings.
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