All throughout the series, Nets interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo has countered claims of his team being gutless by talking up the resiliency of the Nets.

That claim and counterargument were on display in two contrasting halves during Game 7 against the Bulls.

On one side was an awful first half which saw the Nets fall behind by 17 at halftime. On the other side was a spirited come back in the third quarter which shaved 10 points off of the deficit.

However, the first half ultimately came back to burn them as their first season in Brooklyn ended with a disappointing 99-93 loss on Saturday night.

“I think they had more energy than us in the first half and that really determined the game,” Brook Lopez said. “It’s tough; they just outplayed us. There really wasn’t anything specific that we really did and I think that falls back on me. It’s my job to contest the shots at the rim and back us up when we get beat. I just didn’t do that tonight.”

“They played like they wanted to keep playing, like they didn’t want their season to end,” Gerald Wallace added. “We didn’t do anything in the first half.”

They won 49 games to earn the right to host Game 7, but wound up losing to a team saddled with illness and injury. Chicago won with Derrick Rose not playing a minute, Kirk Hinrich missing the last three games with a calf injury, Luol Deng missing the last two with an illness and Joakim Noah playing through plantar fasciitis.

“We didn’t want to go out like that this,” Lopez said. “We competed, we got better this season. We achieved a lot of our goals, but not all of them. It’s very frustrating.”

“That’s a heckuva a hole to dig against a team that’s competing the way they’re competing,” Carlesimo said. “We really believed we could be the ninth team to come out of that [3-1] hole. It wasn’t meant to be.”

Most of the team is expected back next season but the status of Carlesimo remains uncertain even if players praised him for leading the team to a 38-23 record after replacing Avery Johnson on Dec. 28.

“I think he did a great job of leading us,” Deron Williams said. “I’d love to see him back but as you know that’s not up to me.”

The Nets could have given upper management more of a reason to keep Carlesimo but they encountered an unstoppable force in Noah.

Noah torched the Nets’ frontline for 16 points and five rebounds in the first half and 24 points and 14 rebounds overall. Marco Belinelli was also a force, scoring 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

“It’s disappointing,” Williams said. “When we won Game 6, we felt like this was our series and they came out and played a great game.

“Noah is a warrior. He had a monster game and we really had no answer for him tonight.”

The best way the Nets could counter Noah’s dominance was by getting a standout performance from at least two of their big three.

It didn’t quite happen.

Lopez finished with 21 points but was 9-of-20, while Joe Johnson missed his first six shots and finished with six points on 2-of-14 shooting.

“I don’t make excuses,” Johnson said. “If I was out there on the floor, then I was able to go. So I don’t blame my foot for anything. It was just a terrible game.”

After they went 3-for-17 in the second half Thursday, the trio was a combined 7-for-21 in the opening half Saturday and 19-for-51 total in Game 7.

Williams finished with 25 points and seven assists but it was not enough.

The Nets scrapped their way back in the game by outscoring Chicago, 31-21, in the third quarter, highlighted by 11 points from Gerald Wallace. The rally brought the deficit to 82-75 entering the fourth but they couldn’t continue the momentum.

“We felt like it, being at home and the energy from the crowd if we could keep it going,” Wallace said. “We were down 17 at halftime and there’s only so much you can do and they came back with the fourth quarter.”

The Bulls also struggled scoring but they took an 84-76 lead when Carlos Boozer broke free from a double team and drove in for a layup. The Nets missed their first eight shots of the fourth quarter and fell behind by double digits (86-76) on Boozer’s easy layup as three defenders watched.

Brooklyn scored its first basket of the fourth quarter on Lopez’s tip in with 6:45 left and then cut it to 86-81 on a 3-pointer from Williams with 6:13 remaining just before Jimmy Butler could get over for the help defense.

Following a timeout and with the crowd at its loudest volume of the night, Boozer missed an open layup but Nate Robinson buried a deep jumper just before Lopez could close out for an 88-81 edge.

After Lopez missed a 15-foot jumper, Robinson missed a layup but the Bulls got the rebound and Belinelli made it a double-digit game by hitting a 3-pointer with 4:52 left.

The Nets again made it a single-digit game (91-83) when Johnson found a cutting Lopez for a layup but Noah glided to the hoop for another layup without much resistance. Wallace made it 93-85 with a layup at 3:01 and the Nets made it a five-point game on Williams’ hard drive and subsequent foul shot with 2:26 remaining.

The decibel level rose once again as the crowd implored the Nets to defend but they gave up another layup, this time to Belinelli. The Nets made it a five-point game with 1:17 to play on Lopez’s put back of a Wallace missed 3-pointer but could not cut it any further as Johnson badly missed a corner 3-pointer with 38.9 seconds remaining.

The Nets made it a four-point game (97-93) on Williams’ fourth 3-pointer of the night with 26.9 seconds remaining. After Belinelli sank two foul shots with 26.1 seconds to play, Williams badly missed a 3-pointer and Johnson airballed a 3-pointer and the Bulls celebrated while the Nets walked off the court in disappointment as the PA announcer wished the fans a happy summer.

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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It took a near record-setting collapse in the fourth quarter to wake them up, but the Knicks finally exorcised their playoff demons by eliminating the Celtics with an 88-80 win in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The near botching by the Knicks was apropos considering nothing came easy for the team this series, not even when they built a seemingly comfortable 3-0 series lead. But in the end, New York did just enough to hold off the hard-charging Celtics. Boston was down by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter, but Jeff Green and Avery Bradley did a number on the Knicks’ defense, cutting the deficit to as low as four points.

Green finished with 21 points, but it was Bradley’s ascension that was the most troubling. He scored all of his 10 points in the final stanza after being shut out by Pablo Prigioni for the first three quarters.

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson acknowledged it wasn’t easy, and the huge run caused some angst, but ultimately all that mattered was his veteran team found a way to overcome the Celtics.

“I’m looking at the big picture. It was a helluva series, and I hope our guys learned a lot from this series, [like] it’s never over ‘til it’s over. We were tested, and we needed that, so hopefully it will carry into the second round against the Pacers,” said Woodson. “They hung in there. With playoff basketball, there are always runs. They’re a great team and made a great run. But we just hung in there. … [Carmelo Anthony] came up big with that big 3-pointer and Iman [Shumpert] made the big steal. They were probably the two biggest plays of the game to give us the cushion.”

The Knicks finally shut the door on the Celtics, as Boston’s comeback attempt fell just short. Anthony had a huge 3-pointer with just over 90 seconds remaining and J.R. Smith had a momentum-killing and-1 bucket and free throw to salt away the game. Anthony finished with 21 points, while Smith added 13 points and seven rebounds.

But the Knicks’ tone was initially set by Prigioni, who had nine points in the first half — all in the opening quarter, and all on 3-pointers. The 35-year-old rookie guard set a career-high by tallying 14 points. He added five rebounds and three assists.

“Guys stayed aggressive. Melo and I always stay aggressive, [but] Ray [Felton], Shump and Pablo stayed aggressive,” Smith said. “Fortunately we had players that stepped up. It was a good test. And Pablo stepped up. He definitely needed to shoot when he was open [because] too many times he’s open and he doesn’t shoot the ball, but this time he shot.”

Prigioni wasn’t the only unsung hero, as his backcourt mate Felton had 11 points, seven assists and two steals. It’s the first time Felton has advanced to the second round. Shumpert, who also advanced to the second round for the first time in his young career, added 17 points (3-of-3 on 3-pointers), six rebounds and three steals — and added a key coast-to-coast steal and layup to finally end the Celtics’ amazing run.

“Everyone did what they had to do to get us out of this series. You need that in the playoffs. Sometimes you don’t know where it’s going to come from, but it’s nice,” Woodson said. “I didn’t know where it’d come from tonight, but Pablo and Iman stepped up big time.”

The man Shumpert was draped all over, Paul Pierce, had a miserable shooting night, going 4-of-18 from the field. Kevin Garnett added 15 points and 10 rebounds in what was possibly the final time the Hall of Fame duo will play together.

The Knicks earned the 4-2 series win on the strength of a stifling defense that never allowed the Celtics to surpass the 100-point mark in any of the six games.

The win was great, as the Knicks advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 13 years — and will face the Pacers on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in Game 1 — but Woodson said they’re far from reaching their goals.

“I knew it wasn’t over, because you have to play four quarters. But we withstood the run and now it’s on to round two,” said Woodson. “We just made a step tonight, but there’s still a few more steps to go before we get to where we want to be.”

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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P.J. Carlesimo has been an assistant coach for a Game 7 twice in a nearly two-decade NBA coaching career. He has never been a head coach.

That changes Saturday night when Carlesimo and the Nets attempt to become the ninth team to win a series after trailing three games to one.

Carlesimo goes into the game feeling good about the opportunity presented in front of him and for the franchise’s first year in Brooklyn. He goes into the game with a good feeling despite the word “gutless” being thrown around twice at halftime on television broadcasts.

“I’ve got a ton of confidence in these guys,” Carlesimo said on Friday’s conference call. “They’ve been resilient all year. We stepped up many, many times when people didn’t think we could step up and we’ve played well on the road. We’ve beaten a lot of the better teams in the league and I’m confident. The reward for the way we played in the regular season is that Game 7 in the first round is in our building. I’m just very confident our guys are going to take advantage of the opportunity and continue to do what they’ve done.”

Confidence aside, Carlesimo is aware of how difficult it can be, especially after the Nets stayed alive by gutting out a 95-92 win in which Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez combined for 3-of-17 shooting and five turnovers after halftime.

“Our mantra has been kind of been the last couple of games to win and move on and get it back it to Brooklyn for Game 7,” Carlesimo said. “We certainly can’t think that we’ve done the hard part already. What’s left is going to be more difficult than the last two games and I think that’s going to be a challenge tomorrow. I think our guys can handle it but that’s a major challenge.”

Saturday will mark the first time Carlesimo has been in a Game 7 since May 22, 2006 as an assistant for San Antonio’s head coach Gregg Popovich. That night, the Spurs were unable to complete their comeback from three games to one and fell 119-111 to the Mavericks in the conference semifinals.

A year before that, Carlesimo had a front-row seat as a Popovich assistant as Tim Duncan took over the third quarter of an 81-74 victory that gave him the second of three NBA championships while coaching the Spurs.

“Hopefully I’ll respond well,” Carlesimo said. “But fortunately I don’t have to play. I think the guys that are playing are going to handle it well and I think that’s the important thing. We’ll be fine. I think Game 7s are different yes, but I don’t think the Game 7 experience is going to be the defining reason for tomorrow’s game.”

Winning this game may also mean more of an assurance Carlesimo returns as head coach after taking over the team 29 games into this season.

Carlesimo has never let that thought pop in mind, at least not publicly.

“It would mean we got to pack Sunday morning and get on a plane and do a quick turnaround and get ready for a really, really good opponent,” Carlesimo said. “Again it’s not something you have any control over. I think when you get away from it, you get to the summer, you get far away you can kind of look back.

“This has been pretty much a blur the entire year. That’s the way seasons are.”

Carlesimo will be coaching the third Game 7 played in the borough of Brooklyn and the first one since October 1956. He and the Nets are there because they won two elimination games following a crushing triple-overtime loss at the United Center a week ago.

“We want to win and we believe in our abilities and I think these guys, we have an identity now as the Brooklyn franchise and I think we think as the Brooklyn Nets and I think they want the Brooklyn Nets to advance and get into the next round,” Carlesimo said. “So let’s see what we can do. I don’t think it’s all those other factors. I just think it’s those 15 guys wanting to win for themselves and for this franchise.”

The Nets are the 210th team to fall behind 3-1 in a best-of-seven and the Nets are the 29th team to force Game 7, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Now the Nets have a chance to overcome that deficit and even with players having individual experience in seventh games, winning it would be very significant for Carlesimo.

“So I’m glad we’ve got some guys who have been there,” he said. “That may help them. For all of us, I think it’s a significant step to play a Game 7 to learn how to deal with it and take it as a positive experience going forward.”

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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The Nets were anything but gutless in Game 6.

They weren’t perfect either, but they made enough plays to keep their season going for at least two more days.

Even with Chicago’s defense on lockdown mode in the fourth quarter and even with free throws missed at a disturbing rate, the Nets found a way in Thursday’s 95-92 win at the United Center.

It was hard to stomach sometimes, with Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson a combined 3-for-17 with five turnovers after halftime and an 11-of-23 performance from the line. The Nets scored just 35 points in the second half.

Andray Blatche, who scored 13 points in Game 5, came up big again. He had 10 points in Game 6, including a spinning fadeaway shot on Joakim Noah with 1:15 left and two free throws with 19.2 remaining to provide the final margin.

All of the talk about being gutless surfaced again when TNT’s Charles Barkley said it on the halftime show because the Nets had a six-point halftime lead instead of double digits. While they could have been ahead by more after shooting well in the half, having a lead in the United Center was a victory of sorts, especially considering how the previous four visits went.

Johnson, Williams and Lopez had 17 points apiece. Gerald Wallace had 15, including a 3-pointer early in the fourth that gave the Nets a 78-73 edge and provided them with the breathing room they ultimately would need.

Chicago played without Kirk Hinrich (calf) and Luol Deng (illness). Belinelli led the Bulls with 21 points. Nate Robinson had 18, Jimmy Butler added 17 and Carlos Boozer and Noah added 14 apiece.

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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The Celtics reached down and relied on their fabled pride as they staved off elimination for yet another game, as they shocked the Knicks, 92-86, in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Boston has now climbed back into the series as they’re down 3-2, but with Game 6 back in Beantown, there’s now a real possibility that both teams will be playing again in New York Sunday at the Garden for a Game 7.

“I thought we came out ready to play, but then they got that thrust that they needed early and I don’t think we responded. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but now it’s a series. We had an opportunity to close it,” Woodson said. “But at the end of the day we still control our own destiny and there’s a lot more basketball left to be played. … I think we’re fine. Sure, we would’ve loved to have closed it out, but they’re competitive. They’re fighting, too. But now we need to see what we’re made of in Boston.”

The Knicks apparently forgot the memo that the hardest thing to do in the NBA playoffs is to close out a series — no matter how big of a lead — because the Celtics scratched and clawed their way out of an early 11-0 deficit to actually take a 45-39 lead at the half.

Jeff Green led a balanced Celtics’ attack with 18 points, as four others reached double figures in scoring. Kevin Garnett was dominant in the post as he notched 16 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, while Paul Pierce had 16 points and Jason Terry added 17 points off the bench. Even Brandon Bass, who’s not known for his offense, added 17 points in 41 minutes of action for a Celtics team that only played seven players.

Carmelo Anthony did all he could to keep the Celtics at bay as he tallied a team-high 22 points, but he needed 24 shots to do so. It also didn’t help as he got no help from his sidekick, J.R. Smith, who at one point shot 0-for-10 from the floor. Smith finished with just 14 points on 3-of-14 shooting.

Woodson shot down the theory that Smith was forcing the issue to show his value to the team after leaving them hanging in Game 4.

“He missed shots, but he took some tough shots, too. It was a struggle for him pretty much the whole game. We have to get him in position to not let him struggle anymore, because we need him to score the basketball,” Woodson said, adding that the absence of Steve Novak in the second half added a big burden to his bench. “We were shorthanded because Novak’s back went out on him, so we couldn’t come back to him, so offensively we were searching.”

Smith, who said afterward he’s a “streaky shooter,” admitted that maybe he pressed too much.

“I was extremely anxious. A lot of fans got me hyped and I couldn’t wait to play,” Smith said. “I think we got too excited, so we need to stay patient, stay humble and try and get the next one.”

Staying humble and patient are keys, but Woodson would rather just see his team put the ball in the basket with more frequency.

“I like what we’re doing defensively, because any time you hold a team to 92 points at home that’s a good thing. We still held them to less than 95 points, but we’re having trouble on offense,” Woodson said. “We have to find some offense somewhere. Raymond [Felton] was solid, but we’re just not getting into our offense. … We’re laboring and our pace has to pick up. We have to do something differently and come up with another plan.”

Felton was the Knicks’ most efficient scorer as he continued his stellar play in this series. He had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, but no one else in orange and blue was able to apply pressure.

Knicks notes …

» Dave Roberts corollary, anyone? Roberts, the one-time spunky Boston Red Sox outfielder has a spot in the hearts of Boston sports’ fans forever with his role in the Sox’s historic comeback from an 0-3 deficit to the New York Yankees to win the 2004 American League Championship Series. It was Roberts’s steal of second base in the ninth inning of Game 4 that sparked Boston to a 12-inning win, and is credited as the signature move of the Sox’s path to the World Series. Jason Terry’s chin could have that same effect, as the elbow he took from J.R. Smith in Game 3 apparently awakened the Celtics and also resulted in Smith’s one-game suspension for Game 4. Terry has gotten hot since, including nine points in Game 4’s overtime win and 17 points (including five 3-pointers) off the bench Wednesday night, as the fiery guard has relished being an antagonist to the Knicks.

» Terry’s shooting has been a thorn in the Knicks’ side the last two games, but the Knicks aren’t doing themselves any favors either. New York shot a surprising 1-of-6 from 3-pointers in the first half, and finished a meager 5-of-22 from behind the arc. The Celtics, conversely, shot 11-of-22 in 3-pointers.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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Joe Johnson has accepted the fate of playing with a sore foot, especially with at least one elimination game looming. There’s little he can do but spot up and hope for the best when he releases a shot.

“It’s kind of like I’m out there on one leg, honestly, man,” Johnson said after Wednesday’s practice. “I can’t really push the basketball if I get a rebound. I can’t really run pick and rolls, so basically I’m a decoy, a spot-up shooter, I can’t really do a whole lot. I’ll be the bailout guy if you get into a sticky situation just try and find me.”

Interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo also has accepted that fact while expressing the belief Johnson can’t be injured any further. He also has an appreciation for what Johnson is doing, especially since without naming names, there might be others in the league that would not do the same.

“That’s what warriors do,” Carlesimo said. “Everybody doesn’t do that. That’s what guys who are warriors, guy who really are competitors, that’s what they do.

Carlesimo said those who see the treatments, shooting drills and other routines would gain the same level of appreciation.

“Players always know,” Carlesimo said. “They’re in there, they dress together, they know what guys are going through particularly this time of the year and more. … It’s not just a matter of going out there.

“Obviously he’s got a lot of pain the next day and in this case we had two days which helps a little bit. So they know what he’s going through and they appreciate it.”

Johnson has competed through the injury, which first appeared in late-February, with mixed results.

Johnson has shot 50 percent (12-for-24) in the two wins and 42.3 percent (22-for-52) in the three losses. It also seemed to impact his 3-point shooting at least early in the series.

Johnson knows the Bulls will attempt to exploit his limitation by running him off picks and high screens while getting him to chase on defense.

“The adrenaline factors in a lot,” Johnson said. “Once I get moving on the court and it feels loose it feels better, but toward the end of the game I’m just really so focused and I try to block it out as much as I can and just try to make a big play.

“Late in games it’s just one of those times, I might have to push off and do what I have to do to get us over the hump or come up with a big play for us so I just have a tendency to play through it and gut it out.”

During the regular season, Johnson shot 9-for-10 from the field in games the Nets were tied or trailing by three points or fewer with less than a minute remaining.

In this series, he is 2-for-5, with the two baskets coming in the second overtime on Saturday. In the five games, he is shooting 13-for-27 after the third quarter.

“I think it’s a process that can make us tougher and stronger as a team,” Johnson said. “Fighting through adversity in this first round, it definitely can build character and make us much more stronger mentally. We’ll see how it goes. We definitely feel like we can win this series.”

Johnson couldn’t put a percentage on how he’s feeling but indicated that if this was a regular-season game, he probably wouldn’t play. But now that his first season in Brooklyn is on the line, that’s a concern for another time.

“I’m just giving them everything I can at this point,” Johnson said.

Right calf strain for Blatche

Since Game 4, Andray Blatche has been dealing with a strained right calf. Although he thought it was a cramp down the stretch of Game 5, it was more noticeable during the 11-plus minutes Blatche played.

Like Johnson, Blatche was not going to let an injury that seems to be minor get in the way of his production.

Blatche has been getting treatment for it and said the combination of that and adrenaline will get him on the court Thursday.

“I can give as many as you give me,” Blatche said. “Whatever they give me I’m going to go out there and play hard. I’m really expecting by tomorrow for this thing to be about 90 percent [healed]. I should be ready to play tomorrow.”

More aggression defensively for Lopez

Brook Lopez spoke about defense while his right ankle was taped Wednesday after practice. The tape on his ankle was just routine soreness which probably came from both ends of the court, especially in the shot-blocking department.

Lopez started the series with first-quarter blocks of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer and has averaged 3.4 blocks through the postseason, second only to Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka (3.5). The Nets also are better defensively with him on the court as they allow 95.5 points per 100 possessions this series.

So when asked about his defense, Lopez conceded it has definitely improved while adding that “he was the last line of defense.”

That’s about as boastful Lopez was when touching on the topic, but he was extremely proud it came a year after being limited to five games in 2011-12 due to a foot injury.

“I’m honestly happy to be playing,” he said. “It sucked to not be on the floor playing with my teammates. I wanted to get in a place where I wouldn’t be able to get injured again and go out there and be able to play basketball and have fun.”

Hinrich sheds walking boot

Chicago guard Kirk Hinrich ditched his walking boot but that does not necessarily mean he will play Game 6. Hinrich didn’t practice due to his bruised left calf and told reporters significant improvement had to be made.

“I’m still walking very gingerly,” Hinrich told Chicago reporters at Bulls’ practice. “I haven’t tried to run or cut or jump or anything yet. I’m hoping it improves a lot. … It’s just one of those things where I took a good shot and it’s preventing me from moving very well.”

Former Knick Nate Robinson scored 20 points while playing 43 minutes in Game 5, but had just four points in the fourth quarter. He also struggled to stay in front of Deron Williams and Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau seemed unsure if Robinson would start again.

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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J.R. Smith made it clear he believes the Knicks would’ve won Game 4 had he not been suspended. As for who he was suspended for elbowing, he’s not yet ready to speak of him.

“Huh? Who? I don’t even know who that is. I’m sorry,” Smith would say any time either the elbow incident or Jason Terry’s name was brought up.

The only time Smith acknowledged Terry’s existence was when he alluded to the fact Terry engaged in questionable tactics, causing the Smith to swing his elbow.

“[Terry’s action] was [below the belt], but it doesn’t matter. … There are some things that just don’t need to be discussed,” Smith said.

Smith, who acknowledged he’s “vital to the team,” then concluded that he’s learned his lesson. But in doing so, he may have also inadvertently given the Celtics some bulletin-board material.

“We had a minor hiccup, but then again we still had a chance to win,” he said. “I’m just glad to be back and move on. … But, oh yeah, it [the series] would’ve been over. I’d have been playing golf today.”

Instead, the Knicks got back to work on Tuesday, two days after a tense defeat in Boston.

But as heart-wrenching as the loss was, considering the Knicks fought all the way back from a 19-point deficit and forced overtime before falling in the extra frame, their spirits are still very high.

“We can’t think that because we’re up 3-1 that they’re just going to hand it to us,” Carmelo Anthony said about the Celtics’ resolve. “They did a great job of competing and fighting back in Game 4. But now we have a chance to do something special here.”

Head coach Mike Woodson added that he didn’t have to warn his team about overconfidence and he trusts his squad will be focused.

Woodson is a veteran of the game and knows how playoff momentum can swing in an instant. The reason Woodson and Co. are so guarded against overconfidence is because should the Celtics upset the Knicks in Game 5, it sends the series back to Beantown for Game 6. Then all the pressure falls at the feet of the No. 2-seeded Knicks

First thing’s first, though, said Woodson, who noted his squad is totally locked in to close out the series in Game 5.

“Well, it’s big-time urgency on our part, [but] we played the regular season for this. We were able to go to Boston and get a game on the road, so now we’re in position to close this out at home,” Woodson said. “This is a new group in these playoffs, and in playoff basketball anything is liable to happen. But if we play with high energy, we usually come out with a win. .. Close-out games aren’t easy, but I feel confident playing here.”

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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In between their crushing triple-overtime loss in Chicago on Saturday and their impressive fourth quarter in Brooklyn on Monday, not much was said and there was not any practice other than a morning shootaround

There was a film session and while the Nets spent most of their flight watching video, they also watched another video segment on Monday unrelated to Game 4.

Instead it was footage of a halftime interview Chicago Sun-Times writer Joe Cowley gave on Brooklyn’s YES Network telecast. He stated the Bulls wanted to face the Nets in the first round because they privately felt Brooklyn was “gutless” and “heartless,” and therefore could be exposed in close games in the fourth quarter.

“Rather than do nothing, do something,” interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo said on Tuesday’s conference call. “Did it help 15 guys? No, but maybe it helped a couple of guys. Maybe it struck a chord with a couple of guys so it was just an effort to do a little something.

“We knew we weren’t going to do anything on the court or anything like that and I’m not a Knute Rockne speaker. So it was just something that hopefully would resonate with a couple of different people.”

After closing out Monday’s 110-91 victory on a 25-7 run over the final eight minutes, players, most notably Deron Williams, brushed aside the clip as a joke.

“We didn’t need that,” Williams said. “That’s not why. That had nothing to do with it. We laughed about it. P.J. wanted us to watch it. And after it was over, we were like, ‘That’s it? What are we supposed to do now? Ah! We’re mad!’”

The comments from Cowley came before the Nets blew a 14-point lead and gave up a 16-2 run that forced the first of three overtimes.

Carlesimo said that although it was important for players to hear it, he didn’t think it made as much of an impact as knowing that Monday was the first of three elimination games the Nets will go through if they win this series which would be more of test of the team’s guts and heart.

“I think each succeeding game, if we get through Game 6, Game 7 will be that,” Carlesimo said. “We’re day-to-day. We dug ourselves a hole and we have to find a way to win on Thursday and bring it back to Brooklyn but that’s meaningless if we don’t get it done on Saturday.

“But I just think it’s each succeeding one. That was what last night was. That’s what Thursday will be and if we can get by Thursday that’s what Saturday is going to be. Elimination games are challenging games to play but knockout games are hard to play too. It’s not easy to eliminate a team, so it goes both ways.”

Watson motivated by Robinson

C.J. Watson is not the first player to dislike Nate Robinson and he will not be the last to dislike the former Knick guard who is capable of scoring points in bunches.

He has come out in recent interviews with ESPN saying he was not a fan of Robinson when they were teammates with Chicago. The feeling seemed to be mutual when Robinson threw him into the scorer’s table in the second quarter during a brief tussle.

Whether or not that has served as motivation for Watson is up to debate. Watson is currently best known for blowing a dunk in Game 4 that would have given the Nets a 16-point lead.

Watson, however, is averaging 9.2 points per game in the series and 12.5 points in the two wins. He had 11 points Monday on 4-of-8 shooting.

“I don’t know if they’re both feeding off that,” Carlesimo said. “I think it’s been a motivator for both of them. They’re both playing with a lot of emotion and they’re both playing very well. It seems to have had a positive impact on both of them.”

Watson is shooting 43.9 percent (18-for-41) in the series but Carlesimo doesn’t think it’s his best stretch of the season. Carlesimo points to a stretch from Feb. 13 to March 1 when he averaged 14.5 points per game on 53.5 percent (38-for-71) shooting while making starts for Williams and Joe Johnson.

“I think he’s played very well,” Carlesimo said. “He’s had a couple of really big games for us. He strung games together in certain periods also. I think he’s playing very well right now, as well as he’s played at any point but I don’t want to minimize all the good games he had during the regular season either.”

Two bigs are better than one

Carlesimo has been hesitant to use Andray Blatche and Brook Lopez at the same time but as the Nets scored 33 fourth-quarter points, his two centers combined for 15 points and six of the 11 baskets while limiting the Chicago starting frontcourt of Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah to six points and three rebounds.

The performance defensively is more of a determination for future instances when Carlesimo might play Blatche and Lopez together in the fourth. Monday night they played from the 6:56 mark until there were 55 seconds left.

“I think it is difficult, but sometimes how difficult it is for somebody to guard us doesn’t trump doing it [at] the other end of the floor,” Carlesimo said. “That wasn’t the case last night but we like this matchup and we feel good about going to either one of them and if we’re not stopping them on the other end and the team is kicking our butts on the boards that trumps it.”

Offensively, the duo combined for nine points and three rebounds in those six minutes, but defensively the score went from 88-84 to 106-91 as the Bulls went 1-for-5 on shots beyond 10 feet after initially getting two layups.

In the third, when Chicago cut a 10-point lead to four, that trio combined for 13 points and seven rebounds.

The pairing almost ended at the timeout with 3:15 remaining in a seven-point game as Blatche’s calf was acting up. However, after getting treatment during a timeout Carlesimo did not make a change.

“He was obviously affected,” Carlesimo said. “He didn’t want to come out and he was playing effective, so I stayed with it.”

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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In the postseason, especially in dire situations, someone else besides the stars often needs to deliver significant production. For the Nets in Game 5, that someone was backup center Andray Blatche.

Blatche scored 10 of his 13 points in fourth quarter and the Nets survived for another three days by pulling out a 110-91 victory over the Bulls Monday night.

“My main thing was I wanted to get the ball deep in the paint and just be aggressive,” Blatche said. “That’s kind of what I did. I stayed in attack mode.”

“He has done it throughout the season,” Brook Lopez said. “He is definitely capable of it and we are definitely going to need that performance again.”

Blatche finished with his most points in a playoff game and his third career double-digit postseason game. His biggest performance as a Net came despite struggling with calf pain.

“We didn’t want it to end,” Blatche said. “Nobody is ready to go home. We still feel like we have an opportunity to make it to the second round and we want to continue to fight to get to that round.”

Blatche also grabbed four of his five rebounds in the fourth quarter while helping a defensive effort which limited Chicago’s starting frontcourt of Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah to six points and three rebounds in the quarter.

“I thought he was doing a good job,” Nets interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “I just thought he was playing very well. The biggest thing was his shot selection was excellent. He didn’t settle for jump shots unless the clock was on his back. He took the ball to the basket. He was aggressive. I thought in the second half, he defended much better than he did in the first half. He was playing very, very well.”

Blatche played virtually the entire fourth quarter, helping the Nets expand on a nerve-racking 77-74 lead for their fans. He had played just 8:33 and taken two shots in the opening 36 minutes but early in the period, as Deron Williams was getting a rest for the stretch run, Blatche helped the Nets maintain their lead and ensured Brooklyn would have two days to prepare for Game 6 Thursday night in Chicago.

His first basket came after a floating jumper by Nate Robinson cut the lead to 79-78. It was the result of a nice hustle play, as Blatche seized Kris Humphries’ missed jumper and converted the layup for an 81-78 lead.

Blatche’s next basket came in transition after Gerald Wallace forced Taj Gibson into a turnover. Wallace found Blatche with a nice outlet pass and the big man converted a finger roll for an 83-78 lead.

After Luol Deng hit a step back jumper from the left elbow, Blatche grabbed another offensive rebound and converted a short jumper to make it 85-80. Blatche later converted two foul shots after getting flagrantly fouled by Marco Belinelli with 6:56 left and hit another jumper less than a minute later.

Blatche’s minutes came at the expense of Reggie Evans, who grabbed 12 rebounds in 24 minutes. When Blatche exited to a standing ovation with 55.2 seconds left and the Nets up by 15, Evans embraced him.

“I was happy as hell,” Evans said. “I’m not really concerned about his calf right now. I know he’s going to play and he ain’t going to let us down. He’s my boy and he came through in the clutch.

“That just shows the unity in this room. There ain’t no hating. There’s all love and there may be games where I’m going to finish the games out but for him to stay focused, he’s going through so much this year and to stay poised, I’m grateful for him to be ready and do what he did and [he was] right on time.”

The Nets were up 91-84 with six minutes to play, but that can be an eternity in the fourth quarter of an NBA playoff game. But unlike Saturday, they did not wilt, getting a few highlight plays to close the game out properly.

The final minutes were the biggest challenge but instead of rehashing the last fourth quarter they played, the tone during timeouts was business-like with a focus on making the plays that eluded them Saturday and in the other two losses.

“We didn’t want to say much,” Williams said. “After the last game, it was pretty evident what we needed to do and that was close the game out and I thought we did a great job of it.”

“[We were] not necessary angry but more aware, just basically focused on closing this game,” Blatche said. “We got up. We wanted to keep the lead and not make mental mistakes and close the game out and I think we did a great job of that.”

Wallace hit maybe the biggest two shots — a 3-pointer in front of Chicago’s bench with 2:18 left, followed by a steal of Robinson’s pass and a transition dunk to make it 103-91 with two minutes left.

Williams scored 12 of his 23 points in the third quarter, looking like the player who aggressively slashed to the basket in Game 1. Lopez struggled to get deep post position at times against Joakim Noah but still managed a 28-point game.

Robinson led the Bulls with 20 points but after getting 23 in the fourth quarter Saturday, he scored just four down the stretch Monday night.

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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In Game 2 and 3, Deron Williams struggled in replicating his strong showing on shots from 10 feet or less. Many times when he tried to do something, Kirk Hinrich was shadowing him.

Williams didn’t have that problem Monday as Hinrich sat out with an injured left calf he suffered Saturday which left him in a walking boot.

In Brooklyn’s first two losses, Williams shot 6-for-23 and the Nets shot well under 40 percent. In Game 4, Williams was 9-for-14 through three quarters but missed nine of last 11 shots in the fourth quarter and overtimes.

“It’s difficult,” Hinrich said to reporters at Chicago’s morning shootaround. “Nobody wants to miss playoff games. There’s no question, this is what you look to all year. There’s nothing really I can do at this point, other than just continue to try and improve it every day and see how it goes.”

Hinrich has shot 16-of-34 in Chicago’s three wins after opening the series with a 0-for-3 night. However, it is defensively where he has shined by fronting Williams.

He has kept Williams out of the paint and limited his aggressiveness after he was 7-for-9 on shots from 10 feet or less. It also has limited his ability to find Brook Lopez for post-ups.

Now it’s up to the Nets to capitalize even if it means exposure to the potential explosiveness of Nate Robinson.

“He’s one of those guys that can get it going and get in a zone,” Carlesimo said. “It doesn’t matter — good shots, bad shots, bank shots — whatever he’s doing it can go in.”

Nets comment on Jason Collins

Jason Collins began his career with the Nets just as the team experienced a renaissance in 2001-02. He played six and a half seasons with New Jersey before joining five other teams.

That’s not why he was in the news Monday. In this week’s upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated, he wrote an op-ed stating he is coming out as gay and didn’t think he could do so 10 years ago.

“I just think the NBA reflects society and I think society hopefully is a lot more mature or accepting or ready for acting the way we should act right now,” Carlesimo said. “That implies we weren’t ready in ’03. I don’t know if it happened in ’03 it would have been any different. I think it’s great that Jason did it. It’s extremely courageous on his part but I think the NBA will react very, very well.

“We’re only a tiny part but I think they will react very, very well. I don’t know if I could say, ‘Oh god, I’m glad this didn’t happen in ’03, we wouldn’t have been ready then.’ I think we very well could have been then. I hope that we would react even better than the rest of society. We’re a little bit part of society but given the family aspect and what we all do together every year, I think we could handle it a lot better.”

Several former teammates used Twitter to express their support, including Jason Kidd and Bostjan Nachbar.

Kidd said: “Jason’s sexuality doesn’t change the fact that he is a great friend and was a great teammate.”

Nachbar said: “I’m surprised but happy for big fella to get it off his chest.”

As for the current Nets, general manager Billy King issued the following statement:

“Jason Collins was a vital member of the New Jersey Nets for six and a half years, and as an executive with a competing NBA team, I always respected the standard he set for team play and the example he set for the league in playing with integrity and purpose. He exemplifies everything we look for in players, and for those players and associates within our organization, our primary focus is creating the most accepting and respectful environment for everyone to succeed.”

Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson also issued brief statements:

“It’s an honor for me to call Jason Collins a friend,” Lopez said. “I admire his dignity as well as his courage to come out. I’ll always have his back.”

“Jason Collins was one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Johnson said. “I respect his tremendous courage to come out and will always support him.”

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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The Knicks strolled into Boston’s TD Garden undermanned and ready to close out the series via a sweep, but ended up coming up just short in a 97-90 overtime defeat.

New York now leads the series, 3-1, but had every intention of coming back home without the Celtics in tow. Paul Pierce and Jeff Green made sure the Celtics would be making a return trip to New York, as they poured in 29 points and 26 points, respectively. Kevin Garnett, who’s been battling a hip pointer all series, also came up big for a desperate Celtics team as he added 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.

The Knicks almost pulled off a historic comeback as they stormed back from down 20 points in the third quarter and made it a nip-and-tuck affair in the fourth quarter. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be for the Knicks as they couldn’t get the necessary stops down the stretch — particularly on shots from Jason Terry (nine points in overtime) — or make the key buckets.

It also didn’t help that Carmelo Anthony went ice cold, shooting 10-of-35. He started 0-of-5 from the field in the first quarter and 3-of-15 for the half — the latter stat being the most missed field goals for his career in a playoff game.

Anthony, who still finished with a game-high 36 points, got little help from his supporting cast. The bench was outscored, 22-7. NBA Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith didn’t play after being hit with a one-game suspension after he connected with an elbow on Jason Terry’s face near the end of Game 3.

What we saw …

1. The Knicks led the league in least amount of turnovers (11.7), and were very prudent in that category in the first three games. No so in Game 4, as they committed 15 turnovers — including 12 in the first half. The Knicks were so cavalier with the ball that they had more giveaways than actual made field goals (11) in the first half.

2. Smith wasn’t seen by Knicks fans as he was serving a one-game suspension for his errant elbow. Smith was sorely missed as the Knicks’ offense was stagnant, shooting 34.4 percent, and their bench was nonexistent. Terry led the way with 18 points off the Celtics’ bench, including nine in overtime.

3. The Knicks couldn’t rebound and pull off the historic comeback win, but they did rebound on the glass nicely by hammering the Celtics, 54-40. Garnett led Boston with 17 rebounds, but got very little help from his teammates — particularly frontline mates Jeff Green (six) and Brandon Bass (four), who also fouled out with four minutes remaining. Iman Shumpert had an impressive 12 rebounds, while Tyson Chandler added 11 boards.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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The argument can be made Nate Robinson should have been ejected for driving C.J. Watson into the scorer’s table during a brief scuffle in the second quarter.

With four minutes left in regulation and a 14-point Nets lead it seemed inconsequential. Instead, the former Knicks guard carried the Bulls down the stretch in a 142-134 triple-overtime victory over Brooklyn.

The Nets, down 3-1 in the series, face elimination at home Monday night.

Robinson scored 29 points after the third quarter and 34 overall. He had a 12-0 run that cut a 109-95 lead to 109-107 with just over a minute remaining in regulation.

Being unable to stop Robinson was not the only Nets problem. With a chance to ice the game in regulation, Watson missed an easy transition dunk, Reggie Evans missed two free throws and the Nets gave up a 16-2 run to close out the fourth quarter.

Neither team gained significant separation in the overtimes until Chicago took a 133-128 lead on a Taj Gibson baseline jumper, a 135-130 lead on a jumper by Luol Deng with 2:35 remaining and a 137-132 edge on a Nazr Mohammed basket with 48 seconds left on a pick-and-roll play with Kirk Hinrich.

The final blow for the Nets came with 19 seconds left when Boozer missed a foul shot and Mohammed put back the miss for a 140-134 lead.

The Nets got solid individual performances from their trio of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez but each player was unable to changed the outcome in favor of Brooklyn.

Williams scored 32 points in 58 minutes, but had just two points after a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in regulation.

Johnson scored 22 points in 48 minutes and hit a buzzer-beating shot at the end of the first overtime. Although he hit two big shots in the final 12 seconds of that period, he also missed two jumpers that would have expanded a 116-113 lead. He also missed a potential go-ahead jumper with 6.9 seconds to play in the second overtime.

Lopez had 24 points in 52 minutes but missed a crucial free throw with 48.7 seconds left that would have given the Nets a one-point lead.

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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The Knicks are one step closer to finally getting out of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

At the same time, New York most likely ended the current batch of Celtics’ reign, as they dominated in a 90-76 win in Game 3.

Led by Carmelo Anthony’s game-high 26 points, the Knicks took a commanding 3-0 series lead and have put the Celtics’ season on life support. But bigger than Anthony’s scoring was the fact that the Knicks’ defense held the Celtics below 80 points for the third consecutive game.

The Knicks sat every starter but Pablo Prigioni by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, with New York up 68-52. Prigioni enjoyed a breakout game as he tallied all nine of his points in the first half – all on 3-pointers.

Boston was led by Jeff Green’s 21 points, but they didn’t matter much because the home team was overmatched essentially from the opening tip. Paul Pierce added 17 points, while Kevin Garnett had 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds in a losing effort.

Anthony began Game 3 shooting just 2-of-7, continuing his trend of starting slowly, but he rebounded nicely to finish 12-of-25 from the field. He was also aided by point guard Raymond Felton, who enjoyed a career night with 15 points and a career playoff-high 10 assists.

The Knicks’ win was huge in many aspects, as they’re not only one game away from an unthinkable sweep, but they also earned their first road playoff win in 12 years and their first playoff win in Boston in 23 years. One more victory and they’ll have the chance to rest and wait for a likely second-round matchup with the Pacers.

What we saw …

1. He actually shot and scored

Prigioni wasn’t the best player on the floor, but he was maybe the coolest. It is Prigioni’s first venture into the fierce NBA playoffs, but the 35-year-old rookie never wavered – not as the Celtics tried to get the partisan crowd in a frenzy at the start of the game, and not even as the Celtics tried to pressure the Knicks guards early to get them out of rhythm. Prigioni only had nine points, but the fact that the often-reticent shooter squeezed off six shots is newsworthy. Larger than that impact, though, was his calming influence on offense as the lead guard and his game-high five steals on defense set the tone.

2. Lived by the 3

The Knicks started hot from behind the arc (4-of-8 in the first quarter) and stayed that way for most of the game (11-of-27) to keep the Celtics on their heels. New York, which set an NBA regular-season record for most 3-point attempts in a season, was led by Prigioni’s three triples. Boston, conversely, is not known for their long-range efficiency and it was painfully obvious they couldn’t keep pace. They shot only 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) on 3-pointers.

3. Bench Mobbed

The Knicks didn’t need much scoring because the Celtics couldn’t find the bucket either, but their bench did enjoy some success. New York’s reserves held a 30-10 advantage over their Boston counterparts. J.R. Smith, who was ejected for throwing an elbow at the head of Jason Terry late in the fourth quarter, led all subs with 15 points. Steve Novak added eight points on 2-of-3 shooting on 3-pointers, but even that output would’ve led all Boston reserves.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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C.J. Watson is not the Nets player you expect to take maybe the biggest shot of your season.

The Nets lost to the Bulls in Chicago, 79-76, in another physical contest similar to Game 2′s Nets loss. Brooklyn made a furious charge late in the game, but a game-tying 3-point attempt by Watson missed at the buzzer.

The Nets are now behind in the series, 2-1, to Chicago with Game 3 to come on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.).

Deron Williams, who made just one field goal in Game 2, was better in Game 3. But that wasn’t saying much. He finished the game 5-of-14 for 18 points and four assists. Brook Lopez again led the team with 22 points. He added nine rebounds and seven blocks.

The Nets trailed 77-64 with 4:56 left in the game, but slowly chiseled away at the lead. Lopez made two free throws and then had back-to-back buckets to pull the deficit to single digits. Marshon Brooks then nailed a jumper to make it 77-72 in favor of the Bulls with two minutes left.

But the Nets struggled to keep up the momentum after the 8-0 run. Brooks missed a lay-up with 1:25 left and Williams missed a 3-pointer with 49 seconds left. Lopez had a dunk with 14 seconds left to make it 77-74. And after a Nate Robinson made 1-of-2 free throws, Williams hit a shot to make it 78-76 with just five seconds left.

Joakim Noah hit 1-of-2 from the line and Watson, not exactly the first candidate to take a game-tying shot, had his attempt rim out as the clock expired.

Carlos Boozer (22 points and 16 rebounds) and Luol Deng (21 points and 10 rebounds) both finished with double-doubles for Chicago.

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It’s been a big week for everyone’s favorite female basketball star, Skylar Diggins.

Diggins, who was recently selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, signed on with Jay-Z’s new sports agency, RocNationSports. She was immediately captured throwing up the “dynasty” sign. Diggins joins the Yankees’ Robinson Cano and the Giants’ Victor Cruz on Jay-Z’s client list.

Earlier in the week, Diggins and injured Lakers star Kobe Bryant enjoyed some light-hearted banter on the Twittersphere.

Bryant initiated the conversation while remarking on Diggins’ appearance at a Nike camp, writing, “Heard @SkyDigg4 is visiting my Nike fam campus! It would be great to have her be the 1^st official #ladymamba rep #mambamen …”

To which Diggins re-tweeted and replied, “Lady Mamba lol”

No word yet from Vanessa Bryant …

Feeling a draft

The NFL Draft is mere hours away as we sit here typing. While the experts — and yes, even Metro did a mock draft — break down the best of the best, we want to use this space to introduce you to the first WAG we’ve come across.

Matt Barkley is a quarterback for USC. He may go in the first round, if a team desperately seeking a quarterback wants to reach. More likely, he’ll go in the second or third round, and maybe his suitor will secure the steal of the 2013 draft.

More likely, we’ll all just be cheering for him to go early, so we can get up close and personal with his girlfriend, Brittany Langdon, much like we did a year ago with Ryan Tannehill and his smokeshow disguised as arm candy.

In the meantime, enjoy Brittany, courtesy of BustedCoverage.com.

Happy drafting everyone!

The post Playing the Field: Skylar Diggins signs with Jay-Z, flirts with Kobe Bryant appeared first on Metro.us.

The plantar fasciitis Joe Johnson was dealing with during February and early March has returned and with the Nets currently tied at one game apiece in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with Chicago it is something Johnson has been forced to accept and cope with.

Johnson did not practice Wednesday and the Nets are officially listing him as a game-time decision, though Johnson and interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo did not sound alarmed and seem to believe the shooting guard will play Thursday night.

“Hopefully, [I can play],” Johnson said. “This is valuable for us. We’ve battled. We’ve been through ups and downs the whole year. I’m going to do whatever I can to be out there.”

“It’s unfortunate but injuries happen and hopefully he’s going to be OK,” Carlesimo said. “If he’s not, other guys have to pick it up.”

In his first two playoff games as a Net, Johnson is 13-for-31 from the field. He started Game 2 3-for-5 in the first quarter, but was 3-for-13 the rest of the game.

According to Johnson, at some point in the first quarter the ailment flared up again. He did not specify the exact moment in the period but from the 6:04 mark to the 1:34 mark, Johnson hit a fastbreak layup, a nine-foot floating jumper and a 3-pointer.

His final shot of the first quarter was a missed 3-pointer, which began a stretch of eight straight misses until a 3-pointer with 5:18 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“That’s no excuse, man,” Johnson said. “It was definitely a game that got away that we should’ve won. I’m a little sore but I’ll be able to give them what I got.”

Johnson missed four games with what the team said was a sore let heel and seemed to be over it but said it lingered and that it was a small amount of plantar fasciitis. Since these games significantly more crucial than regular season games in the middle of the winter, there is little time to cope with it other than just rest and treatment.

“I think it may have been a little bit of plantar fasciitis in February when it first started,” Johnson said. “Now it’s deep into the plantar fasciitis. It’s just something I’ll have to fight through.

“It lingered here and there. I had my good days and bad days. It’s just something that needs rest and I don’t have time for it right now.”

Johnson is not the only player in this series dealing with a painful foot injury. Chicago’s Joakim Noah has played nearly 40 minutes with a foot injury while totaling 15 points and 15 rebounds but, as Johnson pointed out, the duties of a shooting guard are vastly different than a center.

“I’m chasing guys off screens, penetrating [and] cutting,” Johnson said. “He’s a big man, so it’s a lot different.”

And like Noah, even though both were considered game-time decisions, nobody is expecting Johnson to sit.

“Oh, he’ll play,” Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters at Bulls’ practice. “Don’t worry.”

Adjustments critical for Williams

For many players the best defense mechanism about a bad performance is to merely shrug it off and chalk it up to “one of those days.” That’s the method Deron Williams selected when discussing his 1-for-9 showing in Game 2.

“I had a bad game,” Williams said. “It happens. Relax.”

The Nets will hardly be in a position to relax if it happens again. The main cause was the constant double teams he faced in various pick-and-roll situations and away from the basket.

“They got two people on him, particularly in the pick and rolls,” Carlesimo said. “He was able to split it a lot but they got two people on him. When he comes off screens, they got two people on him and he saw a loaded floor, which they do. When you get into the paint, there’s people there. There’s three, four or five people there. I’m sure they did some things different. I think it was more they did things better.”

In the times that he did not face a double team, Williams missed four open 3-pointers by his count. In Game 1 he made two 3-pointers and attacked the rim, as he was 7-for-9 on shots from 10 feet or less as opposed to his 1-for-3 showing in that category Monday.

“I missed shots and let them dictate what I was doing a little bit and just got a little passive but I’ll be fine,” Williams said. “I had four open 3s that I missed. I make those, that’s 12 more points and we’re not even talking about it.”

And it seems the best way to counter the slew of defenders is to drive to the rim with more aggressiveness like Williams did on Saturday.

“Be aggressive but read what’s there from the defense and when it’s appropriate and when you can get it to the rim and when we want you to attack — attack,” Carlesimo said of how Williams can respond. “When it’s not, take what they give us.”

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.

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