INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Anthony Johnson hit the game-winning free throws for the Pacers in Game 1 at New Jersey and scored 13 points in the fourth quarter of a Game 3 win.
None of this is a surprise to the Nets, who saw plenty of promise in the journeyman point guard when he backed up Jason Kidd for two years in New Jersey.
Series at a Glance
vs.
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Game 1: at NJN
IND 90, NJN 88 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 2: at NJN
IND 75, NJN 90 - Final
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Game 3: at IND
NJN 95, IND 107 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 4: at IND
NJN 97, IND 88 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 5: at NJN
IND 86, NJN 92 - Final
Recap | Box Score -
Game 6: at IND
NJN 96, IND 90 - Final
Recap | Box Score
“He’s competitive, he loves to be in this kind of atmosphere and he’s playing extremely well,” Kidd said.
Johnson is averaging 18 points, six assists and five rebounds in the Eastern Conference first-round series, getting the best of his matchup with Kidd. He’s a big reason the Pacers have a 2-1 lead going into Game 4 on Saturday.
Johnson, 31, had perhaps the best game of his career with 25 points and eight assists in Thursday night’s 107-95 Game 3 win. When the game got close in the fourth quarter, he scored 10 points in just over 2 minutes to put the Pacers in control for good.
While the Nets are paying attention to Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Jackson and Peja Stojakovic, Johnson is making his former team pay.
“I want to think of myself as a productive or go-to guy down the stretch,” Johnson said. “I know earlier in the season and at different points in the season, things didn’t go my way. We have other guys that can step up and do that like Jermaine and Jack and Peja, but if my number is called, then I have no problem stepping up to the challenge.”
Johnson is more interested in the team’s success than his own.
“I’m enjoying the fact that I’m having a little bit of individual success because it shows that all the hard work has paid off,” he said. “At the same time, the team really hasn’t accomplished anything yet.”
Johnson has been such a force in the series against the Nets that Kidd acknowledged Johnson has outplayed him. Johnson also has used his thick 6-foot-3 frame to overpower Kidd’s backup, Jacque Vaughn.
“I think he’s been playing inspired basketball,” Vaughn said. “He’s done a great job of playing point guard for their team, scoring points as well as getting them into the offense. He’s just capitalizing on the opportunity.”
Johnson, who has played for six teams in nine seasons, entered the playoffs with a career average of 5.7 points. Before last season, he hadn’t been a regular starter since his rookie year in 1997-98 with the Sacramento Kings.
Last season, Johnson started 36 regular-season games while Jamaal Tinsley was hurt and helped the injury- and suspension-riddled Pacers make the playoffs. This season, the Pacers brought Sarunas Jasikevicius in as the backup point guard, but Johnson outplayed him and gained a firm grip on the starting job while Tinsley was out injured again.
All of Johnson’s experiences, from watching and learning from Kidd to playing in the Finals with the Nets, have helped him mature into a better player. Johnson also is taking advantage of the fact that he knows the Nets well, New Jersey guard Richard Jefferson said.
“He’s extremely confident with our team,” Jefferson said. “He knows our schemes, he knows our coaching staff, he knows what we’re trying to accomplish and that’s why he’s been effective.”
Kidd said he’s happy that Johnson has done well, though he wishes it wasn’t at his expense.
“He’s been patient,” Kidd said. “He’s been around on different teams throughout this league and he’s showing the league that he can play at a high level in a big series.”
Indy Cornrows