Nets shake the past, reach NBA Finals

BOSTON -- This is no joke: The former laughingstocks of the Eastern Conference are going to the NBA Finals.

Jason Kidd became the first player in 35 years to record three triple-doubles in an NBA playoff series, and the New Jersey Nets finished off the Boston Celtics and their disappearing duo of superstars with a 96-88 victory in Game 6 on Friday night.

A franchise whose existence has been marked by poor management, bad personnel moves and fan apathy now has a chance to take its total turnaround even one step further.

"I would love to win a championship," Kidd said. "Maybe then there won't be any critics or doubters."

Doubters were easy to find last summer when the Nets acquired Kidd and he boldly predicted that the perpetually downtrodden franchise would be able to win 40 games. People are now shaking their heads at the Nets for a different reason, giving grudging admiration to a franchise that won two ABA titles but only one NBA playoff series prior to this year.

The Nets are the first team since the 1977-78 Seattle SuperSonics to make it to the finals after failing to qualify for the playoffs the previous season.

Kidd finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists to join Oscar Robertson (1963) and Wilt Chamberlain (1967) as the only players with three triple-doubles in a playoff series.