By Warren Blatt, NBA Editor
New Jersey Nets: 2nd Seed, East (47-35)
Detroit Pistons: 3rd Seed, East (54-28)
(Basketball News) - The New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons meet for the second straight year in the postseason.
In the 2003 Eastern Conference finals, the Nets, who have represented the East in the NBA Finals the past two seasons, swept the Pistons out of the postseason in four straight games. New Jersey would lose in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
The teams also met in the first round of the 1985 playoffs. That series had a different result than last season, as the Pistons swept New Jersey, 3-0.
Even though the Nets, who won the Atlantic Division, are a higher seed than the Pistons, the home-court advantage in this best-of-seven series belongs to Detroit because it had a better record during the regular season.
The second-seeded Nets dismissed the No. 7 New York Knicks in four straight games in their first-round matchup. All-Star forward Kenyon Martin was dominant against the Knicks, as he averaged 23.3 points and 14 rebounds in the four games.
Martin’s fellow All-Star Jason Kidd and forward Richard Jefferson also played very well against New York. Kidd averaged 17 points, six rebounds and nine assists, while Jefferson contributed 17.8 points, five boards and 4.8 helpers.
After beating the Knicks by 24 points in Game 1 and 18 in Game 2, New Jersey won two close contests in Games 3 and 4 at Madison Square Garden. The Nets won Game 3 by a score of 81-78 and held on to end New York’s season 100-94 in Game 4.
The third-seeded Pistons sent No. 6 Milwaukee packing in five games in the first round. Detroit was able fight off a bit of a scare, as the Bucks won Game 2 at The Palace to even the series at 1-1 heading back to the Bradley Center.
Detroit rebounded in Game 3, as it defeated Milwaukee 95-85 and took Game 4 in commanding fashion, 109-92. In the fifth game, Tayshaun Prince scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, as the Pistons advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the third straight season with a 91-77 victory over the Bucks at The Palace.
Prince added nine rebounds and eight assists in game 5 against the Bucks to go along with his playoff career-high point total.
The Pistons’ backcourt of Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups led Detroit in scoring against Milwaukee. Hamilton averaged a team-high 20.2 points, while Billups checked in at 18.2 per game.
Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace were also strong against Milwaukee for Detroit. Rasheed Wallace averaged 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds, while Ben Wallace was dominant defensively and finished the five-game set averaging 11 points, 13.2 boards and 2.4 blocks.
During the regular season, the teams split four games. Both squads picked up a win at home and a victory on the road.
FRONTCOURT: The Nets hope that Martin and Jefferson can carry over their excellent play from the opening round. Both players played tough defense, and were dominant on the offensive end of the court against New York. They were able to get out on the break with Kidd and rack up some easy points for New Jersey.
Center Jason Collins stands between Jefferson and Martin. The seven-foot Collins did his job against the Knicks, as he averaged 4.8 points and 2.5 rebounds. Collins is a big body who takes up space.
Jefferson and Martin are going to have to keep their games at a high level if they hope to compete with the physical Pistons, who will come at them with the Wallaces and Prince.
Ben Wallace, who was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team, makes Detroit’s opponents think twice about going into the lane. He is not a force on the offensive end of the court, but he dominates defensively and forces teams to adjust their offensive game plans around his presence in the middle. Ben Wallace knows his role and he does it very well.
Rasheed Wallace and Prince are the offensive portion of Detroit’s frontcourt. Both players are able to knock down jumpers from the outside and can take it to the hole strong.
Prince, who showed that he was going to be a productive NBA player in last season’s postseason, is not flashy like Jefferson but he is solid fundamentally and knows how to play on both ends of the court.
Detroit is too strong in the middle for New Jersey. The frontcourt matchup in this series should be very physical and it could get personal at times with Martin and the Wallaces.
EDGE: PISTONS
BACKCOURT: Kidd and Kerry Kittles versus Hamilton and Billups is an intriguing matchup. The All-Star Kidd needs to be at the top of his game as the Pistons duo can play with any backcourt in the NBA.
Kittles had a decent series against New York, as he averaged 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. The Villanova product can light it up on the outside and can also get out on the break with Kidd and the rest of the high-flying Nets.
Hamilton and Billups are solid. Both play good defense and can score from anywhere on the court. If Billups gets hot, he can knock down threes very quickly, as he made 38.8 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc during the regular season.
The Detroit backcourt is not made up of big names, but it has two players that fit perfectly into its scheme.
The difference here is Kidd, who is capable of taking over a game and determining the outcome single-handidly.
EDGE: NETS
BENCH: Reserve forwards Rodney Rogers and Aaron Williams should play a big role for the Nets in what should be a very physical series. With Martin and Jefferson going at it with the Wallaces, the fouls could add up quickly and Rogers and Williams would have to step in and play key minutes.
Rogers could also see some time up front with Martin and Jefferson if the Nets decide to go small in the frontcourt. Rogers, who can also drain threes, could be the X-factor for the Nets.
Lucious Harris is the Nets best reserve in the backcourt. He spells Kidd and Kittles and will be relied on heavily to play tough defense and score some needed points.
When the Wallaces head to the bench, Mehmet Okur and Corliss Williamson, who has been bothered by sore knees, give the Pistons more size and defensive toughness off the bench. The 7-foot Okur can also knock down the jumper. Veteran forward/center Elden Campbell, who adds more depth in the frontcourt for Detroit, can also play important minutes.
Lindsay Hunter and Mike James are the backups for Hamilton and Billups, while Darvin Ham could see some minutes in a pinch if Williamson is not having a good game off the bench. Hunter and James can both hit the long-range jumper and understand what Detroit basketball is all about.
EDGE: PISTONS
COACH: Detroit head coach Larry Brown is one of the best coaches in the history of the NBA, while Lawrence Frank is just starting his coaching career. Brown has also been in this position countless times and coaching in the postseason to him has almost become a spring ritual.
Frank has been exceptional since taking the reins from Byron Scott in late January. However, Brown, who guided the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001, simply has more experience in this type of series.
EDGE: PISTONS
PREDICTION: The Pistons are too deep for the Nets. This series will be won down low. Martin and Kidd will do their best to keep New Jersey alive, but it won’t be enough.
PISTONS IN SIX
Detroit Pistons 
New Jersey Nets 
