--Can you say woodshed treatment? New Jersey's fans can after the Nets opened this best-of-seven series with a shocking 100-88 win at Miami in a game that wasn't near as close as the final score indicated. Jason Kidd was the catalyst for New Jersey, scoring 22 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Vince Carter added 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Richard Jefferson finished with 20 points in just 22 minutes of action.

--New Jersey (54-35 straight up, 43-44 against the spread) won outright in Game 1 as a five-point underdog, cashing money-line tickets for a plus-190 payout.

--Jefferson suffered a bone bruise in his left ankle during the third quarter and did not return. X-rays were negative and the Arizona product left the arena in a walking boot. Jefferson sounded optimistic after the game when he told the Associated Press, "In my mind, I'm going to start every game. I believe I can play. If there's any way for me to play, I will play. I'm very confident that I will play, but right now, we'll just see how I am at about 6:30 on Wednesday."

However, upon further re-evaluation, Jefferson is listed as "doubtful" for Game 2.

--Miami (56-33 SU, 38-49 ATS) has some serious soul searching to do before taking the court for Game 2. With the exception of their Game 6 win at Chicago in the first round, the Heat haven't played particularly well in the playoffs. Dating back even further, they are just 4-8-1 ATS in their last 13 games.

--The Heat made their best run to cut the deficit to nine with 4:21 left, but Carter answered with five straight points. Then Kidd delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer with 1:56 remaining.

--Since falling behind Indiana 2-1 in the first round, Lawrence Frank's club has won four in a row, compiling a 3-1 spread record during that stretch.

--Pat Riley's team is 34-11 SU at home, but it has been awful for our purposes with a 17-26 spread mark.

--The 'under' is 4-1 in the last five head-to-head meetings between these Eastern Conference adversaries.

--The 'under' is 10-5 in Miami's last 15 outings.

--The 'under' is 28-17 for the Nets on the road, but the 'over' is 24-21 for the Heat at home.

--Due to Jefferson's status, most books had this game off the board as of late Tuesday afternoon. Nevertheless, a few offshores were showing a preliminary number of Miami minus 7 1/2 with a total of 189 1/2.



**Clippers at Suns**

--Phoenix (59-31 SU, 49-40 ATS) took a 1-0 series advantage by beating the Clippers 130-123 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Suns covered the spread as five-point favorites, while the 'over' easily cashed tickets.

--Steve Nash paced the winners in Game 1 with 31 points and 12 assists. You want efficiency from a point guard? Nash made 10-of-15 shots from the field and 8-of-9 at the charity stripe. Shawn Marion added 20 points and 15 rebounds.

--Los Angeles (51-37 SU, 45-41 ATS) had its moments in Game 1, getting big-time efforts out of Elton Brand and Sam Cassell. Brand was absolutely sensational with 40 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots. The former Duke star made an amazing 18-of-22 attempts from the field. Cassell added 28 points in defeat.

--The Clippers have seen the 'over' go 22-20 in their road games. They are 23-20 ATS on the road.

--Mike D'Antoni's squad is 35-11 SU at home, 24-21 ATS.

--The 'over' is 47-40 overall for the Suns, 24-20 in their home games