New Jersey 110, Boston 101 (2OT)

BOSTON, May 12 (UPI) -- The New Jersey Nets, led by the continued stellar of Jason Kidd, fought off a last-gasp effort by the Boston Celtics Monday night and completed a four-game sweep of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 110-101 double-overtime victory.

Kidd finished the Celtics by hitting a three-pointer at the final buzzer. The Nets' guard again endured vicious taunts by Boston fans, but had the last laugh, just missing a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.

"I was a little delirious," Kidd said. "The shot clock was running down and my instincts told me to shoot it and it went in. It wasn't anything to rub in Boston's face. The bottom line at the end of the night is that it's about basketball. We aced them last year, we handled it great. I mean, you win with class and you lose with class."

Not even the presence of legends Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, and John Havlicek could prevent the Celtics from getting swept in a seven-game series for only the second time in the history of the NBA's most storied franchise. They also were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1983 Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Nets, who erased an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation, eliminated the Celtics for the second straight year, and have won six straight playoff games overall.

They also became the first team in this year's postseason to win consecutive games on the road in the same series.

"It's something that's never been done," said New Jersey Coach Byron Scott said of the first sweep in team history. "So just like last year, we had a lot of personal records for the organization and this is another one that we can kind of throw in there."

"Kidd is a tremendous leader for them," said Boston guard Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics with 27 points. "He would never let them out of the ballgame."

By closing out the Celtics, New Jersey earned an extended rest. The Nets will play either Philadelphia or Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. That series is tied at two wins apiece.

Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Tony Delk added a career playoff high 23 for the Celtics, who took the Nets to six games in the Eastern Conference finals last season.

New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin, a budding superstar, contributed 22 points for New Jersey, including all seven of his team's points in the first overtime.

"We weren't leaving Boston without a win," Martin said. "We're trying to make our own mark. We're trying to rewrite the record books. For us to come out and get both (wins in Boston), it's a great feeling not just to hush people up."