EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., May 2 -- In a game certain to become a classic, the New Jersey Nets survived another heroic effort by Reggie Miller and outlasted the Indiana Pacers in double overtime Thursday night,120-109, in the decisive Game Five of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Jason Kidd had a playoff career-high 31 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and countless big plays for the top-seeded Nets, who reached the conference semifinals for just the second time in franchise history.
They will face the fifth-seeded Charlotte Hornets in the best-of-seven series beginning Sunday.
But the story was Miller, who added another remarkable chapter to his postseason lore and nearly lifted the eighth-seeded Pacers to a stunning upset. He made one of the great buzzer-beaters in playoff history to force overtime, then caught the Nets entirely off guard with a driving dunk that forced the second extra session.
Led by Kidd, the Nets showed some resiliency. He set up Kerry Kittles for a driving three-point play and made a jumper around a missed 3-pointer by Miller, giving New Jersey a 112-107 lead with 3:07 to go.
Ron Mercer made a jumper and Indiana had a chance to get closer. The Pacers tried to run Miller off a screen by Austin Croshere and the Nets switched, leaving Kidd on the bigger player. But Kidd stole the entry pass to Croshere, then hit an 18-footer that beat the shot clock and gave the Nets a 114-109 advantage with 1:10 left.
Indiana again tried to free Miller with a series of screens, but New Jersey defended well and Jeff Foster was called for an illegal pick with 56 seconds to play.
On Indiana's next possession, Kidd partially blocked a shot by Miller, who scored 31 points but was shut out in the second overtime.
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