Posted by Scoops: Sports - Last night in Auburn Hills, Mich., the New Jersey Nets won by 127-120 over the Detroit Pistons in an instantly historic, triple overtime National Basketball Association playoff game.



Little known forward Brian Scalabrine was the unexpected star of the game for the Nets, the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions, who overcame a stunning 45-foot, buzzer-beating, three-point jumper by Piston guard Chauncey Billups that sent the game into its initial overtime.



Not surprisingly in sports, the home of unsung heroes making names for themselves, it was Scalabrine, not Jason Kidd or Richard Jefferson, who made the biggest play.



With the Nets holding a 119-118 lead and the shot clock down to three seconds and the game clock down to 43 seconds, Jefferson found an open Scalabrine in the corner. The red-haired graduate of the University of Southern California launched his fourth three-point attempt of the game just before the shot clock expired. As was the case with his previous three attempts, the ball ripped through the net, giving New Jersey a 122-118 lead, a 3-2 lead in the series, and the chance to close out Detroit on Sunday at the Meadowlands.



In the end, the Nets committed too many turnovers, missed too many key free throws, but most importantly, had too much heart, too much experience, and one too many men who could step up and take the decisive shot.