No team, in the history of the NBA, has ever recovered from an 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series. So heading into Saturday night’s Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Heat after dropping the first two games in Miami, Paul Pierce and the Brooklyn Nets understood they needed a victory to keep their championship hopes alive.

That’s exactly what they ended up with 48 minutes and 15 three-pointers later, as the Nets toppled the defending champs 104-90 to set-up a potential series-tying Game 4 Monday night.

“We were down 2-0, we didn’t panic,” Paul said. “We didn’t do a few things right in the first two games, so we said, ‘No need to panic, we’re going to get the stuff right we need to get right, come back home and execute.'”

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Brooklyn’s Game 3 victory was the result of that execution. The Nets brought a balanced effort, combining stifling defense and blistering shooting efficiency particularly from beyond the arc — they made 15 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc, a franchise record.

No. 34 had the Nets off to a strong start, totaling seven points and two assists in the first quarter. He knocked down the second of Brooklyn’s 15 trifectas off a feed from point guard Deron Williams, who had the Nets offense humming with 11 assists.

That kind of ball movement was a major part of the victory and had Brooklyn trailing by just one point, 30-29, at the end of one. The only negative early on was the hot start from Miami star LeBron James, who tallied 16 first-quarter points. But as Paul attested after the game, it takes more than one player to win, and the Nets did a great job of silencing the players around the four-time MVP.

“LeBron had his numbers,” Pierce said. “He shot the ball well, but we limited the other guys and that’s going to be key for us.”

After quieting James’ supporting cast in the first, the Nets silenced LeBron himself, in the second quarter, holding him to just two points. As a result, Brooklyn turned that one-point deficit into a two-point advantage at halftime.

Miami Heat v Brooklyn Nets - Game 3

Despite falling down 2-0, the Nets showed that they aren’t afraid of any team, even the defending champions. The Truth, who has had numerous intense exchanges with the Heat and their star player, James, was adamant about that going into a must-win Game 3.

“We’re not scared of them,” Pierce said. “What I try to do in this locker room and with my teammates is just try to give them belief. We can beat this team. They’re not unbeatable. You’ve got to have that mental

[approach] if you’re trying to get over that mountain that you’re trying to climb.”

In the second half, the Nets scaled that mountain confidently. Brooklyn held Miami to just 14 points in the third quarter, all scored by James and his right-hand man, Dwyane Wade, and none from the supporting cast.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s effort was the polar opposite. Sharpshooting reserve forward Mirza Teletovic went off in the third, hitting 3-of-4 from deep. Brooklyn went 11-of-18 from the field and 4-of-6 from three in the third to open up a 77-63 lead.

Teletovic finished with 12 points, while reserve center Andray Blatche contributed 15, as the Nets bench outscored Miami’s reserves to the tune of 40-25.

In the final frame, Brooklyn didn’t let up. The Heat mounted one last charge, but the Nets matched their every shot. Teletovic, Joe Johnson and Alan Anderson each hit threes to keep Miami at arm’s length, and the Truth drove home the dagger.

Inside the five-minute mark, Paul took a cross-court feed from Johnson and canned a triple from the right wing while drawing contact from Wade to extend the Brooklyn lead to an insurmountable 20 points.

Miami Heat v Brooklyn Nets - Game 3

The Nets cruised from there, closing out a dominant 104-90 victory. Paul finished with 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in the victory. He was one of eight Nets with eight points or more and one of six in double figures.

Brooklyn also  controlled the boards, grabbing 43 rebounds to Miami’s 27, and showed great ball movement, doubling the Heat’s assist total with 26 compared to 13.

After the victory, Paul talked about the team’s mindset going into the game, and how that will remain the same in Game 4 at home and beyond.

“You lose Game 3, the series is definitely not in your favor,” Pierce said. “We have to play with urgency each and every night. Tonight was the type of urgency that we’re gonna need for the rest of the series. It’s easy to have that at home, but we need to have that same type of urgency when we go back on the road.”

NEXT UP

The Nets take on the Heat in Game 4 Monday night in Brooklyn.

For Paul, Game 4 isn’t Game 4, but the first of several Game 7s.

“We got to be desperate from here on out. Every game has to be treated like a Game 7,” Paul said. “We go home [Monday night] and play them in Game 4, it’s got to be treated like a Game 7. When we get down there for Game 5, it’s got to be treated like a Game 7. We’re playing for our playoff lives. We have to be in that desperate mode.”

Tip-off from Barclays Center is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EDT with coverage available on TNT.

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