On second thought, the series is not over.

On second glance, Jason Kidd and the Nets adjusted effectively to San Antonio's SBC Center and the presence of the 7-foot Tim Duncan.

Given a chance, Dikembe Mutombo, a four-time N.B.A. defensive player of the year, offered one of many imposing defensive coverages on the Spurs' Duncan.

And given a second chance, Kidd helped the Nets to their first victory in the N.B.A. finals.

Focused on the basket and on taking the Nets back to New Jersey with the N.B.A. finals tied at one victory apiece, Kidd drove fiercely and confidently all game tonight.

And in the end, he was able to do what Duncan, the Spurs' best player, could not. Duncan missed seven free throws, but Kidd sank five of six in the final 19.9 seconds of a wild finish, lifting the Nets to an 87-85 victory.

Game 3 will be Sunday night at Continental Arena, where the Nets are 6-1 in this season's playoffs.

Kidd rose to the occasion tonight. After shooting 4 for 17 in the Nets' 101-89 loss in Game 1 on Wednesday night and declaring that he could not hit the side of a barn in the SBC Center, the Spurs' new arena, Kidd shot 11 for 24 tonight. He scored 13 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, when the Nets had let all but a point of a 15-point third-quarter lead slip away.