Jason Kidd has admitted that it "hurt" to lose to the Miami Heat in the second game of their Eastern Conference semi-final playoff series.
The scores remained relatively close throughout the first three quarters, but LeBron James and Chris Bosh ensured that the two-time defending champions pulled away in the final 12-minute spell.
The coach told reporters: "That one hurt. We were right there. We gave ourselves, on the road, an opportunity against the world champs.
"We let the game slip away. That one possession when they got four offensive rebounds, it didn't lose the game for us."
The two sides meet again in Brooklyn tomorrow evening.