"It's just a situation where sometimes, you just don't understand," he said. "You try your best to keep playing, you try to stay focused, try to stay ready. It's tough to continue to watch for four quarters."

Peja Stojakovic, the Pacers' second-leading scorer in the regular season, sat out with an injured right knee.

"Peja's a great player," Frank said. "Obviously, Peja stretches the defense. He's one of their best players. We're aware of what he means to their team."

New Jersey led 76-57 at the end of the third quarter, but the Nets helped the Pacers get back into the game. Two quick technical fouls were called on Jefferson and Frank with 12:15 left in the fourth quarter and the Nets' Jason Collins was called for a flagrant foul on O'Neal with 10:01 left. The Pacers took advantage and went on a 13-3 run that cut the deficit to 79-70 and forced a New Jersey time out with 9 minutes left.

A three-point play by Stephen Jackson and a 3-pointer by Johnson cut New Jersey's lead to 91-86 with 2:10 left, but the Pacers got no closer.

"Through all that, our guys kept their composure," Frank said. "Indiana made a run and we were able to weather the storm and execute down the stretch."

O'Neal picked up two fouls in the first 3 minutes, and New Jersey took advantage by running out to a 19-8 lead. The Pacers were held to 33 percent shooting and had six turnovers in the first quarter. New Jersey scored nine points off those turnovers to take a 24-15 lead at the end of the period.

The Pacers had 10 more turnovers in the second quarter. Jefferson scored 15 points in the first half to help the Nets take a 50-37 lead into the break. New Jersey's lead would have been larger if Austin Croshere hadn't made four 3-pointers in the second quarter to keep the Pacers in range.

The Pacers outscored the Nets 31-21 in the fourth quarter, but by then, it was too late to affect the outcome. O'Neal said the Pacers need to get off to a better start in Game 5.

"We've been a very good response team," he said. "Hopefully, we'll jump on them early and the game will be played on the court."