EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jason Kidd walked on to the floor of the New Jersey Nets' practice facility Tuesday without a limp.
The right ankle he sprained Saturday night late in Game 4 of the Nets' sweep of the Detroit Pistons was taped, at least above the sock.
"It's just a little bruise," Kidd reassured everyone. "I bruise easily."
While the All-Star point guard wasn't showing off his ankle, Kenyon Martin described it.
"It's pretty. It's gorgeous," the power forward said.
And when the ankle is healthy, it helps Kidd make the Nets one of the best teams in basketball.
That's why the Nets are taking every precaution to make sure Kidd is ready when the NBA Finals start June 4.
New Jersey has won 10 straight games in reaching the final round for the second straight year, and every player thinks this team is capable of winning it all.
"We understand what it takes to win," Kidd said. "We learned a lesson from the Lakers being there three years in a row. It never fazed them. They just went out there and took care of business. They were always businesslike. So that's the way we have to be."
The Nets don't expect Kidd to practice until the end of the week.
"It's still a little swollen," coach Byron Scott said of Kidd's ankle, adding that trainer Tim Walsh "said it has great strength."
Kidd rode a stationary bike, took treatment in a pool, lifted weights and was to watch the rest of the team play five-on-five in practice, which was closed to the media.
"My ankle is fine," Kidd insisted. "As a team, we'll be ready to play come (next) Wednesday.
The only question that annoyed Kidd concerned his upcoming free agency and whether winning or losing in the final round would affect his decision.
"It won't have any effect on what I do," Kidd said. "Free agency is not a question that I am going to answer right now. That's the last thing I need to be talking about. We're here in the finals to win a championship."