There was a certitude in everything he did this time — he felt it, and everyone saw it. There was no hesitation, no fear, no mind games. Richard Jefferson made up his mind to do something, and he did it.

And when you added it all up — 43 minutes, 23 points, six rebounds, five assists — you can only reach one conclusion: This could be a happy new year for him after all.

“I hope so,” the Nets forward said Saturday night, as he pondered whether his right ankle has reached a positive turning point after the Nets beat the Timberwolves, 100-92. “Because the last two games, I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary.”

Re-check the numbers, he was told. He had 22 points at Miami, 23 against Minnesota — both victories. He hadn’t had back-to-back 20-point games all season.

“No, I played the way people are used to seeing me play, the way I’ve played the last four or five seasons,” he corrected. “For this year, those are looking like great games. But in the past, those are numbers you’d expect from me. Also, we won the last two games, and we got numbers you expect from your small forward.”

But there are small forwards, and there are great small forwards. Jefferson ranks among the top half-dozen at his position in the league, but persistent ankle problems — first the left, then the right — have grounded him to the point in which he thought of giving up on the season as recently as two weeks ago, one teammate said.

Then the Wolves arrived in town, and he turned into RJ again — maybe not the same, walking-on-air sorcery, but certainly more certain of every move he tried to execute.

“That’s the thing — exploding up on your jumper, driving the lane and being able to finish, free throws…you’re always going to get beat up, but when you have a major thing you’re trying to deal with, it’s confidence,” Jefferson said. “It’s like, ‘Okay, driving the lane, do I have the explosion to get up?’ So you hesitate. The last few games — I want to say the last five or six games — for the most part, I’m getting better.”

This should be music to Lawrence Frank’s ears.

But he isn’t going to jump to any conclusions, because injuries — especially ankle injuries — tend to come and go. . . .and come back again.

http://www.nj.com/nets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1167629753136860.xml&coll=1

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