When the Nets last played, the general consensus held the Earth was flat, the Incas were thriving and the wheel was the can’t miss gadget of the decade.
OK, so it wasn’t quite that long ago; still, Herm Edwards was entrenched as the Jets’ coach, folks were still talking of USC as a dynasty and the year was about to end in an odd number. Yup, it was that long ago.
And so after six full days without a game, the Nets were back at it last night against Orlando in the Meadowlands, seeking to continue the successful play that produced an eight-game winning streak, the fourth longest in team history. So the Nets insisted they could pick up where they left off, that the break would not bust up their momentum.
“It’s good for a couple guys, letting injuries heal, getting their legs back,” said Vince Carter, whose heroics in December garnered player of the month honors in the Eastern Conference. “Hopefully we come out sharp, ready to play and don’t worry about how many days we had off. It’s going to be hard, but . . . if we continue to do what we’re doing and believe in ourselves, we’ll be OK.”
On paper, being “OK” might not be a bad goal for the month. Whoever devised the Nets’ January is either a sadist or someone who lost a bet on the Nets. Starting today when they travel to Toronto for tomorrow’s game with the Raptors, the Nets are on the road in 19 of the next 22 nights, playing 10 of 12 games away from the Swamp. They’ll journey to San Antonio, Memphis, Dallas and Seattle, places where they’ve historically won with the regularity of an Ice Age.
“I don’t look at it as a bad month, but more as big a month as you could possibly have. It’s a huge month for us,” stressed Richard Jefferson. “If you can come out and play well, then you’re going to be extremely excited. If you struggle this month, then you’re putting a little pressure on yourself for the next couple months. So this is a big month for us and were excited about it.”
Now if the Nets keep playing the way they were in their eight-game run before the mini-vacation – out-scoring teams 103.4-to-92.1; out-shooting them .484-to-.429 – then January should hold no fear at all.
“We get back to work and once it starts, it doesn’t end until the All-Star break,” said Jason Kidd (14.0 points, 9.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds in the 8-0 streak). “We all welcomed the break. We all had some bumps and bruises. It also gives us the chance to mentally and physically get ready for this month.”
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Maybe Nenad Krstic should have passed on last summer’s European championships, although he admits he wanted to play for his country. The second-year center acknowledged some fatigue may be behind his inconsistency.
In the five games before last night, he shot 15-of-42 (.357) which came after a 21-of-28 (.750) three-game run and a 3-for-15 single game. “Coach say I’m taking good shots just sometimes they don’t go in,” Krstic said. “Maybe [I’m tiring] because I play for national team two, three months before the start of season.”
Frank says he’s not concerned and wants the 7-foot center to keep taking those shots. “To me, that’s improvement,” Frank said. “Last year he may have passed up some of them.”