Sports

MURDOCK, SAM JOIN WOUNDED

NET NOTES

ATLANTA – If you thought the Nets were banged up before, get a look at them now.

They entered their season-opener last night with Kerry Kittles on the bench and Rony Seikaly in Miami getting treatment. They ended it with Sam Cassell in a wheelchair, Eric Murdock in ice, Chris Gatling in pain and Jayson Williams infuriated. And with a broken nose from a Dikembe Mutombo elbow.

“I’m getting our player personnel director Dave Pendergraft on a plane,” sighed John Calipari. “I could care less about next year’s draft. he’s coming back ’cause we’ve got to field a team.”

Like tonight. Seikaly and Kittles are out. Cassell and Murdock are doubtful. Williams will be in a mask to protect his honker. *Steve Smith declined comment on his altercation with Kendall Gill.

“The game was physical. It was an NBA game. Both teams wanted to win. You guys have seen it before,” said Smith. *The Nets shot 38-of-91, .418. The Hawks shot 30-of-66, .455. … The Hawks picked up 48 points at the foul line (48-of-60). The Nets shot 28-of-38 … Mutombo fouled out for Atlanta, Lucious Harris (in just 15 minutes) and Scott Burrell did the same for the Nets … Burrell shot 1-of-9. “I was awful with my shot. I was 1-of-12,” Burrell said. “When corrected that he was 1-of-9, he said, “Oh, that’s a lot better.” … Kerry Kittles who has a bruised right knee and is doing three hours of therapy and treatment daily said he is ahead of schedule. *He might. He will. He won’t. He did.

That was pretty much the status of Chris Gatling the past few days. Gatling, who suffered a left hamstring injury before the team came down here had been iffy for the season-opener.”I told him, ‘Don’t do that. If you can’t go, don’t go.’ The last time we questioned his ear ache (two years ago after his trade from Dallas), it turned into Bell’s Palsy (a partial face paralysis),” said coach John Calipari, regarding Gatling who gave 13 minutes to the Net cause.