There were a lot of different words used to describe the Nets’ 111-86 meltdown against the Spurs last night at the Barclays Center.
Coach P.J. Carlesimo and Joe Johnson both called it “unacceptable.” Brook Lopez talked about a lack of energy, while Deron Williams blamed it on bad habits.
The truth is the Nets are a soft team: soft physically and soft mentally. It’s why the Spurs, who trailed by 10 points after the first quarter, authored a systematic beat-down in the second half, when they outscored the Nets 60-29. The Spurs did this without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, who missed the game with injuries. Tony Parker (29 points, 11 assists) was all San Antonio (40-12) needed to hand the Nets (29-22) their sixth loss in their last nine games.
“When things start to go bad, instead of fighting back we kind of hang our heads,” Williams said. “It’s just a mentality that we have. We’ve got to get better at that.”
Being soft is not a word any professional athlete wants to be called. But the Nets were a soft team last night, a team still struggling to learn how to win.
Maybe it’s because they’re a brand new team in a brand new building guided by an interim head coach. Maybe it’s because the bench hasn’t offered much support in terms of passion or productivity. Maybe it’s because their so-called superstars aren’t playing like superstars. Whatever the reason, inconsistency has been the hallmark of their existence this season. And now the team is starting to show signs it lacks a backbone.
“We’ve got to be able to respond,” forward Gerald Wallace said. “When things go bad, we kind of drop our heads, and instead of pulling together as a team we go in five different directions out on the court, and it shows.”
There was no fight in the Nets. They started aggressive and confident and led 35-25 after the first quarter. But the Spurs tightened their defense and increased their resolve and it proved more than enough to overwhelm the Nets.
Parker orchestrated his offense like a magician, using his speed and experience to keep the Nets scrambling. The Spurs caught the Nets midway through the third quarter and claimed an 81-71 lead entering the fourth. The Nets didn’t put up a fight, losing for the 19th time in 20 games to the Spurs.
“You look at the Spurs and they trust each other,” said Williams, who scored 15 points. “They trust what they’re doing. Every day, they go out and play the same way regardless of who’s in the lineup. That what we need to get into.”
The Spurs are a team toughened by numerous playoff appearances and NBA championships. Winning is in their DNA. The Nets are still trying to figure it out.
Carlesimo was an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio from 2002 to 2007 and knows the Spurs’ culture.
“There are a lot of good players in this league,” he said. “But there aren’t a lot of guys that know how to win and what it takes to win and are willing to do the things those guys are.”
Ask Carlesimo about the Nets’ slippage over the last two weeks, and he describes a team still searching for its identity. Though they looked energetic and confident in the first quarter, by the fourth they looked demoralized.
“I don’t think we’re playing with the same enthusiasm and confidence that we were,” he said. “I think that transmits into a lot of different aspects of the game. I think that’s a major issue for us right now.”
The Nets have a lot of issues, unlike the Spurs, who were steady throughout the game, playing like a machine.
“It’s a great system and it’s rolling,” Carlesimo said of Spurs.
That’s something he can’t say about the Nets.
george.willis@nypost.com