NBA

Friday B4 Philly

By FRED KERBER

They want to avoid tying the third worst home losing streak in team history tomorrow. And they may try Vince Carter off the bench again to snap out of it.

Think about it. The Nets, who have lost their last five home games (Grizzlies, Heat, Magic, Hornets, Celtics), dropped 7 straight at home twice before – but only once in whatever the heck the building was called at the time (Hoffa Plot, Continental Runway, Byrne Something or Other). That was in 1980-81.

Back in 1977-78 when the immortal “Thataway to Piscataway” stickers adorned Garden State Parkway toll baskets everywhere, the Nets also flopped seven straight in front of dozens of disappointed home fans at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Seven is their worst at home. The road? We’re talking losing. How about 28?

But we digress.

Six straight losses at home? Old hat. They did that eight times, the last being in 1999-2000. So this little darling skid they are on is the worst at-home showing since that ’99-00 bunch that no doubt was all worried about the Y2K thing (or whether to go to Kramer or Newman’s party) and wasn’t fully focused on the basketball task at hand.

But if they go belly up against Philly tomorrow, they’ll have only two worse streaks in their home history.

Yeah, but at least they didn’t lose by 45 on national TV.

Okay, the starting lineup. Lawrence Frank is still searching for a rotation, a lineup, a way to get above .500 and stay there. Frank explained the second period has him in knots. Actually, the Nets’ offense in knots. It’s all done to keep the Nets afloat before halftime. Consider in 8 of their last 11 games overall, they trailed by at least 11 in the first half.

Oh and in the two games they didn’t? They eventually trailed by 23 and 24, both games against the Celtics.

So Frank wants to keep it competitive.

“The biggest thing, is just the combinations we have, especially in the second quarter. (We need) to see that we have enough offense and enough defense just to balance and keeping guys fresh where they’re not fatigued,” Frank said, noting he is “kind of structuring that because without (Nenad) Krstic that obviously affects it.”

Remember, the original plan had Krstic starting. And he is shut down at the moment, so there’s a loss of 15-16 points they were counting on.

So maybe Carter comes off the bench again. They were 3-0 when he did on the trip while he was coming back from a sprained ankle. So tomorrow it’s Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, Malik Allen, Jason Collins and someone Frank is “mulling.”

On the recent trip, Carter requested to keep coming off the bench.

* * *

Jefferson on the Nets stinking at home: “We’ve been a very consistent team at home so we’re not too worried about that. Over the course of a few years you’re going to have some stretches where you lose a couple at home in a season,” Jefferson said.

* * *

And Krstic admits he may have come back too soon. “A hard question,” he admits but then he went on to say that he wasn’t ready to play. He wasn’t pointing fingers, wasn’t saying he had to play for fear of death or job security. And he wasn’t on the cell with Jacoby and Myers or their Belgrade equivalent.

“I was feeling great in training camp and the last week of training camp. I had some good minutes in training camp games and the first couple of games then I get tired. I was not ready. But I get excited because I wanted to be back, I really wanted to be back. But that’s the thing you can’t really control,” Krstic said.

* * *

Marcus Williams took it easy yesterday but thinks he can be [practicing by next week.

“Didn’t do too much today. Treatment, the bike. run again tomorrow,” Williams said.

So he is making progress?

“Yeah, like last week, it was a lot worse. This week with the new orthodics, I think it took a lot of stress off the outside of my foot so it’s feeling a lot better,” he said.

* * *

Frank insists that Jamaal Magloire remains “part of the equation” and pointed to the upcoming stretch of opponents: Dalembert, Rasheed Wallace and McDyess, Ilgauskus, Curry and Randolph, guys who will drill the Nets’ small alignments.

“Everyone has their role, their skill. And they’re going to be different games better for different guys,” Frank said. “He works his tail off. No one can say a word about how hard he’s working or what he’s doing. Eventually I’m sure it will come back his way,” Frank insisted.

* * *

Diplomacy 101: Jefferson was asked if he were happy as punch to be a Net, not a Knick, and if he felt sorry for the New York Train Wrecks:

“Honestly, I’d rather be a Net than on any other team. I’ve only been here for seven years. This is the only team I know. So I’d rather be here than anywhere.

“I’m just glad to be a New Jersey Net. Every team in this league has their own issues. Every team goes through a tough time whether it’s on the court or off the court. Stuff just goes on. Luckily, we’re able to focus on ourselves as a team. We’ve got our own problems, it’s tough to focus in on other people.”

Jefferson will be speaking tonight at the “World Peace: By Gum, It’s Possible” symposium.

* * *

We break for a commercial message:

The Nets and Jersey cares are holding their annual coat drive for the needy, Fans are asked to bring their “gently used” winter coats to the Nets-76ers game tomorrow. And for every ticket purchased through Jersey Cares or the Nets Group Sales Department, a portion of the proceeds goers directly to Jersey Cares. To purchase tickets go to http://www.jerseycares.org or call the Nets Group Sales Department 201-806-3776.

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And for no reason other than I like the movie,

Movie Quote of the Day — Bill Murray (John Winger) “We’re Americans. With a capital ‘A.’ And you know what that means? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We’re the underdog. We’re mutts.” – “Stripes”