New Jersey Nets set record for the worst start in NBA history.

[Reno Paul]

Nets lose 18th straight for record-worst start

Dec. 2, 2009 CBSSports.com wire reports EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- All those losses in what's now the worst start in NBA history had already beaten down the New Jersey Nets. COMMENTARY Nets' 0-18 start accompanied by 18 ugly moments in team history by Ken Berger • What's Your Take? Tell Ken your opinion! So when the Dallas Mavericks hit them with a 49-point second quarter, the Nets simply had no fight left. New Jersey was pounded into NBA infamy Wednesday night, falling 117-101 for its 18th straight loss to start the season. "I think what happens is you know it wears on you," interim coach Tom Barrise said. "It's not a two-game losing streak. We play four games a week in this league and it's every day and every other day, and you know you hear it and you start to feel it a little bit." The Mavericks made 17 of 19 shots and opened a 27-point lead in a nearly flawless second period, burying the Nets early in former New Jersey captain Jason Kidd's second trip back to his old home. The Nets passed the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers, who both dropped their first 17 games. New Jersey's next chance to end the streak comes Friday at home against Charlotte. If the Nets defend the way they did Wednesday, the skid could last a while longer. Dallas shot 81 percent in the first half, the first NBA team to make 80 percent of its shots in a half since the Denver Nuggets hit 82 percent against the Clippers on April 4, 2006, according to STATS, LLC. "At this point, I feel the streak has definitely gotten the best of us. It's really not starting to get to us now," guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "So when a team goes on a run, we kind of, it's almost like we give up, which is really unfortunate but that's what it looks like to me. We kind of give up and just lay down instead of trying to fight." Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Kidd had 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who led by 31 points in the third quarter. Erick Dampier added 18 points and 11 boards, and Jason Terry also scored 18 points. The Nets, the NBA's worst team in scoring and shooting, could only blame their defense this time, which gives new coach Kiki Vandeweghe something to address when he runs his first practice Thursday. Vandeweghe, the Nets' general manager, replaced the fired Lawrence Frank and will coach the team the rest of the season -- but not quite yet. Though his hiring was announced Tuesday, Vandeweghe won't coach his first game until Friday, leaving Barrise in charge one more time. Vandeweghe handled the pregame coach's meeting with reporters, then sat in a seat above center court with Del Harris, the former Dallas assistant who will join him on the bench. "Nobody likes to lose. Period. And obviously we made it clear and you all know this is a developmental year, but nobody expected to be 0-17," Vandeweghe said before the game. "That's just obviously not acceptable and I think that it's not acceptable to anybody and especially the players." The longtime losers had their chances to avoid history. They led Minnesota by 19 in the third quarter on opening night before losing 95-93 on Damien Wilkins' putback at the buzzer, and lost 81-80 on Nov. 14 at Miami when Dwyane Wade made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left. New Jersey hung around for a quarter in this one. The Mavs shot 71 percent in the first period, but the Nets turned six Dallas turnovers into 11 points and fought their way to a 28-all tie. It was over a few minutes later. Dallas shot 89.5 percent in the second, hitting its final nine shots and making all 10 free throws while building a 77-50 lead. "We came out with great energy, great defensive effort in the first quarter and then we have two steps back in the second quarter, giving up 49 points and them shooting 81 percent in the first half," point guard Devin Harris said. "The second half was good, but that's too tall of a mountain to climb obviously from a team that has been struggling." There were only a few boos, but then again there weren't many fans. The Nets have been plagued by poor crowds for years, and a chance to see history or Kidd wasn't enough to change that, as attendance was announced at just 11,689. Some fans left early -- a few heckling Vandeweghe and Harris on their way out -- while two sitting courtside wearing Santa Claus hat-covered paper bags that read "0-18" over their heads were still there in the fourth quarter. Eyeing the summer of 2010 free-agent class and still planning a long-delayed move to Brooklyn, the Nets have made a series of cost-cutting moves in recent seasons, trading Kidd and other players who helped them become a perennial playoff team and two-time NBA finalist this decade. "It's unfortunate. There's nobody on that team that was a part of the run we had here," Kidd said. "They're going in a different direction. Personnel-wise, they're young. They got some young talent. The future is bright for them if they can stay together and stay healthy." But they were woefully unprepared to deal with the injuries that have hit them this season, especially against a Dallas team that was fortified this summer after owner Mark Cuban signed off on the re-signing of Kidd and a trade for Shawn Marion. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, an assistant for five years in New Jersey, compared the Nets' situation to when he coached an Indiana team wrecked by suspensions after the brawl with Detroit Pistons fans five years ago. "I've been through it. It's tough. It's not easy," Carlisle said. "Kiki will do a great job with these guys because he's a great teacher and they're going to get healthier. Everything is going up. It's at the bottom now." Douglas-Roberts scored 24 points and Harris, acquired in February 2008 in the Kidd trade, added 17. Brook Lopez had 16. Notes Vandeweghe and Del Harris worked together as assistant coaches in Dallas. Cuban expects their partnership to work well, comparing it to when Larry Bird coached Indiana and Carlisle was the Xs and Os guy as his assistant. Vandeweghe said starting forward Yi Jianlian, who has missed the last 14 games with a sprained right knee ligament, could start practicing by early next week.

[juuso]

They are a mess, Injuries threw a monkey wrench on them eary season. They'll likely win one soon and should improve a bit as the season progresses. Devin Harris alone should be good for a few wins.

[Reno Paul]

After 0-18 start, Nets break through for first win





Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New Jersey Nets won for the first time this season, ending the worst start in NBA history at 18 losses by beating the Charlotte Bobcats 97-91 Friday night.
Brook Lopez had 31 points and 14 rebounds, and Courtney Lee scored a career-high 27 points in his return to the starting lineup for the Nets in their first game under Kiki Vandeweghe, their general manager who will coach the rest of the season.Fans stood and cheered in the final minute as the Nets, who set the record for worst start with their loss to Dallas on Wednesday night, won for the first time since April 13, when they also beat the Bobcats.Players hugged at center court after the final buzzer, with Vandeweghe standing and clapping in front of the bench.Lee made the tiebreaking free throws with 2:22 left, dunked after a steal 15 seconds later, and New Jersey put it away when Devin Harris made three from the line with 1:26 remaining for a 93-86 lead.New Jersey trailed by as much as eight points in the third quarter before controlling the fourth to end any fears of flirting with the NBA's longest single-season losing streak of 23 games, held by the Vancouver Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets.Raymond Felton and Stephen Jackson each scored 28 for the Bobcats, who have lost two in a row after a four-game winning streak -- including the loss that all New Jersey opponents had desperately wanted to avoid.Lee's jumper with 10:53 remaining tied it at 71 -- though fans loudly groaned as the scoreboard operator, apparently unfamiliar with the Nets being in such good position in the fourth quarter -- gave the points to the Bobcats.The Nets opened a 76-71 lead, blew that, then went ahead by six later in the period, only to have Jackson nail consecutive 3-pointers to tie it at 84 with 2:51 to play, setting up Lee's big finish.Vandeweghe was given the position Tuesday, two days after the Nets fired Lawrence Frank. Assistant Tom Barrise guided the team for the previous two losses so Vandeweghe could run practice Thursday before coaching for the first time.He allowed that he was nervous and that the players were feeling pressure to end the skid, a burden he told them not to dwell on too much during practice Thursday."We're in a tough spot. There's no magic bullet here, there's no speech that's going to change anything really," he said before the game. "It's really going to take us all joining together and getting back to playing basketball and enjoying ourselves, and that may take a little bit. Again, tough spot, but the future's bright."His first decision played out perfectly. He changed the starting lineup, inserting Lee for Trenton Hassell -- though apparently nobody told the person doing introductions, who announced Hassell, anyway. Lee had been a starter earlier in the season but had been coming off the bench since returning from a groin injury.The offense was surprisingly good in the first quarter, considering the Bobcats came in 29th in the league in scoring and field goal percentage, right above the Nets in both categories. Jackson scored 11 points, and Charlotte shot 55 percent in taking a 29-28 lead.They played down to their normal levels in the second, combining to hit just 13 of 41 shots, and Charlotte led 51-47 at halftime. Harris (0 for 5) and top reserve Terrence Williams (0 for 8) missed all their shots for New Jersey.Charlotte built an eight-point lead with 5:05 remaining in the third, but managed only one field goal the rest of the period and the Nets trimmed it to 69-68 heading to the final 12 minutes.Game notes
Charlotte coach Larry Brown coached the Nets in 1981-82 and '82-'83, replaced shortly before the playoffs after deciding to take the Kansas job. ... The Nets are getting healthier. Keyon Dooling (hip surgery) and Tony Battie (sore right knee) both played for the first time this season, and Vandeweghe said Yi Jianlian (sprained right knee ligament) practiced Thursday. ... Vandeweghe played under Brown for a year at UCLA and again for the Clippers at the end of his pro career. Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.

[Dirty]

Good to see them get a win