Basketball - New Jersey Nets Lose Their Way

It was a big disappointment for Lawrence Frank, New Jersey Nets’ coach. The Nets lost their sixth consecutive out of the eight they have played. A lowly ranked Atlanta Hawks defeated them in a closely contested match held at Meadowlands. The Nets lost 101-99.

It is hard to imagine that a team that has players of the caliber of Jason Kidd and Vince Carter in their line up has been defeated six times. Both these players are All Star performers and are veterans with a great deal of experience to back them up. Everybody believed that at least they should have responded and not have let the situation get out of hand.

Coach Frank expressed his frustration at the end of the match. He said that it is difficult to win matches without working hard for it. He added that the team should be performing consistently and collectively in the game and not in starts and spurts. Currently, the Nets are three games behind Toronto in the Atlantic Division.

The principal scorer for the Hawks was Joe Johnson with 37 points and 8 assists. Jason Carter scored 27 points for the Nets.

Carter acknowledged that his team had not played to its potential. He also said that the Nets had to play together as a unit and put an effort from the very beginning of the game to win matches.

If the Nets do not pick up the level of their play, it would be hard for them to make it to the playoffs. Neither do the Nets have the luxury of waiting the return of Richard Jefferson, who is recovering from an ankle surgery and would six weeks.