--So much discomfort, so little time. Forward Bostjan Nachbar admits his lower back, plagued by an inflamed disk, is causing him big-time pain and discomfort. But he stressed that there are so few games left and the Nets' playoff situation is so precarious, he can't even think about resting.
"If it were a December thing, I'd take off. But now is not the time to do it, so I'm willing to suck it up a little bit and hope for the best," Nachbar said. "This team has given me so much, it would be unfair for me to shut it down right now when it's the most important part of the season." --With the Nets' hopes of going to the playoffs for the first time in seven years looking absolutely bleak, coach Lawrence Frank said he and his team have to look at ever game, every quarter, every possession as a "must have" scenario. Starters must play longer, and the Nets must avoid any matchup that looks shaky. After Tuesday, the Nets (31-44) are 3 1/2 games back with just seven to play.
"The bottom line is, the games are dwindling down and you do whatever it takes to win that game. The core group you rely on for a lot of minutes, then you look at the second group of starters, the supporting actors, to fill in and do their job," Frank said. "You look at only that game."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We can't rely on history. All that 'History is on our side,' I don't believe that. I just believe what we need to do is come to play and take the wins. We can't just say, 'Oh, it can happen.' Let's go take these wins and I'll feel better about it." -- G Vince Carter, insisting the Nets have spent too much time waiting for a hot streak instead of creating one.
