I spent the 2010 season covering the NBA. I wrote a weekly column for NBA.com, as well occasional features for the team websites. When I left the league, where I worked for over two years, it was a decision based on a number of factors, including job security. I had escaped the first round of layoffs and there were no guarantees there wouldn’t be a second — there never was. I know good people in league and team front offices who were let go because of this lockout, and while all landed on their feet, it was still hard to swallow. Even those who remained employed never felt fully comfortable that their jobs were safe.

To be completely honest with you, I didn’t love the game of basketball before 2009, my first year with the league. I liked the sport a lot, but never watched the NBA on a nightly basis. The game grew on me very quickly though and I found myself tuning in to NBA TV, TNT or ESPN most evenings. Part of it had to do with the fact that I needed to know what was going on, but the other part was because I was genuinely interested. I can say it: I became a major fan.

All of last season, I covered at least one or two games a week in either New York or New Jersey. I even traveled to major events, such as All-Star. The only times I covered the NBA before 2009 were on occasional nights for this website. I loved my job, which also entailed overseeing 22 team websites. I mostly enjoyed talking basketball with the players and coaches and bringing their stories to my readers. Tyler Hansbrough and I chatted about his transition to the pros, JJ Barea about his time in the NBA D-League, Blake Griffin about the dunk contest and Chris Paul about free agency. There were nearly a hundred other similar conversations had between last October and this past June. This interaction certainly helped me become a fan of the game quicker.

I witnessed first hand the Carmelo Anthony trade circus, LeBron James’ first visit to New York as a member of the Heat and Paul Pierce silencing the return-to-respectability Knicks in Boston’s first trip of the season to Madison Square Garden. The most memorable game for me though was the Knicks’ first playoff game at The Garden in seven seasons. I’ve never sat inside an arena so loud, where the energy just engulfed you, like that night. Playing the Celtics certainly helped, but this atmosphere proved basketball could be as exciting as any other sport. Afterwards, Pierce spoke about the fans, saying he tried not to let them get into his head. Boston ended up sweeping the Knicks out of the playoffs. What I decided though was that if basketball was back in the Big Apple, it had potential to blossom in other cities. Last season was a major turning point for the league, in my opinion.

But my fandom has faded. It has nothing to do with leaving the league. I did, after all, love my time there and still have many friends who work for the league and its teams. It has to do with the back-and-forth between the players and owners. Over the nearly 200 days the lockout lasted, there were many times it appeared to be resolved, only to have the carpet pulled out from underneath the deal. You can only take that so many times before it gets old. In the end, is the deal agreed upon so drastically different than what it was a month or two ago, when the season could have started on time? Not really.

I liken my fandom to those thousands who started following the game last year for the first time when LeBron left for Miami or Carmelo came to New York. Basketball was interesting and enjoyable and, heck, it was likeable. But those casual fans who came on board in recent years aren’t going to stick around. They’ve moved on and need to be won back.

It’s no secret that the NFL is the most popular sport in this country. After their lockout ordeal earlier this year, there was so much uncertainty as to how the sport would rebound. Luckily for them, it’s as exciting as ever. The fans still show up every game day, just as they did before. The NBA won’t have that luxury. Sure, Los Angeles and New York will continue to sell out. But the New Jersey Nets, who are playing their last season in the Garden State, already have a tough time drawing in Newark. The Nets are one of several teams that will continue to struggle bringing fans through the turnstiles to watch 60 minutes of basketball. Lockout or no lockout, it didn’t help though.

There are those who argue the league shouldn’t start their games on Christmas. I say, why not? Had there been a season, the games would have been played that day anyway. The players shouldn’t care, as they’ll finally start drawing a paycheck. The television audience is happy, as folks have something to watch on Christmas other than the looping yule log video. The only folks who may care with a sense of bitterness are the fans who love attending games and the arena workers.

Why are fans going to show up on Christmas to support a team and league that tugged at their emotions the last couple months? So much of the lockout was about money that fans might have no desire to offer up their hard-earned cash to support a team, the league and players. To combat this, I expect teams to offers great ticket offers, some as low as $99 for nosebleed season tickets. They have to.

What about the arena employees who have lost almost three months of work? They’ll return to the job because of the pay, but they’ll do so with a slight displeasure. These are the little folks, the ones raking in $8 an hour, who couldn’t support their family because of millionaires fighting billionaires. I hope all workers receive a nice Christmas dinner on Dec. 25.

A lot of this is just rambling thoughts, some I have expressed on Twitter over the last couple of months, but others new. I truly feel it’s important for the media and fans to express themselves at this time. No matter what our titles are, fans or media, we are all consumers of the business of basketball. What happened this offseason will never be forgotten, but the game will return to respectability one day. It’s lost traction and the momentum it had built up in recent years; however, if it was close to peaking before, it will peak again. The task at hand might just be more difficult this time around.

The only positive right now is basketball is back. Who will be watching and actually cares are what remains to be seen.

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If anything, the Nets are ready to start anew. Next season they’ll move south to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where they’ll play for at least the next two years. Then, if all goes as planned, they’ll call Brooklyn, N.Y. home from there on out.

A new beginning could be what’s best for this Nets team. In a season which they’ve gone an NBA-worst 12-69 — one game remains in Miami on Wednesday — a clean slate may allow for forgiveness. In all, 10 expiring contracts will come off the books when the game clock hits zero in South Beach. A lottery draft pick, a big-name free agent, or two, a top-notch head coach and a few key returnees (Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams) can certainly help jumpstart this movement.

“We’re only a few pieces away and we know that,” Harris said. “We have a lot of things in place to make our team a lot better very quickly. That makes an exciting time for the summer.”

“I’m proud of the way the guys responded this season,” Nets head coach Kiki Vandeweghe said. “I walked in the building and we were 0-18 and really struggling. I thought they were down as individuals and as a team and we were able to fight back and I’m glad I was able to be a part of that. Any time you’re part of a group that keeps trying, keeps fighting, you have fond memories from that.”

But all through this mess of a season, the Nets did have mild success over one team: the Charlotte Bobcats. New Jersey was aiming for their third win over the Bobcats on Monday night, their most against any opponent. What makes that number interesting is that the Bobcats are a playoff team who has secured the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.

Bobcats head coach Larry Brown said his team struggled matching the Nets’ energy in those loses. (Brown also believes Vandeweghe purposely waited to start coaching the Nets until they faced a beatable Charlotte team so he could get a win. “That was a setup game, no doubt about it,” Brown said.) Ironically, Brown was head coach of the Nets when they moved into the arena on October 30, 1981. Twenty-nine years and 1,288 games later, he was back.

The Nets trailed 59-44 heading into the locker room at half time, but were able to regain the lead midway through the third. That small separation lasted only a minute before the Bobcats pulled away for good in the 105-95 loss. Williams, coming off a triple-double against the Bulls on Sunday, dropped 21 points and grabbed 13 boards, while Harris added 22 of his own. The loss gave the Nets a 683-545 record all-time, including the playoffs, in the arena. Brown was complimentary of his former team after the victory.

“They played great and can beat anybody,” he said. “Now that Terrence is playing the way that he’s playing, that’s a pretty good team.”

“It was definitely a big plus playing Charlotte as many times as we played them,” Williams said. “I think especially with myself, with confidence brings the games a lot easier to me. If you’re out there worrying about if you make one mistake then you’re going to come out of the game then you can’t get in the groove. You can’t really sweat that.”

With one game remaining, several Nets players said they’re looking forward to the future rather than dwelling on this past season.

“Obviously we feel we underachieved tremendously but we do have a bright future and that’s what we’re looking forward to now,” Harris said. “We’ve got a lot of things to look forward to this summer and now we can get better as a team.”

Lee, who was acquired this past offseason in the Vince Carter deal with the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, added: “It was a learning experience so I tried to not look at anything negative and always tried to find the positives. I’m taking it as a learning experience from going from the top to the bottom and seeing how hard you have to work. I was spoiled in my first year being on a good team and going to the Finals. So just seeing that it’s not like that everywhere, it’s understanding the business.”

Guard Chris Douglas-Roberts is one of the 11 players whose contract might not be picked up next season. That means his outlook for the future is anything but clear.

“I’m excited the season is about to be over. Point blank,” he said. “I can’t really talk about the future because I don’t really know what my future is with this team right now”

As for what Douglas-Roberts and Lee would want fans to remember about this season, outside of the measly record:

Lee: “Hopefully they don’t look back on this season. Other than that, hopefully they just look back and see we started off rough and we weren’t winning games, but we continued to play as a team to get better and just fought to do everything throughout the whole season.”

Douglas-Roberts: “At the end of the day we won 12 games; that’s a bad year. It’s more than a bad year, it’s an awful year. That’s what people are going to remember. There’s really nothing you can take away from this. The only thing you can take away is that we didn’t finish the worst team in history and that’s not anything to be happy about either.”

When reminded that it could be 13 wins after the Miami game, Douglas-Roberts could only laugh. “Right,” he said.

And they say goodbyes are never easy.

Here are a few lasts in Nets history at The Meadowlands:

Starting lineup: Devin Harris (G), Courtney Lee (G), Terrence Williams (F), Yi Jianlian (F), Brook Lopez (C)

Jumpball: Brook Lopez vs. Theo Ratliff (Bobcats won)

Rebound: Yi Jianlian

Basket: Terrence Williams, two points

Score: Nets 93, Bobcats 105

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Despite Sunday night’s 96-67 stomping of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Nets find themselves 13 games under .500 and on the outside of the East playoff picture. With five contests remaining, these type of wins matter more for head coach Lawrence Frank’s resume than anything else.

The term “under .500″ doesn’t bode well for the sixth-year coach. After four straight playoff appearances, the Nets appear on their way to back-to-back missed post seasons. Frank, who has a $4.5 million guaranteed deal for 2009-10, and his club aren’t ready to give up just yet.

“We’ve just got to come out like we did tonight,” rookie center Brook Lopez said about the 29-point victory. ” We’re going to play every game with our best effort and do what we can.”

The Nets still have an opportunity to capture the eighth playoff spot in the East thanks to Sunday’s win. But, one more loss and the door completely shuts. With Boston, Detroit and Orlando — all playoff teams so far — ahead on the schedule, the Nets’ road to the post season is going to be sudden death.

“Right now, it’s just trying to win games to get into the playoffs,” Vince Carter said. “We feel very capable, and anything can happen once we get there, but getting there is our quest right now.”

New Jersey isn’t built to contend with the top-tier NBA teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Keyon Dooling will never outduel Kobe Bryant in a seven-game series. Similarly, Ryan Anderson has no chance against LeBron James. One night, maybe. Seven games, sorry.

The Nets’ core is currently constructed of Carter, Lopez and Devin Harris. There’s still a chance the Nets try and trade Carter away this off-season. If they do, they won’t get much in return. Not because Carter isn’t still a 20-point-a-night guard, but because of his $20-million plus contract. They also risk losing fans from what little attendance they do have by making that move.

Harris is one of the top young point guards in the league, averaging 22 points and seven assists per game this year. He and Lopez, a Rookie of the Year candidate, give the Nets youth to build upon in this year’s draft and perhaps free agency.  They can get by with Yi Jianlian at the forward spot for next season, but should look for a combo guard-forward or power forward with their first-round pick.

Lopez knows these next five games are critical, and he’ll have to do his part to help out in the paint.  The Stanford product feels the experience he’s gained has prepared him for these match-ups against the likes of Dwight Howard and Rasheed Wallace.

“Knowing that you’re playing on the same level as them is a big deal for me.  My team has shown me enough confidence to get me the ball or involve me in plays against them.  If I make a mistake they just keep telling me ‘keep going.’  It’s just been a great learning experience for me,” Lopez said.

One game at a time.  That’s how Nets coaches and players are viewing this upcoming stretch.  After all, there’s no other way in but win.

“At this point, it’s just another game,” forward Jarvis Hayes said. “We just have to execute as best as we can.  You can’t put anything more into it.”

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“I look to see how (head coach) Lawrence (Frank) is doing, but other than that, there’s nobody left here to follow,” Martin said before Saturday’s game at the Izod Center.

Martin, a fan favorite in his four years with the Nets, has fond memories of playing in East Rutherford.  During those years, the Nets were in the playoffs annually, including back-to-back trips to the Finals.  This season, Martin is part of a Denver team (34-17) that he feels is much more talented than any of the ones he played on in New Jersey.

“As long as we keep going in that direction, not having any letdowns, it’s great,” the quiet forward said.

“I don’t know if the word is a peace we’re going to play the right way and be in every game,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “But, it’s more so now than ever before.”

Since Martin was traded to the Nuggets in 2004, the Nets have endured some major turnover.  Only a few coaches remain from those teams that lost in the Finals, and even their logo is different.  It’s all part of the rebuilding phase.

New Jersey (24-28) again find itself at the bottom of the East playoff standings.  As of Monday, they hold the eighth and final spot, but there’s a cluster of teams closely behind.

“You look at it and there’s really 14 teams that are involved in the playoffs,” Frank said. “I think that you can only really worry about yourself and the way you play.  If you focus on those, the wins will take care of themselves.”

The Nets feature one of the top backcourts in the NBA with All-Star’s Devin Harris and Vince Carter manning the guard spots.  Harris is averaging 21.8 ppg and just over six assists this season.  Carter, meanwhile, is dropping over 20 points and grabbing more than five rebounds a game.

In front of them is center Brook Lopez, one of the top rookies in the league, who is averaging 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.  On both sides of Lopez are a number of key role players (Keyon Dooling, Jarvis Hayes, Bobby Simmons), several of which have stepped in nicely since Yi Jianlian went down with a hand injury.

Based on Saturday’s performance, you would have thought the Nets were among the best teams in the NBA, not the Nuggets.  Harris led all scorers with 28 points and rookie forward Ryan Anderson picked up his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.  Six players scored in double figures and all but guard Chris Roberts-Douglas made a basket.

The final: Nets 114, Nuggets 70.

Forty four points.  That was the differential on the scoreboard at the end of the game.  It was the Nets biggest victory in franchise history and the Nuggets largest loss since April 16, 1997.  I guess the Nets mastered Denver’s man-to-man defense.

“We can’t be too overconfident with this win,” Anderson said. “We have so many talented teams coming up that we can’t overlook them.”

“Everybody’s really on the same page now and just working together,” Carter said. “There’s more communication on the floor, especially on the defensive end and sharing the ball on the offensive end.”

Harris said the win should show other teams in the East that the Nets aren’t an easy win on their schedules.

“We’re improving as a team,” Harris said. “You can’t just hone in on two guys now.  We’ve got five or six guys playing really well right now and counting.”

The win was the Nets’ fourth in a row, a new season high.  It’s not enough to make teams in the East worry, but it’s a start.

“We’re just trying to build on what we’re doing lately,” Dooling said. “I don’t worry about sending messages.  We are just trying to stay in the playoff hunt and get better as a team.”

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In February, Suns general manager Steve Kerr knew he had to shake things up.  There was a group of teams in the West playing better than his and he knew it was going to be a tough fight with the playoffs just around the corner.

So Kerr went out and traded for the 7-foot-1, 210-pound man known simply as “Shaq.”

The move was criticized, many questioning why they’d deal for an injury-plagued older player.  Kerr didn’t listen and the critics have since been silenced.

The Suns, who are 16-9 since the move was made, are playing their best ball of the season.  Most importantly, the deal has Amar’e Stoudemire emerging as a legitimate MVP contender.

“Getting Shaq allowed me to play my natural position,” Stoudemire said, referring to the power forward spot. “I don’t have to go up against all the big guys anymore and can play away from the basket.”

Stoudemire is averaging 25 points, fourth best in the league, and close to 10 rebounds a game.  The 25-year-old is having more fun than ever before.

“It’s a lot of fun.  That’s what this game is all about,” Stoudemire said. “You really have got to enjoy the time while you’re playing… When you’re winning, it’s a lot of fun, you feel really good about it.”

O’Neal is one of those endorsing Stoudemire for MVP, something he used to do for another former teammate: Kobe Bryant.

“Amar’e is really our go-to-guy and he’s playing fabulous; he’s putting up MVP-type numbers,” O’Neal said, sitting on metal folding chair inside the New Jersey Nets’ visiting locker room. “Everybody else is just asked to play roles and that’s fine with me at the timber age of 36.”

The man may be a “timber“ 36, but O’Neal is playing as well as he has in years. The 14-time All-Star is finally healthy and, for once in his career, he’s not being counted on as the team’s only leader.

“It’s cool. I’m on a team that I have a lot of guys can do a lot of different things. I’m not really asked to do much,” O’Neal said.

They may not fully count on Shaq, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still a scary presence on the inside.

“He’s a different beast. The guys huge, man. He’s a massive beast,” Stoudemire said.

That massive beast was brought in to bring home a title — nothing too big for him to handle.

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“It’s not mathematically impossible, until it is, we still have an opportunity,” Nets forward Vince Carter told me.

Carter has become the Nets go-to-guy now that Jason Kidd is in Dallas. Ten years and $62 million dollars will do that to you.

“We’re just trying to figure out what we can do to get over the hump. Every play, every game counts right now. We have to play with a fire if we want that second season.”

As of Tuesday, the Nets are three games out of the final playoff spot. The Atlanta Hawks own that eighth spot and have been a hot team over their last 10 games (8-2).

Beginning tonight against Philadelphia, the Nets finish out the last eight games of the season against Eastern Conference opponents. Of the group, only Milwaukee and Charlotte have worse records.

“We put ourselves in the position where we have to win games the last couple of years,” Carter said. “We were resilient and found a way to get it done so hopefully history can repeat itself.”

Nets head coach Lawrence Frank sat in his office on Saturday, talking about how he believes the Nets are not out of the race. He says it just takes some willpower.

“Focus, effort, discipline. Trust me, there’s no practice time to change things now, this has to be changed on the run. It’s about intent,” Frank told me.

With the time running out, the Nets’ go-to-guy knows it’s time for him to take charge.

“I’m going to finish it out to the last day,” Carter, never looking more serious, said. “Hopefully I can get everybody on board, fight it out, and find a way.”

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His handshake is weak.

Then again, any stronger and he’d probably crush mine.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard LeBron James sits on a metal folding chair inside the Izod Center’s visiting locker room, back wrapped in ice and a towel around his neck. It’s a corner spot, close to new forward Wally Szczerbiak.

Kids his age are ballin’ in college, many hoping for a shot to ride the bench in the NBA. On this night, this 23-year-old just dropped 42 points on his way to another triple-double against the New Jersey Nets. He doesn’t look defeated after the 103-99 loss, just tired. That’s what playing 46 minutes will do to you.

This the first game the NBA’s premier superstar has played against the Nets since Jason Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron notices something immediately.

“With Jason on the court, the game’s definitely faster. He’s just such a quick player,” James tells me.

Kidd’s replacement, 25-year-old Devin Harris, didn’t do so bad himself. LeBron even calls the former first-round draft pick, “one of the best young point guards in the league.”

Harris dropped 19 points, most coming in a crucial fourth quarter when the Nets were able to hold off the surging Cavs. With strong defense, the Nets handed the Cavs their third loss in three meetings between the two squads.

“We can’t wait until the fourth quarter to say, okay, let’s go, let’s turn it on,” Cavs coach Mike Brown told me outside the locker room. “We got to go out with a sense of urgency from the beginning of the game. It doesn’t mean put teams away, but at least make somebody feel you.”

“The Nets are a good team, they played well tonight and they just have beaten up on us all season long. We play them again, one more time, and so we’ll have to come up with a game plan to get them next time,” James said.

Five games left in the season is the next time the two teams meet up. The playoffs are within striking distance and the Nets — not the Cavs, they’re already in — will be fighting for that eighth and final spot.

You can bet the next time the two teams meet up, James will be ready.

I’d shake his hand on that one.

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Lawrence Frank:

Scott: “I know you’ve played Shaq when he was with the Heat. I also know you’ve seen him on tape with the Suns. What kind of different Shaq are you seeing with his new team?”

Lawrence: “Well, I think he’s healthy and there’s no substitute for health. I think in Miami he obviously wasn’t completely healthy, he was dealing with injuries, but now he’s healthy, he’s running the floor well and he’s doing the things that he did when he was healthy with Miami.”

Scott: “Despite losses here and there, you guys have put up over 100 points in seven of your last nine games. You have to be proud about that.”

Lawrence: “The one thing I take pride in is wins. So, for me, it’s whatever it takes to win and I think, yea, we’ve been able to show the ability to score, which is positive, but we’re going to have to be more committed on the other end in order to get the wins. There are teams in this league that score and don’t guard, and very few win. There’s a couple that do because they have unbelievable fire power. I think for us it is our advantage with the personnel for us to run, yet at the same time we’re going to have to be a little bit more committed to running back on the other end and stopping the ball and giving help and we’re not going to be a great defensive team, but we can’t be towards the bottom. We have to be a bend, but don’t break defensive team. I think if we can combine the fact of offensively put up the type of numbers we going to put up and playing defense at a higher level than I think we’ll give ourselves a better shot to win.”

Mike D’Antoni:

Scott: “Coming back like that in the first half and going into half time with the lead, is that the kind of thing that shows you that this team is really starting to gel together?”

Mike: “Yea, because I thought we came out flat and we Steve (Nash) had a little bit of a shoulder issue. His shooting was off and we just weren’t sharp. We just kind of rolled into them, we just kind of picked it up. It is the kind of makings of a good team, we have to do that. I’m not happy we didn’t come out sharp, but we righted the ship and got it done, which is important on the road especially.”

Steve Nash:

Scott: “Talk about going into half-time with the lead after being down most of the first half.”

Steve: “I think we did a good just hanging in there. We didn’t play very well to start the game and we were sluggish, but we really hung in there and got ourselves some stops. We started to get a rhythm offensively, got the lead at the half and went on a nice run to start the second half and that’s kind of where we renewed ourselves.”

Shaquille O’Neal:

Scott: “Shaq, I know you’ve only played the Nets once this year, but what do you notice about this Nets team without a Jason Kidd on the floor?”

Shaq: “Different, it’s unusual. It’s just the last two games, in the last arenas, it’s been different. It was different for me going to Philadelphia without Iverson. It’s different coming here without Jason Kidd and TJ sitting on the sideline. Hopefully they’ll get it together and hopefully they can still make a run for that eighth spot.”

Scott: “How much fun are you having playing basketball right now?”

Shaq: “It’s cool. I’m on a team that I have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. I’m not really asked to do much. You know, Amare is really our go-to guy and he’s playing fabulous, he’s putting up MVP-type numbers. Everybody else is just asked to play roles and that’s fine with me at the timber age of 36.”

Amare Stoudemire:

Scott: “With a team like this, you guys are putting up a ton of points, how fun is it to play basketball right now?”

Amare: “It’s a lot of fun. That’s what this game is all about. You really have got to enjoy the time while you’re playing. Most guys play only like five, six years so that’s why you really have to enjoy your time now. When you’re winning, it’s a lot of fun, you feel really good about it.”

Scott: “Do you think you can rip a net down with your bare hands?”

Amare: “(Laughs) No. He goes from ripping down backboards to nets.”

Scott: “Have you ever seen a net come down like that?”

Amare: “No, I haven’t.”

Scott: “Guys run up there before the game, hang on it sometimes, but then again, Shaq’s a different kind of person.”

Amare: “He’s a different beast. The guys huge, man. He’s a massive beast.”

Vince Carter:

Scott: “What is this Suns team like with Shaq on it now?”

Vince: “They’re pretty good. They just made a good team a little better. Especially when they shoot the free throws as well as they did. I lost a lot of money betting Shaq. (Laughs)”

(The following interviews are archived from “Scott Stanchak Exclusives” on ScottStanchak.com)

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Mike Brown:

Scott: “What does that say about your defense that the Nets had six players in double figures?”

Mike: “What defense? (Pause five seconds)  For us it’s been this way the whole year, which is a scary thing is, we just kind of go through the motions, go through the motions, go through the motions. When it’s fourth quarter time, as the ball game goes along, we look up and we’re getting down double digits and now there’s a sense of urgency and now we try to get stops.  Well, we have to figure out how to do that for 48 minutes, or for as close to 48 minutes as possible.  We can’t wait until the third quarter, we can’t wait until the fourth quarter to say, okay, let’s go, let’s turn it on.  We got to go out with a sense of urgency from the beginning of the game.  It doesn’t mean put teams away, but at least make somebody feel you.  We don’t.  Not only that, but early in the games, we’ve been turning the ball over too and that’s something we’ve got to do a better job doing of trying to eliminate.”

LeBron James:

Scott: “On the court, how much of a different team is this Nets team than when Jason (Kidd) was on the floor with them?”

LeBron: “With Jason on the court, the game’s definitely faster.  He’s just such a quick player.  That’s not to take anything away from Devin Harris though.  I really think he’s one of the best young point guards in the entire league.  The Nets are a good team, they played well tonight and they just have beaten up on us all season long.  We play them again, one more time, and so we’ll have to come up with a game plan to get them next time.”

(The following interviews are archived from “Scott Stanchak Exclusives” on ScottStanchak.com)

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