ATLANTA _ If the Nets' internal alarms aren't going off, they should be. After a 10-game stretch in which they posted a 7-3 record and appeared primed to climb higher in the Eastern Conference, the seventh-place Nets suffered consecutive losses to the Magic and Wizards, the two teams immediately behind them in the playoff race, and are clinging to a half-game advantage over Orlando.
The great baseball philosopher Satchel Paige once advised, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." That's exactly where the Nets (26-31) find themselves heading into the final three games of a four-game trip, including Friday night against the lowly Hawks (17-43) at State Farm Arena before traveling to Miami Saturday night and Boston Tuesday night to play the third and fourth seeds.
"I think we all know we have to pick it up," said DeAndre Jordan, who had 16 points and 16 rebounds in Wednesday's loss to the Wizards. "This is about seeding and teams fighting for playoffs. This is an important time in us getting ready for the postseason if that's where we're going to be. We've got to win games like this, not only against the Wizards but against other teams."
