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Sunday, Nov. 24
The Indiana Daily Student

sports

Winning streaks becoming commonplace for Nets under IU grad Lawrence Frank

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nobody can start the Nets on a winning streak quite like coach Lawrence Frank.\nIn the last 30 years, New Jersey has been on a 10-game winning streak or better all of five times. The last three all came under Frank, and two of those were this season -- something only the Nets have done.\nNow New Jersey is on a 12-game roll, two victories away from the franchise record set, perhaps not coincidentally, when Frank took over for the fired Byron Scott two season ago. And to think Frank was the subject of job-security whispers as the Nets struggled early in the season.\n"In this league," Frank said Monday, "things can go from good to bad, or bad to good, very quickly."\nFlash back to December, a day after New Jersey fell to 9-12 with a particularly galling home loss to Charlotte, and Frank was the picture of calm as he explained the peaks and valleys that populate every NBA season.\nSince then, there have been mainly peaks for the Nets, who won 10 games in a row after that loss, and are 35-16 since \nmid-December.\n"When things are going well, the focus is that much greater because you don't want to lose," Frank said Monday, a day after New Jersey beat Miami 90-78. "You're able to develop confidence and trust in each other, and your attention to detail is greater. Then things have an opportunity to snowball."\nNBA coaches can sometimes overshadow the teams they direct, but just as often they can be shortchanged when the kudos are handed out, particularly if they possess the type of talent Frank has in Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.\nIn just his second full season, Frank has shown a talent for deploying his bench wisely, particularly in recognizing the value of 39-year-old Clifford Robinson, who has been the team's most dependable reserve along with guard Jacque Vaughn. Frank also has been patient with second-year center Nenad Krstic, and the 7-footer has had a breakout season.\nThat said, if there has been a single key to the Nets' recent surge it has been the play of Carter, who has averaged 26 points in the 12 games. He came to New Jersey two months into last season and carried the Nets when Jefferson went down with a wrist injury, yet still has critics who blame him for being too soft or too selfish.\nNot so, according to Frank.\n"Too many things get blown out of proportion," Frank said. "We had never heard anyone question his work ethic. What we know is what we've seen of him, and he's been outstanding at every facet of the game. He works at his game, he's an unbelievable teammate, takes guys under his wing. He's been a star in this league a long time, but he's just such a quality person."\nFittingly, if the Nets beat Atlanta on Tuesday night they can tie the club record with a win Thursday against Charlotte, the team that might have started them on their upward path.

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