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If Kiki Vandeweghe plotted it out like this -- that his first game on the New Jersey would be the team's most winnable in two weeks, a home contest against the middling Bobcats -- then, well, he owes ex-interim Tom Barrise a few dinners. Coming a brutal Western road trip which saw the end of Lawrence Frank's tenure and the record-breaking 18th consecutive loss to open the season against the Mavs on Wednesday, Vandweghe officially took the coaching reins Friday and ... won.New Jersey topped Charlotte 97-91. Courtney Lee, inserted into the starting line-up after returning from a groin injury during the road trip, scored 27 points. While cap space was surely the focus of New Jersey's summertime Vince Carter trade, Lee was the best prospect in the deal, and he showed why in this game, both by scoring big and making life a bit difficult for Stephen Jackson (who had 27 shooting possessions to get 28 points).
The Nets may actually get to go streaking, with the Knicks next up on the schedule. Every win will remain a challenge, and it's hard to figure whether Friday's solid output against a top defensive squad will stand up, and whether the nice defensive result was more a product of Frank's surprisingly good (given the team's record) system or Charlotte's offensive deficiencies. Sunday's game at Madison Square Garden probably won't clear the fog on either account -- despite having consistently bad results, the Knicks must be the least consistent offensive team in the league.
New Jersey still has a lot of season left, which is mostly a bad thing -- the team's highlights will come in May (the draft lottery), June (the draft) and July (free agency). The other two teams which lost 17 games to start the season didn't improve much over the course of the season -- the '98-99 Clippers finished 9-41 (.180), and that expansion 1988-89 Heat team went 15-67 (.182). That leaves New Jersey with roughly 50 more losses, unless Vandeweghe and Del Harris can work some magic. We'll see.
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