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A shovel will go into the ground today in Brooklyn. It’s probably not the same one the Nets have used to bury themselves, though.

The Nets need that one because they continue to throw dirt on themselves.

This may sound crazy, but the Nets played a winnable game last night here against the Mavericks. It was winnable because Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t have been more invisible, winnable because the Nets were rolling early and led by as many 18 points.

But the Mavericks have too many other players, including someone named Jason Kidd, and they just weren’t going to have their 12-game winning streak end against the Nets. Instead, Dallas won for the 13th straight time, beating the Nets 96-87 last night.

If you break it down, it was similar to many of the Nets’ losses, including the game against Memphis when they couldn’t capitalize on Zach Randolph being out. Nowitzki was in the building and on the floor, but he made just three field goals, and just one after halftime.

The Nets could have had their most impressive win of the season – if they could contain Kidd and Caron Butler and didn’t go through one of their predictable shooting slumps.

Consider these numbers: The Nets were 18-for-28 over the game’s first 15:51 and scored 41 points. Over the final 32:09 they were 16-for-55 and had just 47. Brook Lopez had 10 points in the first 6:22 and zero after that.

But the Nets were in the game at the end, like in Memphis. They had several chances to tie or take the lead and couldn’t. In the last 3:08 they made one field goal and scored two points.

Kidd, meanwhile, had 20 points in the game, including nine in the fourth – all on three-pointers. The big one gave the Mavericks a 90-85 lead with 2:43 left.

But there were other backbreakers, like Butler’s 20-foot step-back jumper to put the Mavs up five one minute later and then a multiple-possession trip that resulted in a Brendan Haywood put-back and 94-87 lead with 50.8 seconds remaining.

From backbreakers we go to groundbreakings. This is the big day, the day Bruce Ratner envisioned when he purchased the Nets.

The current Nets’ owner took over in 2004 and his mission was to build an arena in Brooklyn. After nearly six years, a shovel will go in the ground, just weeks shy of Ratner losing control of the team.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov purchased majority interest from Ratner in September and is expected to take control in early-to-mid April if all goes well.

The ideal situation for the Nets would have been for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be taking place soon rather than this. But you need the groundbreaking before the big ceremony for a grand opening.

That’s the next big thing, but it would have been much more advantageous for the Nets, with this summer’s free agency looming, to have the new building to attract players.

The Nets will try to sell Newark for 2-3 years to the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Amar’e Stoudemire. And it’s nicer, better and more appealing than the Izod Center. But Brooklyn could have been what sold James and other top-tier free agents.

New York carries much more weight than New Jersey.

Maybe James signs a two-year deal with Cleveland and then comes to the Nets after that, just when they’re ready to open Brooklyn. Who knows? I’m sure that’s crossed some people’s minds

But this should be a banner day for the franchise, even if loyal New Jersey followers of the team don’t feel that way. They don’t want to see the Nets leave.

Take solace in this: there’s still another two years at least that the Nets will play in New Jersey and they will be much better than this one.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)

MEMPHIS –- You wouldn’t think winning two games in a row would be so hard, but look at what the Nets have to go through to put together a single win.

They won Saturday in New York after falling behind by 16 in the first quarter, and were aided mightily by their best 3-point shooting night of the year and the Knicks’ NBA record-setting worst.

It would have taken an even more impressive comeback for the Nets to get their first winning streak and eighth win of the season because of another really slow start. They were down by 21 last night with 25:30 of action left, but in the Nets’ minds, they had Memphis right where they wanted them.

But we’ve all seen it happen so many times: teams fight and scratch and claw to get within a bucket or two and have numerous chances to get over the proverbial hump and can’t. Grizzlies 107, Nets 101 was that game exactly.

This was the fourth consecutive game the Nets were down big early and either needed the bench to lift them, or some super performances, or a ridiculously good –- and bad -– shooting night either to bring them back into the game or to win it. But they can’t keep going at this pace.

“I don’t want to say we can’t,” Devin Harris said. “I think we play better from behind, but we definitely don’t like giving teams head starts the way we’ve been doing. Once we correct that, it will be easy to contend in that fourth quarter instead of coming back from big deficit.”

It sounds easy, but the Nets have shown that it’s not. And with Dallas and Oklahoma City as the next two teams on this trip, the Nets could be staring at huge holes early with slim-to-no chance of recovery.

This was a winnable game from the jump. The Grizzlies were without their All-Star power forward Zach Randolph because of a back injury. The Nets should have been thinking pounce, and it looked at first like they were as they had chances to go up by 10 in the first period but couldn’t convert.

And when the snowball started rolling in the first half, the Nets couldn’t stop it because of poor transition defense, poor halfcourt defense and a poor showing by Brook Lopez. They have been few and far between, but Lopez was a non-factor early. He didn’t grab his first rebound until 5:07 was left in the third and the Nets were down 13.

But Lopez wasn’t the reason the Nets lost. He just had a bad first half and he let some calls affect him on both ends as Marc Gasol exploited him and the Nets for 16 first-half points.

The reason the Nets lost was a collective lack of fight and energy in the first half and then having to expend too much of it late.

Courtney Lee was great again with a career-best 30 points and Harris had 28. But as a team, the Nets missed five layups in the final 7:40 and 15-of-23 shots overall in the fourth period.

“We got good shots,” Harris said. “We had some solid looks. We got to the rim. We had some tough breaks. We couldn’t get the tip-ins. We were right on the edge but we couldn’t get it across.”

That’s what happens often when you fall behind big and come back but never forge ahead. But the Nets have to stop thinking that they have a team right where they want them when they’re behind big. Not every team is the Knicks.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)

MEMPHIS – The Nets left today for a four-game trip against Western Conference teams, looking for their first road win against a team from the other conference since Jan. 24, 2009.

There is a winnable game or two on this trip that is part walk down memory lane and part potential road ahead.

First stop: Memphis

The trip opens where the Nets have had some memorable and forgettable games, especially in the Jason Kidd era. But when you look at these Grizzlies, you can see the past and perhaps the future.

Former first-round pick Marcus Williams -- the supposed erstwhile heir apparent to Kidd, I admit guilt there because I was among those who called him that –- is Memphis’ backup point guard. And Rudy Gay -- someone the Nets could wind up with in free agency if they strike out with the big guys -- is the Grizzlies’ high-scoring small forward.

Gay is a good young player, but the guess here is whoever gets him, Nets included, probably will pay too much.

Second stop: Dallas

The Nets will see the best player in their NBA history, Kidd. Only Josh Boone is left from a Kidd-led Nets team.

Kidd is having a pretty good season, nearly averaging a double-double, as he approaches his 37th birthday. And Kidd has his team racing to the playoffs once again. It will be 14 years in a row for Kidd.

Out of curiosity, do Nets fans still think the trade is lopsided in New Jersey’s favor?

It was a move the Nets had to make, and the best one they could make. But Devin Harris’ disappointing play this season and the loss of Ryan Anderson makes the trade look less like a Nets win. But you really can’t judge it until the Nets do their free-agent shopping.

Dallas owner Mark Cuban has been the NBA person incoming Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has been compared to most, which is a good thing. Cuban spends to win and keep players happy.

The Nets also will run into Eduardo Najera. A bust as a Net, Najera actually has been upright and playing for Dallas.

Third stop: Oklahoma City

Here’s another past/future comparison.

We’ve been on record saying losing Nenad Krstic without getting anything for him was a big mistake.

He became expendable when the Nets made the trade for Yi Jianlian -- who is not on this trip because of a high ankle sprain -- but some in the organization as well as most fans probably would rather have Krstic. Still, it’s fair to wonder how productive he would be without Kidd and Vince Carter setting him up. We’re seeing plenty of players’ games suffer -– current and former Nets alike -– since they’ve stopped playing with those two future Hall of Famers.

Also, the Thunder is a team the Nets hope to emulate to a certain degree. The Thunder built through the draft, let their young players grow and develop and added veteran pieces. Now they’re in the playoff race.

The one difference is the Nets don’t want to add a veteran piece. They want to add a stud in free agency but may have to settle for above-average veteran pieces like Gay and David Lee.

Trip finale: Houston

The week-long journey ends here. There are no former Nets there, but the Rockets were team willing to take back Jared Jeffries from the Knicks in the three-team deal involving Tracy McGrady that put them ahead of the Nets in most free-agent money as of right now, roughly $32 million compared to $23 million.

The Rockets gave the Knicks the chance to sign two max guys, which could help them land LeBron James if another superstar comes to the Big Apple. If that happens, the Nets and their fans will remember this trade.

The Trip

The Nets should be looking to steal the first game. They can beat Memphis if they play for 48 minutes and find a way to continue to get the ball to Brook Lopez. Also, a healthier Courtney Lee should help. They could win the opener.

The two middle games are tough because Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki are not going to want to lose to the Nets, and the Thunder with Kevin Durant are just a tough matchup.

Like the opener, the finale is gettable if the Nets aren't looking ahead to going home, especially if they were beaten up in Dallas and OKC, because they really have to play hard to beat the Rockets. That team just keeps coming at you, no let up.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)

Just imagine for a second if the Cavaliers hadn't played last night and LeBron James were home watching the Knicks and Nets on the dish. Why would he be watching that game, you ask? Remember: this is make believe.

James sees the Knicks go up 16 on the Nets in the first quarter. He probably automatically rules New Jersey out this summer. But if he continued watching, James would have changed his mind.

In all likelihood, James has probably ruled out both teams and will return to Cleveland. But if this were the King James Bowl, the winner in a landslide was the Nets. It's not only because they beat the Knicks by 20 points. It’s also because of the fight they displayed, the improvement you’re seeing from some of their players and the unity they are showing despite being 7-55.

The Knicks are terrible, and they're showing no fight. They don't play defense, and when they can't hit shots -- they were an NBA-worst 0-for-18 from three -- they can't beat anyone. But this is more about the Nets and the play of their three top young players.

After two sub-par games and a first quarter in which Devin Harris looked like he would rather be anywhere but in this game, the Nets' point guard wound up turning the calendar back to last season. He had the Knicks baffled as he drove at, around and through them and hit some acrobatic layups and long-range jumpers en route to a season-best 31 points.

His backcourt mate, Courtney Lee, back from a three-game absence because of sprained left ankle, picked up right where he left off. In the win at Boston last Saturday, Lee hit some of the game's biggest shots before spraining his ankle. He came back against the Knicks and didn’t miss a beat or many shots. He was 9-of-16, including 5-of-7 from three, and finished with 25 points.

And the man in the middle, Brook Lopez, had a similar start as Harris. He had as many fouls as points in the first quarter and couldn’t get off the court quick enough. But Lopez had a terrific second quarter and finished with another double-double.

This is what the Nets imagined when the season started, back when Lawrence Frank was the coach and the mission was to disprove the critics who said this team would be one of the worst in history. The pundits have been proven right, but the Nets believe they’re coming together.

“I think we’ll be a pretty good team finishing the rest of the season,” Lee said.

The backcourt has been the difference because Lopez has been strong all season. Injuries have slowed Harris, but recently, you've seen the player he was last season. Lee has quietly put together a solid season and has been nothing short of spectacular as of late. He’s arguably the Nets best one-on-one defender. He can create shots for himself, and lately he’s been hitting everything. Lee has had at least 20 points in three straight games on 27-of-46 shooting.

“He looked good,” Harris said. “His touches continued from before he got hurt and he’s playing at a high level. Hopefully we can continue to get that type of Courtney Lee effort we got tonight.”

If the Nets’ trio continues to play this way, they could get their elusive second consecutive win Monday in Memphis, and they should avoid the mark for fewest wins in an NBA season. Those three could help recruit free agents this off-season. It probably won’t be James, but if you add a high-scoring small forward like Rudy Gay or a proven big man like Amar’e Stoudemire, and that doesn’t include who the Nets get in the draft.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Vince Carter had one rousing dunk in his final game at IZOD Center, gave the fans who cheered him for four-plus seasons one last reason to buzz.

Some of the same fans may make the trip down the Turnpike or Route 21 when the Nets play their home games at the Prudential Center in Newark for the next two seasons.

But now that Carter said his farewell there is only one player left of consequence in Nets’ history to say goodbye to Meadowlands. Richard Jefferson comes in at the end of the month with the Spurs and chances are he will enjoy the same results as Carter, Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Jason Collins and Brian Scalabrine have this season.

On a subpar night for Carter and Dwight Howard -- they combined for 24 points -- the Magic had an easy 97-87 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was upset afterward because his team didn’t jump on the Nets when they were down, but they were in control from midway through the first quarter.

The Nets made token runs because Orlando was careless with the ball, was too three-point happy and couldn’t convert free throws. Otherwise this would have been a real rout.

This game was similar to the Cleveland game Wednesday night when the Cavaliers jumped out to be a big first-quarter lead and the Nets kept trying to play catch-up.

“We’d always gotten off to real good starts,” interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said. “But that’s two games in a row we haven’t, and in kind of the same way: They got out and ran on us.”

The Nets would have started fast and maintain because the Magic just have too many weapons. They had had six players in double-digits and another with nine points and they truly did not play an overall sound game.

But things should be different tonight when the Nets play the first of five road games with a short bus ride to Madison Square Garden. One of the Nets’ six wins this season has come against the Knicks, who have played bad basketball lately so you can’t rule out another victory for New Jersey.

With 21 games remaining, the Nets are down to crunch time for the most embarrassing record in basketball. They need at least three wins to tie the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers’ mark of 9-73 and four to avoid it.

This is a game they could get, but there have been quite a few lately that have fallen under that category: The Wizards twice, Pistons twice, Sixers, Raptors without Chris Bosh and the Heat without Dwyane Wade.

It was improbable but a win -- or at least a better effort -- would have capped an important day for the franchise.

The Nets held an afternoon press conference to celebrate their move to Newark. Mayor Cory Booker stole the show as he talked about what it meant for Newark. But it’s significant for the Nets.

It’s a newer building, a better one and they plan to have a better product to put on the floor. It has to be better than this and it will be with a new coach, new owner and a bunch of new players with three draft picks and $23 million to use on free agency.

But you still feel for many of the players associated with this Nets’ team because they deserve better than this. Carter feels for this team and many of his old teammates.

“It’s unfortunate,” he said. “A lot of these guys on the team are my friends.” 

But Carter helped hand his friends another embarrassing loss, their 11th straight in this building that will play host to only 10 more Nets’ games. The end is near, and mercifully for the Nets, the same can be said for their season.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.).