There were more players and coaches on the Nets’ practice floor today than there have been at any point this season.

Kiki Vandeweghe and Del Harris ran their first practice as the Nets’ new head coach and assistant, respectively. The Nets’ opening-night starting five was out there together for the first time since Oct. 30. There was a little bit of old and a little bit of new.

But this time is more about out with the old and in with the new.

The Nets made a coaching change. They’re turning the page on everything that happened leading up to this point and trying to build something starting now. The 0-18 record still stands, but under Vandeweghe’s and Harris’ watch, they’re 0-0. So Vandeweghe said he tried to simplify things today and make things fun for the players.

Losing isn’t fun, and the Nets have been losing at a record clip. The all-time mark for consecutive losses in a season is 23, and the Nets have a shot at that. I can’t see them getting there, but I also thought the Nets would beat the Wolves in the opener, the Bobcats in Game 4 and win at least one of the Sixers’ games

In this space, I declared the Nov. 11 game against Philly as the streak-ender. But I’m fearless: the streak will end in the next eight days, if not tomorrow night. It has to, or else the Nets’ first win may not come until Dec. 23 against Minnesota in their 29th game.

The Nets play host to the Bobcats tomorrow, are at the Knicks on Sunday, are at Chicago on Tuesday, play the Warriors on Wednesday and then are in Indiana on Friday. These aren’t elite NBA teams, so the Nets have chances against each of them.

After that, they’re at the Hawks and Cavaliers, home for Utah, at Toronto and home for the Lakers. That has the potential for a five-game losing streak.

We’re just going to focus on the next five games and try to figure out how far the record can go.

Tomorrow vs. Bobcats
It’s Vandeweghe’s debut with Harris by his side, and some of the pressure is off the Nets now. They own the record.

Some of the fans who came last night wanted to see history. The press room was more crowded than it had been in years, probably since the Nets last hosted a playoff game, which happened to be against LeBron James in 2007.

Expect a change in the starting lineup with Courtney Lee joining Devin Harris back there. That should give the Nets more scoring, athleticism and quickness.

Vandeweghe and Harris will tell the players to exhale, relax and try not to think about anything but playing basketball, having fun and not to get discouraged when they’re hit with a run. The Bobcats play hard and their coach, Larry Brown, took them to task after losing last night, so they will come out ready. The Nets have to as well. There could well be celebrating in the Meadowlands.

Sunday at Knicks
Noon games for players are tough, but both teams will be in the same boat. The one thing on the Nets’ side is there will be no travel involved. The Knicks return from an Orlando-Atlanta trip in the wee hours Saturday morning and will play their fourth game in five-and-a-half days. For the Nets, it's just their third game in about a week.

Harris and Lee should have better rhythm and timing. They just need to keep the Knicks off the boards and get out to shooters once in a while and they could have an afternoon delight. 

Tuesday at Bulls
The Bulls have had their struggles and have been banged up, but they’re 5-1 at home and the only loss came to the Nuggets.

Harris knows them well from being an assistant under Vinny Del Negro last season, but that may not make much of a difference. This is a talented team with a future stud in Derrick Rose, effort players like Joakim Noah and capable scorers in Luol Deng and John Salmons.

If it’s close heading into the fourth, the Nets have a chance since the Bulls no longer have Ben Gordon to light them up late. But it’s going to take a 48-minute game on both ends. The Nets especially will need a superior defensive effort and gameplan on the perimeter to stop the Bulls.

Wednesday vs. Golden State
Let’s get some excuses out of the way: it’s a back-to-back for the Nets and not Golden State. The Nets lose an hour from playing in Chicago and probably won’t land until after 1 a.m.

But they still have to come out and play and they better defend or this game can get away. The Warriors have scoring and quickness in the backcourt with Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. They play fast and sometimes out of control, and if the Nets show any weariness, they could be in trouble.

Friday at Indiana
If the Nets haven’t won at this point, they really are in trouble.

They already have lost to the Pacers this year, playing a listless game. If they drop the prior four and fall in Indiana, this will tie the mark, and with road games at Atlanta and Cleveland upcoming, the Nets could rewrite the NBA record books for futility.

But we don’t see that happening. They can’t really drop that many. Or can they?

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