PHILADELPHIA – The Nets are limping toward the end of the season in more ways than one.

With seven games left, the Nets hope to win again. Hope is the operative word. It’s not going to happen unless the Nets change the way they approach these games.

Keeping with their recent trend of allowing teams to put them away early, the Nets were demolished 115-90 by the Sixers last night. It was one of their worst performances of the season, which is something we feel we’ve been saying plenty of lately.

“We looked tired,” coach Avery Johnson said. “Our legs looked tired. Mentally we looked tired. Very seldom have we had that quit spirit like we had tonight.”

Johnson said he could tell at shootaround the Nets didn’t have the right focus or mind frame

Following their successful trip to London, the Nets hope to continue this season -– and recent stretch -- of firsts when they return to playing basketball in North America tomorrow.

With Golden State visiting the Prudential Center, the Nets will try to register their first three-game winning streak in more than two years. Their last three-game win streak came when Brook Lopez was a rookie, Devin Harris was an All-Star and Vince Carter’s presence and passing made both players better.

In Deron Williams, the Nets have that kind of player every game now. Well, almost every game.

For the next two games, Williams is NWT –- Not With Team.

This has nothing to do with his strained right wrist. Williams played nearly 88 minutes in the Nets’ two wins in London last week.

Aside from concussions suffered by Anthony Morrow and Damion James, the Nets' London trip couldn’t have gone better for the team, unless they managed to get a commitment from Deron Williams that he will stay with the organization past next season.

Overall, though, it was win-win-win for the Nets. They won both games against the Raptors and probably won over some fans in the United Kingdom. The Brits had to be impressed with Williams, of course, but also with Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and the passion with which a 17-win team played with during the NBA’s first ever regular-season foray into Europe.

In Saturday’s 137-136 triple-overtime thriller, the Nets showed tremendous mental toughness and resilience to come back, lose leads, claw back and do whatever needed

The Nets are finishing the first half in fitting fashion. After closing out their home schedule against the best team in the Western Conference and the NBA, they play the best team in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday.

It’s a fitting conclusion. Nothing ever comes easy for the Nets. Not games, not trade talks, not drafting, not the development of their players.

Never mind their history. Just look at how things have gone since the end of last season, when things were supposed to change for this group, through Monday night’s loss to the Spurs.

The Nets didn’t win the lottery despite losing 70 games. They didn’t get any of their free agent targets. They made a big trade to get Troy Murphy, who's been a big bust. Brook Lopez hasn’t become the player everyone

Mikhail Prokhorov is not walking through the Prudential Center doors to make another bold announcement, so the Nets will just have to find it from within to come out and play hard from the opening tip.

It’s amazing that a team with 15 wins doesn’t play with energy all the time, especially at the start of games. There is no reason and no excuse for not being ready to play.

Nets coach Avery Johnson will be around much longer than most of the players, so it doesn't help their standing with the team to start sluggishly. You can say that many of them were almost traded anyway, which is true, but you still have to be professional. You are recognized for your play.

Devin Harris remarked that maybe guys have to change up their routines or work out differently before the game.

The Nets ended their four-game West Coast road trip the same way they started it: with a loss and questions about Carmelo Anthony unanswered.

That’s how most road trips have gone for the Nets this season, most games for that matter. Their 109-100 defeat at Golden State was the Nets’ sixth loss in a row, 11th in 12 games and 19th in 20 road contests.

Wow. The Nets are better than last season, or I should say, more competitive than last season, but this does feel a little like last year all over again.

The truth is the Melo-drama has been overshadowing how bad the Nets are. But that's all Nets have going for them. It’s not the potential of their players; it’s the potential for the Nets to make a trade for a high-scoring small forward.

Is there any wonder why the

The Nets have two preseason games, likely two walk-throughs and four practices to prepare for next Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Pistons.

So little time and so much to do.

Looking at the five preseason games that we’ve seen to this point there are plenty of holes that need fixing, which was to be expected with all the new faces, lack of familiarity and an around-the-world trip that interfered with their schedule.

That’s why you can’t get too high or to low during the preseason, which continues tomorrow at the Knicks.

Nets coach Avery Johnson and members of the Nets’ basketball department know that. No one was expecting a 35-to-45 win team as constituted, but many fans expected more at this point and from comments and tweets we see they’re