After the Nets brought in draft pickups MarShon Brooks, Jordan Williams and Bogan Bogdanovic to meet the local media Monday, they promptly sent the ones that will be with them next season to California to work out.

This made perfect sense because of the labor situation. If there is a lockout -- as expected -- starting Friday there can be no contact between the players and the teams.

So Brooks and Williams flew to meet coach Avery Johnson and general manager Billy King at P3 in Santa Barbara for some training until they can’t talk to him anymore.

Brooks and Williams were given what the Nets want them to do this summer, what workouts, what things they need to improve on –- basically everything they should do to make sure they’re ready when the work stoppage ends and/or

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Brook Lopez was unstoppable. Never mind that he still wasn’t a presence on the boards. The Nets’ big man was a giant man in the middle on offense and was taking advantage of his size against the Pistons.

Lopez appeared to be on his way to a 50-point night, should have had mid 40s easily and the Nets should have enjoyed what would have been one of their most gratifying wins of the season instead of a 116-109 loss.

But the ball stopped going to Lopez. Just stopped. The Pistons went zone, fronted Lopez, did everything to make sure he didn’t get the ball, but the Nets still have to get the ball to Lopez and let him operate. This was a night when Lopez was operating.

He took the ball from the baseline and went inside and scored. He tried to dunk

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

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Through all the losses, through all the rumors, through all the injuries and trades, there has been one constant for the Nets: Avery Johnson.

In his first year as head coach, Johnson has been what the Nets have needed: a leader, a voice and someone who holds everyone accountable.

Johnson was the spokesperson during all the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors and the one keeping his team focused on the games and playing as hard as possible. It wasn’t always easy with guys drifting, looking over their shoulders, wondering whether they would soon be on an airplane to Denver or some other NBA city. But Johnson never stopped doing his job, never stopped trying to remain positive and keep his players committed.

If you want to nitpick, you can question some

CLEVELAND – Kris Humphries was in the locker room talking to his teammates and said nothing ever comes easy for the Nets.

He’s right.

The Nets were shorthanded, missing Deron Williams and then lost backup Sundiata Gaines in the first quarter with a hip injury and nearly lost the game to the NBA’s worst team, the Cavaliers, who were without arguably their three best players.

But the Nets found a way to outlast Cleveland, winning 98-94 in overtime in an ugly game that wound up being very rewarding for New Jersey.

“Hump was just saying nothing comes easy for us,” Brook Lopez said. “It makes it that much better. We’re definitely working for everyone one of these.”

This was the Nets’ ninth game that went to at least one overtime –

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Deron Williams and the Nets' season have something in common: they may be just about over.

It was doubtful the Nets would play beyond the April 13th regular-season finale anyway. Now there’s question as to whether Williams will play in April. He may already have played his last game.

Before the Nets’ crushing 98-92 loss to the Wizards on Sunday afternoon they announced Williams would miss “a minimum of” three games due to his strained right wrist. ‘A minimum of’ are the key words.

Williams is a fierce competitor who wants to play and help his team win games. But if the Nets continue to lose the way they have the last couple of games, there really is no reason for Williams to play again, not with his wrist bothering him physically

The Nets appeared to be on their way to what would have been one of their most disappointing nights of the season and it turned into one of their best.

They had a full house and the Knicks weren’t in town. The fans were at Prudential Center to see Blake Griffin, so they wanted dunks, but they also wanted the Nets to win.

It was clear by the way they booed the Nets when they fell behind by 20 to the Clippers in the first half and then booed Griffin late in what turned into an exciting back-and-forth game, won by New Jersey, 102-98, in overtime.

In the end, the fans got everything they wanted. They got dunks early. The Clippers’ first five baskets were slams and two were from Griffin that created quite a buzz in The Rock.

In the end, the Nets got everything they wanted

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.

The Nets haven’t been in this kind of game in a long time, one that could have gone either way, and one that came down to late-game execution.

The Nets made just enough plays to beat the Hornets 103-101 in overtime and end a three-game losing streak. Just enough.

The past six Nets’ games were lopsided; all of them decided by double-digits. But this was a nail-biter last night. They looked like they were going to win early in the fourth quarter and then appeared they were going to lose in the final minute.

Then they got it to overtime and looked like they were going to pull away, but had some lapses and almost let it slip away. In the end, the Nets breathed a huge and collective sigh of relief after this bench-led victory.

“Nobody really got rattled tonight, which is