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Weekend observations: Nets chasing the wrong kind of history

 - Idaho Statesman

Published: 11/23/09


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Weekend observations from the Idaho Statesman's national sports guru John Shifflett:

GOING STREAKING

The New Jersey Nets are chasing infamy. Coach Lawrence Frank's squad (for now) is off to an 0-13 start. The NBA record for most losses to start a season is 17, set by the 1988-89 Heat and matched by the 1998-99 Clippers.

New Jersey has a strong chance to join that forgettable company. The Nets begin a tough four-game Western swing Tuesday against the Nuggets. If it goes 0-fer out West, New Jersey will go for the record on Dec. 2 at home against the Dallas Mavericks.

The sad news for the Nets: This wouldn't have been an issue if they had beaten the 1-12 Timberwolves on opening night.

LONGEST FLIGHT HOME

These NFL players had a lot to think about after tough road losses on Sunday: it was a tough day to be an Ohio NFL fan thanks to costly mistakes by two players.

First, Browns safety Hank Poteat cost Cleveland a morale-boosting victory when he was flagged for pass interference on a last-second desperation heave to the end zone by Lions QB Matt Stafford. The penalty allowed Detroit have one untimed down, where Stafford hit Brandon Pettigrew for the tying TD. The ensuing extra point sent the Browns home 38-37 losers.

Not to be outdone, Bengals wideout Andre Caldwell helped the hapless Raiders grab a 20-17 win when he fumbled a kickoff return with less than 30 seconds to go, allowing Oakland to kick the winning field goal seconds later.

With gut-wrenching results like that, it's a good thing Ohio State beat Michigan on Saturday.

John Shifflett: jshifflett@idahostatesman.com

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