Nets hit an early-season snag

How tough has it been for the Nets lately?

"I usually talk to Jason [Kidd] once a week," said Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine, an ex-Net. "But I haven't called him in a while. They've been out West. And they've been losing. I decided it wasn't the best of times to call."

New Jersey makes its first visit to Boston tonight, and this much we know: Whoever wins the game will be in first place in the Atlantic Division -- with a losing record. We also know it's still November, and at this time last year, the Nets were similarly struggling (7-8 in November). They found their groove in December (a 10-game winning streak following a humiliating home loss to Charlotte) and then added a 14-gamer in March and April. They won the Atlantic Division by 11 games, clinching the title April 4.

That is the Nets team Celtics coach Doc Rivers expects to see at some point this season -- just, he hopes, not tonight.

"We don't mind them playing well; we just want to beat them," Rivers said. "They want to get off the snide and get it going. Our attitude has to be: not at our expense."

This could be a good and a bad time to be playing the Nets. They have lost six in a row, including all four in a recent Western swing and a home game against the Bobcats last night. After the Sunday night loss to the Lakers, Nets coach Lawrence Frank said, "We're going to have to figure this out together. The character in that locker room has been through worse."

In other words, he thinks the Nets could be due. Or overdue. He's been around long enough to see them turn things around.

"They've had some injuries," Rivers said. "[Richard] Jefferson was out. He's back now, but that slowed them. They went out West with those injuries and that had to hurt them. But when you have Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson as your 1, 2, and 3, you're in very good shape. You're in good hands. Those three are really, really good. And with [Nenad] Krstic playing well, they're a tough team."

But, Rivers hastened to add, almost everyone on the Celtics schedule these days qualifies as a tough team.

"I'm concerned with everybody," he said. "You have to be when you're us. But we also have won four of our last six and we're starting to feel better about ourselves."

Rookie Allan Ray missed practice yesterday and, according to Rivers, it was so that he could be with his girlfriend for the birth of their child. The Celtics had no further information on the blessed event. This promises to be a very exciting and eventful week for Ray. In addition to the childbirth, there's also the matter of his contract. If he's still with the team for the game in Toronto Friday night, that means his contract for 2006-07 will be fully guaranteed and he will pocket an extra $312,718 over the course of the season. He had been guaranteed only $100,000 of the rookie minimum $412,718 . . . Kendrick Perkins sat out practice again yesterday to rest his sore foot (plantar fasciitis). It's a double-edged sword for Rivers. He wants Perkins to be as healthy as possible for games. But he also wants Perkins to be able to practice because the kid needs it. "Practice time is absolutely vital," Rivers said. "When we don't practice, with this team, it spells disaster. I'd rather have him healthy, but those guys need to be on the floor, every day." . . . There were no updates on Theo Ratliff or Michael Olowokandi. Ratliff was at the training facility to get treatment for his sore back. Olowokandi, out with an abdominal strain, is still sore. "He was trying to laugh, and it hurt him to do that," Rivers said.

Rivers appears to have settled on Delonte West as his backup point guard, which means less time for Rajon Rondo, the star of summer league and training camp. Rondo played just 14 minutes against the Knicks and a whopping 20 seconds against the Bucks. "The real guys are playing now," said Rivers, when asked about the Rondo of preseason. "I'm sure he has found that a little tougher. But he still has a great deal of confidence and I think he's going to be fine." One reason Rivers prefers West: shooting. West can space the floor (although he's shooting only 33 percent) and defenders won't sag off him to double-team, the way they do when Rondo is in the game. "Rajon is still going to have his day," Rivers said. "I believe that."