Nets see room to move up

Courtney Lee has seen both ends of the NBA spectrum in his two seasons.

Lee was a key contributor on the Eastern Conference champion Magic last year. But an offseason trade to the Nets flipped Lee’s basketball world upside down.

Instead of seeking another NBA Finals berth, Lee is trying to help the Nets avoid finishing with the worst record in NBA history, which was set by the 9-73 Philadelphia 76ers [team stats] in 1972-73.

“Being on that team last year, you see what it takes and how hard everybody worked and how everybody was together on the same page,” Lee said before the Nets fell to the Celtics [team stats] 96-87 last night to drop to 4-45. “With this team, you just kind of lead by example and try to show them.”

Lee said the losing wore on him early in the season, but he has tried to keep a positive attitude.

“The losing part of it is very difficult,” Lee said. “Other than that, once I get out there, I just play basketball. I’m playing against the best players in the world, so I just go out there as a competitor and shoot for wins. If the outcome is a little bit different, you just have to try to stay as positive as possible.”

Tony Battie has been in the NBA for 12 seasons and has been on teams that have finished all over the standings. Though he rarely has played this season with the Nets, Battie understands the situation.

“This is kind of when the business of basketball takes over,” the former Celtics forward said. “You just have to be professional and ride with it. I’ve been in a similar situation in my rookie year (in Denver). I was on a young team and they chose to go with youth over the veterans, so I guess the shoe is on the other foot now. That’s the way it goes.”

Though they’re chasing the wrong type of history, Battie said his young teammates haven’t been demoralized.

“I think overall the spirit is pretty good,” Battie said. “We have a young group of guys that are having fun, being silly. When it’s time to focus in and they get between the lines, they compete real hard. You have to have an even balance of both, especially with the year we’re having. We can’t take it too serious or we’ll all be on suicide watch.”