<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Nets have been a couple steps forward, couple steps back team all season. In the two games before the All-Star break - tonight against the always-powerful Spurs and tomorrow in Toronto against the surprising Raptors - they have a chance to make some major forward progress. And if they do, they'll need to keep doing it with defense. "I think defensively our intent has been a whole lot sharper," said coach Lawrence Frank. "The last three games, Atlanta scored 85 points and the last two opponents scored 78." And - surprise - the Nets have won all three games. In the three games, opponents averaged 80.3 points and shot a combined .374 (86 of 230), including a season opponent low .346 (Boston). In the eight previous games, the Nets surrendered at least 100 points every game (107.8 average) as opponents shot a combined .488 (305-of-625), including an opponent season-high .625 (Orlando). The Nets were 2-6 in those games. </div> Source
