"It's not a 'must'

win. It's just we need to win," said Vince Carter, who following the

sleepwalk against Washington claimed the next team - i.e. Minnesota -

would "have to pay" for the Nets' ineptness.

"We're trying to establish ourselves and we're good enough to where, if we play like that, we can bounce back," Carter said.

Carter

included himself for the failure that was a major letdown from the

giddiness of a 3-1 trip. So there was anticipation that the Nets could

continue the good times roll at home.

Well, they broke 85 points.

But Washington broke 105. So Carter said wait until next game. Coach

Lawrence Frank, seeking a reverse of the home woes (3-5) that plague

his 6-3 road team, said he was glad to hear Carter's challenge.

"You

always like when guys take ownership and want to be accountable. To be

a team, you play for each other. You need your best players to take

ownership, but there has to be collective responsibility, and it's more

the fact of how we need to play in order to win," Frank said. "We

succumbed." "