EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — No one on the New Jersey Nets seemed to care that Kenyon Martin was late, Aaron Williams was away for personal reasons and Brandon Armstrong was out sick on Thursday.
When you're in the middle of a 10-day stretch waiting for the NBA Finals and your opponent still hasn't been determined, boredom is a bigger issue at practice than attendance.
And make no mistake, the Nets are fighting boredom, waiting for the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks to decide the Western Conference championship.
"It's always tough to sit for 10 days," coach Byron Scott said Thursday. "You try to break up the monotony a little bit, there is only so much you can do when you try to simulate games or scrimmage. It's always tough when you have to wait that long. I think everyone would love to get going."
Scott's solution has been to try to make the scrimmages, whether they are four-on-four or five-on-five, a little more competitive.
So he turns on the scoreboard and keeps score for the starters (Blue) and the reserves (White).
The Blues have been at a bit of a disadvantage this week, playing without Jason Kidd. The All-Star point guard sprained his right ankle in the final quarter of the sweep of the Detroit Pistons, and his work has been limited to shooting, jogging and lifting.
However, Lucious Harris said he and Kerry Kittles have done well leading the Blues, a statement that could not be verified — only the first 30 minutes of practice are open to the media.
"We were really giving it to the White team," Harris said. "The guys on the White team may have said they were very competitive, but they weren't winning."
The joking is something that Scott doesn't mind in the least. Having fun at practice is important for him.
"I don't want this to be something we come to every day, and it's like pulling teeth," Scott said.
Kidd said he wanted to practice a little on Wednesday, but Scott nixed the idea quickly.
"The one thing we don't need is for him to have a setback," Scott said. "So it will be a gradual thing, a little today, a little tomorrow."
Even though Martin was tardy Thursday, the power forward has taken over the leadership role with Kidd off the court.
"The guys have responded," Scott said. "Our practices the last two days have been fantastic. Guys are getting up and down the floor, they are bumping and grabbing, beating up each other."
The players are also being competitive, which is what Scott really wants.
New Jersey has run its way to the last two Eastern Conference titles. If the Nets have any chance against either team, they have to be in shape.
"We understand what is at stake, so we are going to be as focused and as hard-working as we can be right now without risking injury," said Richard Jefferson, who was officially added to the U.S. basketball team that will compete in this summer's Olympic qualifying tournament.
Kidd, who is also on the U.S. team, isn't concerned about the layoff. New Jersey had five days off before the conference finals. It struggled with its shooting in the series opener with Detroit, but still won.
"There is nothing we can do about it," Kidd said. "We just have to wait till Wednesday to play the game."
Harris agreed.
"I think we've accomplished not to get bored in the waiting," the shooting guard said. "I think we have competed. Our practices haven't been easy. They have been very competitive, so our competitive edge is still there."