Rob Peterson of Fan House has been following the Nets on this road trip, trying to find out what keeps a team going in the face of historic futility. In Sunday's story, he looks at how the team looks at itself.  Bottom line: they'll take your empathy but don't want your sympathy.  They certainly understand their talent should translate into more than seven wins, but they can't afford to get down on themselves, even though some around the team think they are too loose.  "We have to stay loose," Jarvis Hayes said. "We can't let it get to the point where we can't function. It makes our quest that much tougher."    Like Chris Quinn, Hayes says he wants back. And in a separate story out of his hometown of Poughkeepsie, Josh Boone says the same. "It doesn't always work out that way, so we'll have to see," he says.

• Following the Nets: No Pity, Please - Rob Peterson - Fan House
• Boone keeping head up as Nets flounder - Greg Hrinya - Poughkeepsie Journal
• Nets don't want your sympathy - Matt Moore - NBC Sports