NET NOTES

Lawrence Frank tonight for the first time gets to be the head coach in Game 7 of a playoff series when the Nets face the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. He is either a master at hiding his insecurity or he’s completely at ease heading into the biggest game of his life.

Following Nets practice yesterday, Frank was handing out one-liners the way Jason Kidd passes out assists.

Why a two-hour session? “We put in a whole new defense today,” Frank said. “We’re calling this the Amoeba Two. We got a Cover Two defense, too. We’re blitzing.”

How much film has he watched on the Pacers, the next opponent if the Nets get past the Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals? “Zero. Why, did they win?” he said.

Frank, who replaced fired Byron Scott on Jan. 26, described his team as “a very confident group.” Tuesday night, he got in the mood for what’s to come by watching tapes of two previous Game 7 playoff games. His selections: The Knicks beating the Heat in 2000, and the Lakers beating the Kings in 2002. The connections?

“Both road teams won,” Frank said, winking. “I only watched the ones that worked in our favor.”

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The Nets departed yesterday after practice and packed for several days. If they win, they head directly from Detroit to Indianapolis.

Richard Jefferson said the familiarity with the Pistons is a new twist. “After about two or three games there’s nothing I can do as a surprise,” Jefferson said. “They know I’m gonna drive right and spin, I know Rip Hamilton needs to cut off his left hand because he never uses it.”

Everyone has an opinion on how Kidd has fared in this series, including Kidd. “I think I’ve played all right, it probably wouldn’t be my best series,” he said. “People are looking for me to score more; that’s just not my makeup. That’s just not my forte. Maybe next year I’ll have to come out and shoot better and try to lead the league in scoring to make everybody happy.”