New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a National Basketball Association team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Franchise history

1967 to 1976 - The ABA Years

The franchise was established in 1967 as part of the American Basketball Association. Originally called the New Jersey Americans, the team played its first season in the Teaneck (N.J.) Armory, before changing its name and location (to Long Island) to become the New York Nets. The team was renamed to "Nets" to rhyme with two other professional sports team in New York: the New York Mets and New York Jets.

Related Topics:
1967 - American Basketball Association - New Jersey Americans - Teaneck - Armory - Long Island - New York - New York - New York Mets - New York Jets

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1972, two years after the acquisition of star Rick Barry, the Nets advanced to the ABA finals. However, they could not overcome the Indiana Pacers and lost the series four games to two.

Related Topics:
1972 - Rick Barry - Indiana Pacers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Barry left after that postseason, sending the Nets into rebuilding mode. The 1972 - 1973 season was one of disappointment, as the Nets only won 30 games. In the 1973 offseason, however, the Nets acquired Julius Erving, known as "Dr. J" from the Virginia Squires.

Related Topics:
1972 - 1973 - Julius Erving - Virginia Squires

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1973-1974, with Erving, the Nets dramatically improved their record, ending the season with 55 victories. After Erving was voted the ABA's MVP, the Nets advanced in the playoffs and won their first title, defeating the Utah Stars in the 1974 ABA Finals. The following season they won 58 games in the regular season, but were eliminated, four games to one, by the Spirits of St. Louis in the first round of the 1975 ABA playoffs. The team rebounded in the 1975-1976 season, with Erving leading them them to a successful 55-win season; he also was named MVP again that year. After a grueling series with the Denver Nuggets, the Nets won the last ABA championship series in six games, giving them their second championship in three years.

Related Topics:
1973 - 1974 - MVP - Utah Stars - Spirits of St. Louis - 1975 - 1976 - Denver Nuggets

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1976 to 1980 - Move to the NBA and to New Jersey

During the summer of 1976, the ABA and NBA merged. As part of the merger agreement, four teams from the ABA -- including the Nets -- joined the NBA. However, before the Nets played a game in the NBA, they sold the rights to Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million, ending a highly successful period in their history. The Nets finished their first season in the NBA with the worst record in the league at 22-60.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prior to the 1977-1978 season, team owner Roy Boe relocated the franchise back to New Jersey, renaming the team the New Jersey Nets. While the team awaited the completion of a new arena at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, they played four seasons at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the campus of Rutgers University. In 1978, Boe sold the team to a group of seven local businessmen (led by Joe Taub and Alan Cohen) who became known as the "Secaucus Seven". The first four years in New Jersey were disappointing, as the Nets suffered through four consecutive losing seasons.

Related Topics:
New Jersey Nets - Meadowlands Sports Complex - Louis Brown Athletic Center - Rutgers University - Joe Taub - Secaucus

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The 1980's

The team moved into the Brendan Byrne Arena (now known as Continental Airlines Arena) in 1981 and experienced modest success with four consecutive winning seasons. In 1982-1983, while coached by Larry Brown, the Nets were having their best season since joining the NBA. However, Brown accepted the head coaching job at the University of Kansas during the last month of the season and was relieved of his coaching duties. The Nets would never recover from the coaching change and would lose in the first round of the playoffs.

Related Topics:
Continental Airlines Arena - Larry Brown - University of Kansas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the 1983-1984 season, the Nets fielded what was believed to be their best team since joining the league. Led by Darryl Dawkins, Buck Williams, Otis Birdsong, and Micheal Ray Richardson, the team won their first NBA playoff series, defeating the defending champion 76ers in the first round of the 1984 playoffs before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals in six games.

Related Topics:
Darryl Dawkins - Buck Williams - Otis Birdsong - Micheal Ray Richardson - Milwaukee Bucks - Eastern Conference

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Injuries plagued the team during the 1984-1985 season, but the Nets still managed to win 42 games before being eliminated from the 1985 playoffs by the Detroit Pistons in three games. The Nets would not qualify for the playoffs for the next seven seasons (1991-1992) and would not have a winning record for eight (1992-1993).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The 1990's

During the early 1990s the Nets began to improve behind a core of young players, as New Jersey drafted Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson and acquired the late Drazen Petrovic in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite a losing record during the 1991-1992 season, the Nets qualified for the playoffs, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, three games to one.

Related Topics:
Derrick Coleman - Kenny Anderson - Drazen Petrovic - Portland Trail Blazers - Cleveland Cavaliers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The team improved significantly in 1992-1993, led by the trio of Coleman, Petrovic and Anderson and new head coach Chuck Daly. However, injuries to both Anderson and Petrovic toward the end of the season sent the team into a 1-10 slump to end the regular season. The Nets finished the season at 43-39 and were seeded sixth in the Eastern Conference and faced the Cavaliers again in the first round. With Anderson recovered from a broken hand and Petrovic playing on an injured knee, the Nets lost a tough five-game series. However, the optimism of a team jelling was destroyed on June 7, when Petrovic was killed in an automobile accident in Germany at the age of 28.

Related Topics:
Chuck Daly - June 7

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Depite the devastaing loss of Petrovic, the Nets managed to win 45 games during the 1993-1994 season, losing to the New York Knicks the first round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs, three games to one. Daly resigned as head coach after the season and was replaced by Butch Beard.

Related Topics:
New York Knicks - Butch Beard

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The team struggled through the rest of the decade. During the mid-1990s the NBA's main image problem was that of the selfish, immature athlete and if one wanted to see a team that embodied that image, all one had to do was look at the Nets. In 1995, Coleman was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the poster child of the selfish NBA player, but with Anderson, Benoit Benjamin, Dwayne Schintzius and Chris Morris also on the roster, there were plenty of candidates for SI to choose from. The team's image was so poor that in an effort to shed its losing image, management considered renaming the team "Swamp Dragons" in 1995, but rejected the idea. In both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, the Nets finished with identical 30-52 records.

Related Topics:
Sports Illustrated - Benoit Benjamin - Dwayne Schintzius - Chris Morris

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In an effort to start anew, Coleman and Anderson were both traded during the 1995-96 season and John Calipari replaced Beard as head coach at the end of the season. Kerry Kittles was selected in the 1996 NBA Draft and midway through the 1996-97 season, the team traded for Sam Cassell. After a 26-56 win-loss season, the Nets made a major draft-day trade in June 1997, acquiring Keith Van Horn, Lucious Harris and two other players for Tim Thomas. The only player from the early 1990s that the Nets retained was Jayson Williams, who was developing into a rebounding specialist.

Related Topics:
John Calipari - Kerry Kittles - 1996 NBA Draft - Sam Cassell - Keith Van Horn - Lucious Harris - Tim Thomas - Jayson Williams

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The 1997-98 season was a lone bright spot for the Nets in the late 1990s. The team played well under Calipari, winning 43 games and qualifying for the playoffs on the last day of the season. The Nets were seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 playoffs in three straight games.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The "Secaucus Seven" sold the team in 1998 to local real estate developers, who the next year signed an agreement with New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to form YankeeNets, a holding company that would own the two teams along with an interest in a new regional sports television called YES Network.

Related Topics:
New York Yankees - George Steinbrenner - YankeeNets - YES Network

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The 1998-99 season was delayed for three months due to an owners' lockout of the players. When the abbreviated 50-game season began, the Nets were a fashionable choice by experts as a surprise team. However, Cassell was injured in the first game and the team started poorly. With the Nets underachieving at 3-15, the Nets traded Cassell to the Bucks, while the Nets acquired Stephon Marbury from the Minnesota Timberwolves. After two more losses, Calipari was fired as head coach with the team at 3-17. The team never recovered from its poor start to finish at 16-34. With the Nets already eliminated from playoff contention in April, Marbury collided with Williams in a game against the Atlanta Hawks -- Williams broke his tibia and would never play for the Nets again.

Related Topics:
Stephon Marbury - Minnesota Timberwolves - Atlanta Hawks - Tibia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The 2000's

In 2000, the Nets hired as the team president Rod Thorn, who was best known for being the Bulls General Manager who drafted Michael Jordan and an executive with the NBA. Immediately, he began to assemble the components of the most talented team since the ABA champions of the mid-1970s. With the first pick in the 2000 Draft, the Nets selected Kenyon Martin from the University of Cincinnati. On the night of the 2001 Draft, they traded the rights to their first round selection (Eddie Griffin) to the Houston Rockets for their draft selections -- Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong.

Related Topics:
Rod Thorn - Michael Jordan - 2000 Draft - Kenyon Martin - University of Cincinnati - 2001 Draft - Eddie Griffin - Houston Rockets - Richard Jefferson - Jason Collins - Brandon Armstrong

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just after the 2001 draft, Thorn made his boldest move. He traded all-star Marbury to the Phoenix Suns for another all-star point guard Jason Kidd. The move gave the team something it had been lacking for practically its entire NBA existence, a floor leader who also made his teammates better.

Related Topics:
Phoenix Suns - Jason Kidd

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That next season the Nets had their best season in their NBA history. The team won its first Atlantic Division title, finishing the regular season at 52-30 and were seeded first in Eastern Conference and faced Indiana in the first round of the 2002 NBA Playoffs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After losing the first game at home, the Nets then went on to win the next two games, before losing game four on the road. In front of a sellout crowd, the Nets played one of the more memorable games in NBA Playoff history in game five. The Nets led by nine points with five minutes remaining in regulation, however Reggie Miller made a 35-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime (it should be noted that replays later showed that Miller's shot was actually after the buzzer and therefore shouldn't have counted). After Miller sent the game into double-overtime with a driving dunk, the Nets pulled away for a 120-109 victory.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, they defeated the Charlotte Hornets four games to one to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time facing the Boston Celtics. After winning game one versus the Celtics, the Nets lost game two at home. In game three, the Nets led by 21 points going into the final period, but a tremendous Celtic comeback gave the Celtics a 94-90 victory and a 2-1 series lead. In game four played on Memorial Day afternoon in Boston, the Nets led most of the way but once again the Celtics found a way to tie the game with a minute remaining. However, in this game the Nets made enough plays at the end of the game to win it - Harris made two free throws with 6.6 seconds left and when Paul Pierce missed two free throws that would have tied the game with 1 second left, the series was tied at two games each. In game five, the Nets went on a 20-1 run early in the fourth period to coast to a 103-92 victory and a 3-2 lead in the series. In game 6, the Nets trailed by 10 at halftime, but rallied in the second half to take the lead. Van Horn's three pointer off a Kittles pass with 50 seconds left in the game clinched the Nets first Eastern Conference Championship, four games to two.

Related Topics:
Charlotte Hornets - Boston Celtics - Memorial Day - Paul Pierce

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the 2002 NBA Finals, the Nets were swept by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in four games.

Related Topics:
NBA Finals - Shaquille O'Neal - Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Before the 2002-03 season, the Nets traded Van Horn to obtain Dikembe Mutombo from the 76ers. The move to improve the team did not work out as Mutombo sat out most of the season with a wrist injury. Despite Mutombo's absence, the Nets finished with a 49-33 record and repeated as Atlantic Division champs. In the 2003 NBA Playoffs, the Nets won their second consecutive Eastern Conference championship. The defeated the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs four games to two, then swept the Celtics and Pistons in consecutive series to advance to the 2003 NBA Finals, this time facing the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs. They split the first four games in the series, but the Nets played erratically in a Game 5 loss at home to go down in the series three games to two. In Game 6, the Nets led the Spurs by 10 points on the road with 10 minutes remaining, but the Spurs went on a 19-0 run to take the title in six games.

Related Topics:
Dikembe Mutombo - Western Conference - San Antonio Spurs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following the 2003 Finals, Kidd became a free agent and the Spurs pursued signing him away from the Nets. However, Kidd re-signed with the Nets, along with center Alonzo Mourning.

Related Topics:
2003 - Alonzo Mourning

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2004, The Nets again won the Atlantic Division title, however their run of conference championships was halted in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the eventual NBA champion Detroit Pistons. The Nets stole Game 5 in Detroit in triple overtime, only to blow a huge lead early in Game 6 in New Jersey. The Pistons won Game 7 in a rout and took the series 4 Games to 3. Notably, Jason Kidd was held scoreless in Game Seven.

Related Topics:
2004 - NBA - Detroit Pistons - New Jersey - Jason Kidd

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, after two disappointing seasons, the Nets acquired disgruntled star Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Mourning, who was predictably released by the Raptors (and subsequently rejoined the Miami Heat). Teamed with Kidd, Carter rallied the team from being more than 10 games out of the playoffs to gain the final seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the duo could not overcome O'Neal again and were swept by the Heat in the First Round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs.

Related Topics:
2005 - Vince Carter - Toronto Raptors - Miami Heat - Eastern Conference - O'Neal - 2005 NBA Playoffs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the offseason of 2005, the Nets actively pursued a starting-quality power forward to fill that void after drafting Antoine Wright, a 6' 7" swingman because all the talented power forwards were taken in the draft. Eventually settling on Shareef Abdur-Rahim, they actively courted him and gained his approval even though they could only offer him the mid-level exception. In order to get him a larger, more lucrative contract, the Nets pursued a sign-and-trade with Portland. There, negotiations hit a snag because Portland demanded a first-round draft pick, which the Nets adamantly refused to part with. Eventually, the Nets agreed to give Portland a protected first-round pick and their trade exception acquired from the Kerry Kittles trade. This allowed the Nets to keep their mid-level exception for signing other players. However, Thorn decided to void the Abdur-Rahim trade when a pre-existing knee injury was discovered during his mandatory physical examination. To replace Abdur-Rahim on the roster, the Nets acquired Marc Jackson from the Sixers.

Related Topics:
Antoine Wright - Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Marc Jackson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They used part of the remaining mid-level exception to re-sign Cliff Robinson for two years in response to Brian Scalabrine's departure. A back-up to Kidd was also sought and they actively courted free agents such as Keyon Dooling before turning their attention to talented, but aggravating (at times) Jeff McInnis, whom they eventually signed.

Related Topics:
Cliff Robinson - Brian Scalabrine - Keyon Dooling - Jeff McInnis

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~