When the Nets were in NJ
Its been a good 13 years since the Nets left for NY once again instead of playing at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, They Moved to Brooklyn and moved into the new Barclays Center at the time. The Nets moved to NJ after the ABA/NBA merger which a few teams came in as expansion which was the Nets, Spurs, Nuggets and Pacers while the rest of the league folded. The Nets played a few seasons at Rutgers Piscataway campus before moving to the Meadowlands arena in 1981. The Nets tenure in NJ was rough in the 1980's mainly losing seasons and some seasons in the playoffs. But the team had some good players in that era such as Buck Williams, Bernard King, Mike Giminski and Darryl Dawkins. The eighties ended out with the Nets missing out and going with good draft picks going into the 1990's which players like Derrick Coleman, Mookie Blaylock, Kenny Anderson and aquiring Drazen Petrovic from Portland in the 90-91 season in which he became the Nets star player until his untimely death in the offseason after the 92-93 season. Also the 92-93 season the Nets got former Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daily who left the team and just finished up coaching one of the best dream teams in Olympic history at the Barcelona games. Daly's tenure in NJ wasn't like it was when he was with the Pistons. They did make playoff appearances but early exits.
The Nets did get more draft picks in the mid to late 90's as they got Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn. Tim Thomas, Kendall Gill and Jayson Williams and playing under coach John Calipari who had success in the college ranks. the Nets did make another playoff appearance in the 97-98 season only to be ousted by Defending world Champions the Chicago Bulls who won their sixth title that decade. The Nets went back to rebuilding as the new century was around the corner but 2001 was that season all the pieces came into place as former Laker Bryon Scott became the head coach. The team got Jason Kidd from the Phoenix Suns and drafted Richard Jefferson and the 2001-02 season was magical as the Nets finished 52-30 and made their first NBA Finals against The Lakers who had the late Kobe Bryant, Shaq and legendary coach Phil Jackson who had 9 titles won between LA and Chicago. The Nets picked up the late Dikembe Mutombo to start the 02-03 season as the Nets made it back to the finals but this time, they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. The Nets were still a solid playoff team and even getting Vince Carter from Toronto oh man the highlight reels were unreal.
By the end of the 2000's the Party was over Jason Kidd was traded back to Dallas where it started for him in 2007 and Richard Jefferson went to Milwaukee in 2008 and Vince Carter to Orlando in 2009 and time for a rebuild as the last few years in NJ the nets new stars were Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez and had one of the worst seasons at 12-70 in the 09-10 season which I attended a game where they started 0-18 till they beat the Charlotte Bobcats to get that first win. 2010 was also the Nets final season at the Izod Center as the team moved to the new Prudential Center in Newark which was a short two years till they moved to Brooklyn in 2012. I miss the Nets in NJ they weren't great but they New Jersey's NBA team.
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