History
Pages
Page One: 1976
- 1981
Page Two: 1981 - 1986
Page Three: 1986 - 1991
Page Four: 1991 - 1996
Page Five: 1996 - 2001
Page Six: 2001 - 2003
Page Eight: 2005 - 2006
Broken down and broken up. That's how the Nets ended the 2003 - 2004 season.
Foreshadowing the season to come, Jason Kidd ends his off-season free agency flirtation with the San Antonio Spurs and re-signs with NJ. GM Rod Thorn pulls off what is hoped to be a coup and also signs Alonzo Mourning to appease Kidd. The team buys out the stiff Dikembe Mutombo to clear the way for 'Zo. It was too good to be true.
Kidd is injured in the first game of the season and is unable to overcome the lingering effects, while Mourning lasts 12 games before he is forced to hang it up and undergoes kidney replacement surgery (this after having a much-publicized verbal battle with Kenyon Martin during a pre-season practice in which KMart mocked 'Zo about his kidney. Nice).
The instability of the franchise would hang in the air like bad cheese for the season, as YankeeNets announced the team was for sale, and a long, drawn out process leads to new ownership and a future move to Brooklyn. A wildly uneven start (including a 47 point blowout loss in Memphis) leads to a 21 - 20 record at the halfway point of the season and the firing of coach Byron Scott. Inexplicably, the Net then reel off 14 straight victories, including a record 13 straight to start a coaching career for interim head coach Lawrence Frank.
Frank is a breath of fresh air as the Nets actually start to make in-game adjustments, ride the hot hand and other miracles not seen in the Scott era. NJ finishes the season with a 26 - 15 kick despite missing Kidd and Martin for long stretches, winning their third straight Atlantic Division crown. Richard Jefferson blossomed into a superstar-to-be while carrying the Nets in Kidd and Martin's absense.
But all that turmoil, and an injured Kidd, would be too much to overcome in the playoffs. After sweeping the hated Knicks in the first round, the Nets met up with eventual world champions Detroit and took a 3 games to 2 lead against them (after winning a now classic triple overtime Game 5) before succumbing to Kidd's broken wheel and stifling Piston defense.
Broken down, and then broken up in the Summer of 2004...
Highlights: For starters, how about that 14 game winning streak (and L. Frank's right-out-of-the-box record 13 straight wins) and a third straight Atlantic Division crown? The continued development of Richard Jefferson, who carried the team for long stretches. The four game sweep of the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs was a proud moment as well. But there was no more exciting or satisfying moment than the Nets' triple overtime victory against Detroit in the second round of the playoffs.
Lowlights: That disasterous 47 point turd against the Grizzlies in Game 23 was about as low as you can go. That is, at least until the mighty egg laid by Kidd (0 points) and NJ in Detroit's Game 7 victory stomp over the flat-as-a-pancake Nets on their way to the NBA title. Let us not forget the news of the sale and eventual move to Brooklyn as well.
Archive: 2003 - 2004 season.
2004 - 2005 From Save-Mart to Salvage
With new ownership in place, a disasterous off-season commences with the sign-and-trade of Kenyon Martin to the Nuggets, as "fiscal conservatism" is the order of the day. Starting off the '04 - '05 season with a revamped roster of penny-pinching signings while waiting for Jason Kidd's recovery from knee surgery, the Nets get off to a horrendous start (dropping 9 straight and bottoming out at 2 - 11), endure the constant griping of Alonzo "I didn't sign up for this" Mourning, and the total lack of scoring ability. Things look bleak.
Then, owner Bruce Ratner, realizing either that he's an idiot or has made a huge mistake, relents and allows Rod Thorn to acquire Vince Carter for the likes of Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning, draft picks, some pretty colored string and the loose change from the Champion Center's couch in the player's lounge.
Carter breathes some much needed life into the franchise, combined with the return of Kidd from injury, but alas it turns bad just a few games after his arrival when Richard Jefferson goes down for the remainder of the season with a wrist injury. The Nets continue to scratch and claw, but don't find their groove until a pistol-whipping applied by the Heat in Game 63 that left them at 27 -36. Spurred on by Kidd, the Nets follow Carter's incredible scoring talents and go 15 - 4 the rest of the way, making the playoffs as the eighth and final seed by winning the last game of the season.
But was it fool's gold? The Nets, having spend the final month and a half clawing their way out of the early hole they dug for themselves, were no match for the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. An ugly, 4 - 0 sweep despite the impressive return by Jefferson for the start of the playoffs left Netsfans wondering, "Is this all there is?"
Vowing to make changes to improve the bench, increase their interior defense and get Kidd some more help, the '04 - '05 season promises to be more like upscale retailer than Save-Mart.
Highlights: The performance of Richard Jefferson early, when clearly he was about the only offensive option. The all-around ability of Vince Carter. The successful return from injury by Jason Kidd to form a dynamic duo with Carter. An undermanned win against the Lakers, the destruction of the Pistons by Carter and Kidd, the emotional return of Kenyon Martin to the CAA, and the late season surge that culminated in Game 82's "Win or Go Home" victory over the Celtics that sent the Nets into the playoffs.
Lowlights: The off-season loss of Kenyon Martin. The early, revamped, challenged to score roster. The continued bitching of Alonzo Mourning. The early season 9 game losing streak and the road trip from hell, the loss of Richard Jefferson to injury, and the ugly late season loss to the Heat that started the comeback.
Archive: 2004 - 2005 season.
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