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 Seven: 2003 - 2005

2006 - 2007 Everything Is Broken
Oh, they had hopes and dreams, these 2006 - 2007 Nets. After a feel-good draft that netted Marcus Williams, Josh Boone, and Hassan Adams, the body count began. First, Boone before the Summer League was over. Then, in rapid succession, it was Eddie House, Nenad Krstic and Richard Jefferson. Injuries, along with a healthy dose of inconsistency and erratic play (and some off-court noise), left the Nets no better than .500 for the season.

Left for dead after a horrible early start, a listless Vince Carter, the season-ending knee injury to Krstic, and a dreadful West Coast trip, the Nets hit the low water mark of 11 - 18 in December and things looked bleak. Three straight, last second buzzer-beating defeats in January while on the West Coast could have stuck the fork in the Nets, but Jason Kidd would not let it be. The team looked into trading Kidd to LA and breaking apart the Big Three, but this only seemed to motivate Kidd further.

Even with the news that Richard Jefferson's injured ankle could take no more, and Jason Kidd's off-court divorce nastiness, the Nets rallied in the second half of the season behind Kidd (who seemed to play even better as the distractions got louder and louder) and godsend Mikki Moore to turn a 33 - 38, faint hope for a playoff spot into a 41 - 41 year and the 6th seed in the playoffs.

Facing a less-experienced but better-seeded Toronto Raptor squad in the first round of the playoffs, the Nets took the Atlantic Division leading Dinos to school, ripping apart their proud season and making Chris Bosh disappear. A six game win moved the Nets on to the second round, where they would face eventually Eastern Conference champs the Cleveland Cavaliers. An almost unwatchable at times battle between two offensively challenged teams left LeBron and Co. victorious, with the Nets getting outrebounded and outexecuted despite Jason Kidd's average of a triple double for the series.

Battered and broken, the Nets limped off into the summer sunset knowing changes had to be made, with Vince Carter opting out of his contract for free agency, Mikki Moore becoming a free agent, Jason Kidd still wondering why he didn't go to LA, and Netsfans wondering if Nenad Krstic would recover from the knee injury, when a replacement for Jason Collins would be arriving.

Highlights: Start with the game of the ages for Netsfans, that stunning 2OT loss to the Suns. They'll talk about that one for ages. The comebacks from 18 down, twice in a week, both against the Bulls. Uncle Clffie's last second tip in against the Knicks. VC's long buzzer beater against the Jazz. The team record 16 threes against the Wiz. And let's not forget the playoff triple double average by Jason Kidd, and the impressive peformance against the Raptors in Round 1.

Lowlights: Those early noshows against the Sonics and the Blazers, dropping home and away games to each within the first eleven games of the season. A brutal early West Coast trip that saw them lose all 4 games. And oh those injuries: Nenad Krstic, Richard Jefferson, Josh Boone, and Eddie House. The topper of all, though, were the three straight buzzer beating defeats while on the second West Coast swing. The playoff flameout against the Cavs was nothing to write home about, either.

Archive: 2006 - 2007 season.


2005 - 2006 Nice Dreams, Or Too Far Gone
Too far gone in the summer of 2005, and not far enough in the spring of 2006. That about sums up the Nets' fate for the 2005 - 2006 season in one sentence.

It was a year of dreams going up in smoke, you could say, and it began with the Shareef Abdur-Rahim fiasco. With SAR slipping through their fingers after the Nets' deemed his potential for a knee injury too great a risk, the Nets put a band aid on the roster by acquiring F Marc Jackson. With G Jeff McInnis also signing to back up Kidd,as well as some journeyman additions (Padgett, Murray), it all seemed like things were too far gone to start the season.

Getting off to a slow start as L. Frank reviewed the roster and Carter and Jefferson tried to figure out how to play together, the Nets seemed out of sorts at 9 - 12 until they ripped off a 10 game win streak behind an out of his mind VC, then reverted right back to finish the first half at 22 - 19. Meandering their way looking somewhat uninterested through 60 games, the Nets then rallied behind a "reborn" Jason Kidd and ripped off 14 straight wins, tying a club record and looking like a team that was ready to do some damage in the playoffs.

Finishing the season just shy of 50 wins, the Nets rolled over their first round opponent (the Pacers) in a tough six games, setting up a second round matchup against eventually champs the Heat. After blazing out to a 28 point lead in a first game win, the Nets found their Nice Dreams going up in smoke after the Heat tied things up with a Game 2 win when it was announced that Cliff Robinson was suspended for a violation of the league's drug policy. Though the Nets battled, the Nets were too far gone and they would lose in five games.

And another season full of promise ended in a cloud of smoke.

Highlights: What could be better than 10-and-14-game win streaks? Individually, try Vince Carter's 51 point outburst against the Heat in Game 26 or his last second buzzer beating three against the Rapts in Game 31. Like offense? The impressive bombardment of the Suns in Game 69 should be right up your alley. Defense the thing? Try VC's late game defense against Kobe in Game 64.

Lowlights: Road trip hell is always a kick in the ass for the Nets. Start with the galling Game 34 loss to the Mavs, and add in a sickly loss to the Blazers in Game 41. Joe almost had a coronary with the refs in that last second loss against the Heat in Game 4. There's even the ugliest win you could think of - Game 63 against the Blazers in which Jason Kidd got nada.

Archive: 2005 - 2006 Season

Archive | Backlash | Bio | Calendar | Champagne's Blog | Diatribe | Game x Game | History | Home | Joe Netsfan's Blog | Media | Opponents | Players | Playoffs | Search | Specials