New Jersey Nets 2012 NBA Season Preview:
The Nets are in one of those bubbles that are ready to pop at any moment—a team full of promise that can explode at any time. The 2011 season was one of turnover for the Nets (and we don’t mean of the basketball) with a new coach in Avery Johnson and a mid-season trade that brought in All-Star point guard Deron Williams to group with fellow All Star, center Brook Lopez and the team’s leading rebounder Kris Humphries. It didn’t take long for Williams to get acclimated to the East Coast after his trade from Utah, and will look to build upon last season to take the Nets to the playoffs and beyond.
Recommended Nets Games
Nets vs. Miami Heat (January 7 and April 16) D-Wade, Bosh and LeBron will bring out the biggest stars to watch.
Nets vs. New York Knicks (April 18) The Battle of New York and New Jersey means fun for fans.
NEW JERSEY NETS FRANCHISE FACTS:
Founded: 1967
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
Stadium: Izod Center
Conference: Eastern Conference
Division: Atlantic Division
Rivals: New York Knicks
Mascot: Sly
Dancers: Nets Dancers
Notable Players: Nate Archibald , Rick Barry, Julius Erving, Drazen Petrovic
New Jersey Nets Championship Titles: 0
New Jersey Nets Conference Titles: 2
See Also:
New Jersey Nets Playoff tickets
New Jersey Nets Preview History
NEW JERSEY NETS EXPERIENCE:
The New Jersey Nets may seem like the unsung team in the New York metro area, as they have spent many years trying to gain the favor of the New York media, which was already devoted to the Knicks. Still, the squad's long history has seen its fair share of ups and downs and the organization has accrued quite the fan base throughout its history. Originally called the New York Americans, the team began in the American Basketball Association boasting star players such as Julius Erving and won two championship titles in 1974 and 1976 before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.
In the early '80s, the Nets achieved surprising success, making it to the playoffs consecutively from the 81-82 season until the 85-86 season. While the Nets never made it past the conference semifinals, they allowed Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown to make his professional debut. The team was led by Darryl Dawkins, Buck Williams, Otis Birdsong and Michael Ray Richardson, and made some noise in the Eastern Conference before injuries derailed the latter end of the decade.
The Nets enjoyed sporadic success in the early '90s, but remained a middling team until the early 2000s. In 2000, the team hired Rod Thorn, the general manager responsible for drafting Michael Jordan when he was with the Bulls', to be the new president. He quickly set about building his championship-quality roster by trading for point guard Jason Kidd to set the tempo for the team's offense. The Nets made the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, but lost to the Lakers and Spurs in successive years. While the team played extremely well leading up to the pivotal series, it was a lack of experience and poor offensive performances that derailed their hopes for a championship.
The Nets dawdled in the playoffs in the years following their Finals appearances and constantly tinkered with the roster throughout. Even the arrival of superstar Vince Carter wasn't enough for the team to break through, and he was traded in 2009. In 2009, the Nets were committed to a youth movement and boasted one of the youngest and quickest teams in the NBA.
In late 2009, the team was purchased by Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire. After years of playing second fiddle to the Knicks, the boys from the Garden State will continue to contend for the NBA championship that has eluded the team for so many years.
New Jersey Nets Ticket Information:
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