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The
New Jersey Nets has endured its share of difficulties since it first
took the floor in 1967. One of the 11 original American Basketball
Association teams, the club has played in six arenas in the New
York area. Along the way, the franchise soared to the top of the
ABA on the back of Julius "Dr. J" Erving, then fell to
the cellar upon entry into the NBA. The injury jinx seemed to hex
the Nets as soon as it entered the new association. The club set
an NBA record as its players missed more games because of injury
than any other team in league history. After bottoming out during
the 1989-90 season, the team began a slow rise out of basketball
mediocrity. The New Jersey Nets had three consecutive postseason
appearances and had three consecutive disappointments. However,
in 2001 The New Jersey Nets acquired Jason Kidd and the team’s good
fortune escalated from there. The Nets experienced a franchise best
season and were Atlantic Division Champions and Eastern Conference
Champions making their first appearance in the NBA Finals. Even
though they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers the 2001-02 season was
magical and will go down in Nets history as the best ever. |