New Jersey NetsHistoryThe New Jersey Nets got their start in the year 1967 in the ABA. At that time the Nets were named the New Jersey Americans. The Americans (Nets) moved from their first home in New Jersey to the New York area and changed their names to the Nets. The reason for the name change was to rhyme with the two other sports teams in New York the Mets and the Jets. During their ABA years the Nets acquired future NBA Stars Rick Barry and Julius Erving. Erving earned the ABA MVP award with the Nets and went on to win one of the Nets two ABA championships. Two years later the Nets won the ABA championship with Erving leading the way. In 1976 the New Jersey Nets joined the NBA. They would do so without their star Julius Erving who they sold to the Philadelphia 76ers for three million. Their first season in the NBA would progress badly as they finished having the worst record in the league. After the 1976-77 season the team moved back to New Jersey and renamed themselves the New Jersey Nets. During their 1982-83 season the team was having it's best season with head coach Larry Brown leading the way. He would leave during the last month of the season to take a head coaching job elsewhere and leave the team before their playoff run. This proved fatal for the Nets as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 2000 the Nets hired Rod Thorn as team president. Thorn's best accomplishment was drafting Michael Jordan. During his first draft year he selected Kenyon Martin and on the following year selected Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins. These would be key pieces for the Nets rebuilding process. In that same 2001 year Thorn also traded Stephen Marbury for Jason Kidd. This trade contributed to the team's chemistry. It would be during the 2002 NBA playoffs that the Nets would be apart of dramatic games against the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. They would become Eastern Conference champions before eventually losing in four games to the Los Angeles Lakers. However during the 2003 NBA playoffs the Nets would once again reach the NBA Finals before once again being defeated this time by the San Antonio Spurs. In 2005 they traded aging center Alonzo Mourning to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for high flyer Vince Carter. However in the 2005 first round playoffs the Nets were unable to overcome Dwayne Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and the rest of the Miami Heat.
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