The New Jersey Nets postseason history in the NBA is a short story. After coming off great successes in the ABA, the team struggled to find its way in the NBA and rarely had playoff tickets for the postseason at all. The years the team did manage to make the playoffs they exited early, only making it out of the first round once in 1984. That all changed when Rod Thorn took over as the team president in 2000. His first major move was to draft Kenyon Martin in the 2000 draft. The next season he shrewdly acquired Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins in the draft for Eddie Griffin. His defining move was to trade the troubled Stephon Marbury to the Suns for Jason Kidd.
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Kidd immediately took the young athletic club and put Jefferson and Martin’s strong legs to work, throwing long passes on the fast break and ally oops all season long. The Nets were not just a fun team to watch, they were also a winning team to watch. The franchise went through the regular season schedule and finished first in the Atlantic Division with a 52-30 record and Nets playoff tickets for their first real shot to run the table since the ABA days. New Jersey went to the Finals that season and the next. They lost both series, but provided great entertainment and great hope for Nets fans at the Izod Center.
This season the team will look remarkably different from those contending teams. The New Jersey Nets have rebuilt the roster, banking on the young talent of Devin Harris to replace Kidd at point guard. Harris will have Bobby Simmons, a player returning from injury after showing great promise a few seasons ago, and Yi Jianlian, another potential Chinese star, at his disposal. Vince Carter is the lone star left on the team. This club has the potential to bring Nets playoff tickets at the end of the season, especially in the weak Eastern Conference. The talent is there, the question is can that ability shine through?