| The New Jersey Devils are a professional
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| | round of the 1984 playoffs before falling
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| ice hockey team based in the Continental
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| | to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern
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| Airlines Arena of the Meadowlands Sports
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| | Conference semifinals in six games.
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| Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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| | Injuries plagued the team during the
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| They play in the National Hockey League
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| | 1984-1985 season, but the Nets still
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| (NHL). Originally founded as the Kansas
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| | managed to win 42 games before being
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| City Scouts in 1974, the team moved to
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| | eliminated from the 1985 playoffs by the
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| Denver, Colorado two years later and
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| | Detroit Pistons in three games. The Nets
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| became the Colorado Rockies before moving
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| | would not qualify for the playoffs for
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| to its current location in 1982.
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| | the next seven seasons (1991-1992) and
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| After failing to make the playoffs their
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| | would not have a winning record for eight
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| first six seasons in New Jersey, the
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| | (1992-1993).
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| Devils made their first playoff
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| | During the early 1990s the Nets began to
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| appearance in 1987-88. After several
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| | improve behind a core of young players,
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| early playoff eliminations, as well as
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| | as New Jersey drafted Derrick Coleman and
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| losing a seven-game Eastern Conference
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| | Kenny Anderson and acquired the late
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| Final to their archrival New York Rangers
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| | Drazen Petrovic in a trade with the
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| in 1993-94, the Devils won their first
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| | Portland Trail Blazers. Despite a losing
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| Stanley Cup in 1994-95, defeating the
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| | record during the 1991-1992 season, the
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| Detroit Red Wings in four games straight.
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| | Nets qualified for the playoffs, losing
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| They have since won two more Stanley
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| | to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first
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| Cups, in 1999-00 and 2002-03, as well as
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| | round, three games to one.
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| making another Finals appearance in
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| | The team improved significantly in
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| 2000-01.
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| | 1992-1993, led by the trio of Coleman,
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| The New Jersey Nets are a professional
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| | Petrovic and Anderson and new head coach
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| basketball team based in East Rutherford,
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| | Chuck Daly. However, injuries to both
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| New Jersey. They play in the National
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| | Anderson and Petrovic toward the end of
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| Basketball Association (NBA).
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| | the season sent the team into a 1-10
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| The franchise was established in 1967 as
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| | slump to end the regular season. The Nets
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| part of the American Basketball
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| | finished the season at 43-39 and were
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| Association. Originally called the New
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| | seeded sixth in the Eastern Conference
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| Jersey Americans, the team played its
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| | and faced the Cavaliers again in the
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| first season in the Teaneck (N.J.)
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| | first round. With Anderson recovered from
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| Armory, before changing its name and
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| | a broken hand and Petrovic playing on an
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| location (to Long Island) to become the
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| | injured knee, the Nets lost a tough
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| New York Nets. The team was renamed to
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| | five-game series. However, the optimism
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| "Nets" to rhyme with two other
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| | of a team jelling was destroyed on June
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| professional sports team in New York: the
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| | 7, when Petrovic was killed in an
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| New York Mets and New York Jets.
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| | automobile accident in Germany at the age
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| In 1972, two years after the acquisition
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| | of 28.
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| of star Rick Barry, the Nets advanced to
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| | Depite the devastaing loss of Petrovic,
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| the ABA finals. However, they could not
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| | the Nets managed to win 45 games during
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| overcome the Indiana Pacers and lost the
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| | the 1993-1994 season, losing to the New
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| series four games to two. Barry left
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| | York Knicks the first round of the 1994
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| after that postseason, sending the Nets
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| | NBA Playoffs, three games to one. Daly
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| into rebuilding mode. The 1972 - 1973
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| | resigned as head coach after the season
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| season was one of disappointment, as the
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| | and was replaced by Butch Beard.
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| Nets only won 30 games. In the 1973
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| | The team struggled through the rest of
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| offseason, however, the Nets acquired
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| | the decade. During the mid-1990s the
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| Julius Erving, known as "Dr. J" from the
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| | NBA's main image problem was that of the
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| Virginia Squires.
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| | selfish, immature athlete and if one
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| In 1973-1974, with Erving, the Nets
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| | wanted to see a team that embodied that
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| dramatically improved their record,
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| | image, all one had to do was look at the
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| ending the season with 55 victories.
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| | Nets. In 1995, Coleman was featured on
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| After Erving was voted the ABA's MVP, the
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| | the cover of Sports Illustrated as the
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| Nets advanced in the playoffs and won
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| | poster child of the selfish NBA player,
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| their first title, defeating the Utah
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| | but with Anderson, Benoit Benjamin,
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| Stars in the 1974 ABA Finals. The
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| | Dwayne Schintzius and Chris Morris also
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| following season they won 58 games in the
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| | on the roster, there were plenty of
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| regular season, but were eliminated, four
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| | candidates for SI to choose from. The
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| games to one, by the Spirits of St.
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| | team's image was so poor that in an
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| Louis in the first round of the 1975 ABA
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| | effort to shed its losing image,
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| playoffs. The team rebounded in the
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| | management considered renaming the team
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| 1975-1976 season, with Erving leading
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| | "Swamp Dragons" in 1995, but rejected the
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| them to a successful 55-win season; he
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| | idea. In both the 1994-95 and 1995-96
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| also was named MVP again that year. After
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| | seasons, the Nets finished with identical
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| a grueling series with the Denver
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| | 30-52 records.
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| Nuggets, the Nets won the last ABA
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| | In an effort to start anew, Coleman and
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| championship series in six games, giving
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| | Anderson were both traded during the
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| them their second championship in three
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| | 1995-96 season and John Calipari replaced
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| years.
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| | Beard as head coach at the end of the
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| During the summer of 1976, the ABA and
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| | season. Kerry Kittles was selected in the
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| NBA merged. As part of the merger
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| | 1996 NBA Draft and midway through the
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| agreement, four teams from the ABA --
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| | 1996-97 season, the team traded for Sam
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| including the Nets -- joined the NBA.
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| | Cassell. After a 26-56 win-loss season,
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| However, in addition to the $3 million
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| | the Nets made a major draft-day trade in
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| they paid to join the NBA, the Nets had
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| | June 1997, acquiring Keith Van Horn,
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| to pay the New York Knicks $4.8 million
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| | Lucious Harris and two other players for
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| for "invading" the Knicks' NBA territory.
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| | Tim Thomas. The only player from the
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| This left Boe short for cash, and he was
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| | early 1990s that the Nets retained was
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| forced to sell Erving to the Philadelphia
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| | Jayson Williams, who was developing into
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| 76ers for $3 million, ending a highly
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| | a rebounding specialist.
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| successful period in their history. The
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| | The 1997-98 season was a lone bright spot
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| Nets finished their first season in the
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| | for the Nets in the late 1990s. The team
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| NBA with the worst record in the league
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| | played well under Calipari, winning 43
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| at 22-60.
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| | games and qualifying for the playoffs on
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| Prior to the 1977-1978 season, team owner
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| | the last day of the season. The Nets were
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| Roy Boe relocated the franchise back to
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| | seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference
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| New Jersey, renaming the team the New
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| | and lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1998
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| Jersey Nets. While the team awaited the
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| | playoffs in three straight games.
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| completion of a new arena at the
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| | The "Secaucus Seven" sold the team in
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| Meadowlands Sports Complex, they played
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| | 1998 to local real estate developers, who
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| four seasons at the Louis Brown Athletic
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| | the next year signed an agreement with
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| Center on the campus of Rutgers
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| | New York Yankees owner George
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| University, known at that time as the
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| | Steinbrenner to form YankeeNets, a
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| Rutgers Athletic Center. In 1978, Boe
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| | holding company that would own the two
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| sold the team to a group of seven local
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| | teams along with increasing leverage in
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| businessmen (led by Joe Taub and Alan
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| | future broadcast contracts by negotiating
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| Cohen) who became known as the "Secaucus
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| | together. After getting offers from
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| Seven". The first four years in New
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| | numerous broadcast partners, including
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| Jersey were disappointing, as the Nets
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| | what was their current rights holder
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| suffered through four consecutive losing
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| | Cablevision, YankeeNets decided to launch
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| seasons.
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| | a new regional sports television called
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| The team moved into the Brendan Byrne
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| | YES Network.
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| Arena (now known as Continental Airlines
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| | The 1998-99 season was delayed for three
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| Arena) in 1981 and experienced modest
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| | months due to an owners' lockout of the
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| success with four consecutive winning
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| | players. When the abbreviated 50-game
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| seasons. In 1982-1983, while coached by
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| | season began, the Nets were a fashionable
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| Larry Brown, the Nets were having their
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| | choice by experts as a surprise team.
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| best season since joining the NBA.
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| | However, Cassell was injured in the first
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| However, Brown accepted the head coaching
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| | game and the team started poorly. With
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| job at the University of Kansas during
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| | the Nets underachieving at 3-15, the Nets
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| the last month of the season and was
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| | traded Cassell to the Bucks, while the
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| relieved of his coaching duties. The Nets
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| | Nets acquired Stephon Marbury from the
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| would never recover from the coaching
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| | Minnesota Timberwolves. After two more
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| change and would lose in the first round
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| | losses, Calipari was fired as head coach
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| of the playoffs.
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| | with the team at 3-17. The team never
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| In the 1983-1984 season, the Nets fielded
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| | recovered from its poor start to finish
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| what was believed to be their best team
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| | at 16-34. With the Nets already
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| since joining the league. Led by Darryl
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| | eliminated from playoff contention in
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| Dawkins, Buck Williams, Otis Birdsong,
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| | April, Marbury collided with Williams in
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| and Micheal Ray Richardson, the team won
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| | a game against the Atlanta Hawks --
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| their first NBA playoff series, defeating
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| | Williams broke his tibia and would never
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| the defending champion 76ers in the first
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| | play in the NBA again.
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