History of the Brooklyn Nets

80s - Post ABA Dominance

The Nets joined the NBA in 1977 after winning two ABA championships in the past three years. These were led by Julius Erving who left for the 76ers the next year. In the 80s they relied on Power Forward, Buck Williams, with the help of Shooting Gaurd, Otis Birdsong. Throughout the decade they only made it past the first round once in 1984 where they lost in the next round.

90s - Revolving Coaches

Throughout the 90s, they struggled to stick with a coach. The decade featured 5 different coaches including Chuck Daley and John Callipari. Their best teams in the early 90s featured sharpshooter, Drazen Petrovic, point guard Kenny Anderson, and big man Derrick Coleman. The team never made it past the first round.

00s - Back to Back Finals

The deep playoff runs finally came in the early 2000s. Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Kenyon Martin gelled right off the bat as they went to the finals in the first two years playing together. The team led the league in defensive ratings both years but unfortunately they were weak at the center position which led to two losses to Shaq’s Lakers.

10s - Failed Superteam

The Nets found themselves with a solid core in the early 2010s with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. They decided to go for it all, trading lots of draft picks for an aging Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry. The team lost in the second round to the Miami Heat and was quickly dismantled leaving them with a bad roster and low draft picks.