Meet the Nets The game of basketball was invented more than 120 years ago in Springfield Massachusetts So why do some experts call s call Brooklyn New York the cradle of the sport Perhaps it is because ccaauussee so many of the game’s greats were born there and grew up on the he neighborhood courts Or maybe it’s because some of the best coaches learned their craft on the playgrounds and in the gyms around the borough In 2012 the New Jersey Nets moved to Brooklyn and started to write a new chapter in basketball history g Brooklyn is the team’s eighth home The Nets have played in four cities in New Jersey and three in New York They have known incredible success and crushing disappointment Win or lose they have always played entertaining basketball This book tells the story of the Nets They have had some ome of basketball’s greatest stars and been part of many unforgettable ttable moments They have traveled a long and bumpy road but it has been worth it Brooklyn finally feels like home Deron Williams raises a fist to celebrate a victory during the 2013 14 season 5
Glory Days Is New York City big enough for two professional basketball l b k b ll l teams In 1967 Arthur Brown decided to find out He bought a team in the American Basketball Association ABA and looked for an arena in Manhattan He wanted to go head-to-head with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association NBA When the NBA prevented him from renting an arena Brown moved his team to Teaneck New Jersey and named it the Americans hf kC b f Like most ABA teams the Americans were made up of overlooked or unwanted players Their best player Tony Jackson had actually been banned from the NBA Many years earlier his name had come up in a gambling scandal Although Jackson was never charged with a crime the NBA still outlawed him By contrast the ABA gave second chances to many talented players In 1968 69 the Americans moved to Long Island New York and changed their name to the Nets By the early 1970s the Nets 6
had a very good team Forward Rick Barry guard Bill Melchionni and center Billy Paultz formed the core They led the Nets to the ABA Finals in the spring of 1972 Julius Erving joined the Nets for the 1973 74 season Dr J was a spectacular player who captured the imagination of basketball fans everywhere With the help of three young stars John Williamson Larry Kenon and Brian Taylor Erving led the Nets to the ABA championship Two years later New York won a second title The 1976 ABA Finals turned out to be the last games the league played The following season the Nets and three other ABA teams were invited to join the NBA The ABA went out of business Hoping to make a splash in their first NBA season the Nets traded for point guard Nate Tiny Archibald When he teamed up with Erving the Nets instantly became championship contenders Unfortunately this plan fell apart Short on cash the Nets had no choice but to sell Erving and then Archibald injured his ankle and was lost for the year New York finished in last place and few fans came to watch the team play LEFT Julius Erving liked to have fun with his nickname ABOVE Bill Melchionni was one of the team’s early stars 7
