History

Tom Dowd

Derrick Coleman was a breakthrough big man when the Nets selected him as the No. 1 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft after a standout career at Syracuse. A rebounding monster, the agile lefty also had the ability to put the ball on the floor, distribute, and face-up from the mid-range.

Ask Coleman for a comparison in today’s game, and he has a ready answer: DeMarcus Cousins.

“I’m the original stretch 4 at 6’10” — I just never settled for taking a three,” said Coleman. “Why would I take a three, again, when I got a guy half my size checking me? I’m (going to) take you to the block. I wanna punish you, but when I look at a guy like DeMarcus Cousins, he can put the ball on the floor, he can pass it, he can shoot the 3, he can post, and again, that’s a skill set, and like the big fella out there in Denver — (Nikola) Jokic. I love him, man, because again, those guys to me have a skill set and we’ve gotten so far away from that. We don’t have a lot of guys that have skill sets that can pass it, can shoot it, can go rebound it, run the offense, so I love guys like that. But when I look at DeMarcus I’m like yeah, he’s got it.”

Coleman filled a box score for the Nets, averaging a double-double with 19.9 points and 10.6 rebounds over five seasons, but also 3.1 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game.

With Coleman, Drazen Petrovic, and Kenny Anderson playing under Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, the early 1990s Nets were primed for big things and made three straight playoff appearances, but after Petrovic’s premature death in a 1993 car accident, things weren’t quite the same.

“I’ve been blessed to have great guys that really cared about the game of basketball, but more importantly cared about you as a person, as a human being,” said Coleman. “It was just special, with me, Kenny, and Drazen. That combination, man, we were deadly, and we were looking forward to being there in Jersey, winning ballgames, going back to the playoffs. I just think the car accident with Drazen, like I said, took the wind out of our sails.”

During Coleman’s rookie season, the Nets debuted the iconic “tie-dye” jersey that has been brought back for the 2020-21 season as the team’s first-ever Classic Edition jersey. With the uniform set to debut in Thursday’s game against Philadelphia, Coleman looked back on his Nets days with BrooklynNets.com. Here are some of the highlights from the discussion about key moments in his Nets tenure.

SELECTED NO. 1 OVERALL BY THE NETS IN THE 1990 NBA DRAFT

At Syracuse, Coleman broke out as a freshman starter on a team that went to the 1987 national championship game, where he grabbed 19 rebounds. He planned on leaving for the NBA after his junior year, but coach Jim Boeheim’s pitch that he could secure the top overall pick with a great senior year lured him back, and proved prescient after Coleman earned his third straight All-Big East First Team honor and was the conference Player of the Year and a consensus All-American.

“When you set out to achieve goals in your life, my first love was baseball or football,” said Coleman. “I really didn’t play organized basketball until I was 13 years old, with coaches and referees. Always had a hoop in my backyard, and I continued to grow and practice and play. To really start at high school and through college and here it is draft day, and you’re sitting there waiting for your name to be called, it was just a great feeling. It didn’t really hit me until I got back to the hotel and I was sitting there talking with my mom and my uncles and my family members like, ‘Wow, I did it.’”

It was in January of Coleman’s rookie season that the Nets made a franchise-altering deal. Drazen Petrovic was a legend in Europe, but was having trouble getting off the bench for a championship contender in Portland. He played the final 43 games of the 1990-91 season for the Nets and averaged 12.6 points, then broke out with consecutive seasons averaging at least 20 points and shooting above 44.0 percent from 3-point range. In June 1993, Petrovic was tragically killed in a car accident in Europe.

“When he came to Jersey, it was an opportunity for him to step in and play,” said Coleman. “First upon meeting Drazen, it’s always the language barrier. But I saw him with his work ethic and wanted to prove himself in the game of basketball. He felt that being in Portland he didn’t get a chance to showcase his talents and what he was capable of doing. With us making that trade for him, and you know with me, sports, it’s always just a rhythm and getting familiar with your teammates, and as that season started to really, I would say at the All-Star break we had a little chemistry. It wasn’t quite there yet. But you could see Drazen’s potential and his talent, just his will on the basketball court to really show everybody that he belongs in the game.”

Joining the rebuilding Nets was an adjustment for Coleman, whose Syracuse teams lost 31 games in four years. The 1990-91 Nets lost 56. But Coleman led the Nets with 10.3 rebounds per game and was a shade behind veteran guard Reggie Theus for the team scoring lead with 18.4 points per game. At the end of the season, he was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.

“Being able to win Rookie of the Year, it was a challenge for me,” said Coleman. “That was one of my goals that I had set, because I looked at Syracuse and people only saw me in that 2-3 zone all the time with coach Boeheim. And I’m like, OK, I get a chance to really show that I can handle the basketball, I can pass the basketball, I can pull up and shoot the three, I can shoot the mid-range. In college, I think a lot of people don’t get a chance to showcase that. It opened up a lot for me at the next level and that was one of my goals, was to win Rookie of the Year, be first team All-Rookie team and then build from there. When I got the call, I was excited, my family was excited for me. I’m just looking at that as a stepping stone for us in New Jersey, just a start to build on being a better team.”

With the second pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, Coleman liked the Nets’ options. There was his Syracuse teammate Billy Owens, Michigan State sharpshooter Steve Smith, and Queens-born point guard prodigy Kenny Anderson, whom Coleman had actually hosted on his recruiting visit to Syracuse. The Nets went with Anderson, who played mostly behind Mookie Blaylock as a rookie before breaking out in his second season. Anderson’s 9.6 assists per game in 1993-94 and 9.4 in 1994-95 are the fourth- and fifth-highest single-season marks in Nets history.

“Watched him in practice and the flashes he showed, I knew once he got his opportunity that he was gonna shine,” said Coleman. “It’s just getting the opportunity to get out there on the floor and prove yourself, and once he got that opportunity, man, that just took us to a whole ‘nother level, and once again, with a guy like Chuck Daly on the sideline who really more than anything let his players participate in what’s going on. A lot of times Chuck would always call a timeout and we’re not doing something right, we’ll talk about pick and rolls and stuff like that — ‘Hey man? What do y’all wanna do? What’s the best way to play it? What do y’all feel because you done tried it my way and (it) ain’t working. So y’all need to try it your way.’ But he would always ask for input and stuff like that, but Kenny was just destined for that.”

In Coleman’s second season, the Nets improved by 14 wins and made the franchise’s first playoff appearance in six years. In 1992-93, with Chuck Daly as coach, they improved to 43-39 even with a late-season fade after Petrovic was injured.

“Chemistry and understanding that the chemistry on the team, but understanding that it takes all of us,” said Coleman of the leap the team took. “All 12 guys and what we’re doing, and Chuck always gave praise to everybody for that. Like I said, Kenny was just destined for that opportunity. He was just sitting there in the wings waiting for that. I’ve got two guys on the floor with me who actually really needed to prove themselves. You’ve got Draz who we got in a trade, played half a year, and I’ve got Kenny, our No. 1 pick the next year and didn’t really get an opportunity to play his rookie season. We come back that following year, they’re destined to really prove themselves: ‘Hey man, we belong and we’re really going to be something in this league.’ That jump, the 14 games and seeing whether we’re going to make it to the playoffs or not, that was the most exciting part about us in Jersey.”

As a high school star in Detroit, Coleman had a chance to visit the practices of a rising Pistons team that would go on to win two NBA championships while Coleman was at Syracuse. Pistons coach Chuck Daly would go on to lead the Dream Team to the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics, and then coach the Nets for two seasons on his way to the Hall of Fame.

“One thing that I loved about Chuck Daly and I would say Larry Brown, it was never always about the game,” said Coleman. “It was about life. Chuck never gave us long speeches, win or lose. It was always quick-witted. ‘Hey, hey, we’ve got to do this or that. Let’s get it in. We’ll get it in practice tomorrow.’ Never gave the long speeches. Never was too high, never was too low. Always had the medium-keel, and in game situations what I loved about him also, that he could just change the whole narrative on a game in a timeout. And he loved, when we scored on a play, he’s going to milk that play. That was one thing I loved about him. We’re going to make them play defense. They’re going to have to figure out how to stop us. But we always had wrinkles for that. Strictly, we’re going to get it, we’re going to push, when we’ve got those opportunities, we’re going to take those opportunities. But more than anything, the life lessons. Being around him. When the game of basketball was over that he always asked you about your family and how everybody was doing and the conversations just about life. That’s one of the things I took away from him.”

Coleman had his two best NBA seasons under Daly, earning All-NBA Third Team selections in both 1993 and 1994. In 1992-93, Coleman averaged 20.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, and in 1993-94 he averaged 20.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game.

“For me, I always looked at just growing each year,” said Coleman. “And I think it helped a lot with Chuck because I was able to really show parts of my whole game, from knocking the threes down to handling the basketball, and Chuck never tried to limit me in doing that. He’s like, ‘Hey, if Derrick has the rebound, he’s got it, everybody run. He’s going to pass the basketball. He’s going to give it.’ I was excited about it because it was always one of my goals, I always set goals for myself every year what I wanted to try to achieve, and I would stick them in my locker. To make All-NBA, it was great for me, but again, I think I was Third Team, I’m like OK, how do I get to Second Team, how do I get to First Team. So I’ve always put that type of challenge in myself. Yeah, I’m excited about the accolades, but how do I keep continuing to get better and keep continuing to work at this game.”

In 1994, Coleman and Kenny Anderson became the first Nets ever voted to start in the NBA All-Star Game, and only Vince Carter in 2005 and Jason Kidd in 2008 have done it since.

“I thought a couple years before that I should have been on the All-Star team and I wasn’t, but every player thinks that,” said Coleman. “That always was another challenge, like every time, I think they picked Larry Nance those two years ahead of me, so every time we would go play against Cleveland I always had a chip on my shoulder for him and (John) Hot Rod (Williams). But again, when you’re talking about accolades, and knowing that you belong as being a part of it, and then to do it with your teammate, that was just icing on the cake for me and Kenny. I thought our combination of point guard and a power forward was great, because we really fed off of each other and also both of us being left-handed, all that played into the games and the schemes of playing the game of basketball. I was real excited about playing in the All-Star Game, being there, trying to absorb and take everything in and again, having Kenny there with me, somebody I knew I could depend on, I knew when he was in the game I was going to get the ball. It was great.”

Coleman played in the NBA through the 2004-05 season, with stops in Philadelphia and Charlotte before wrapping up with a brief tenure with his hometown Pistons. Coleman lives in downtown Detroit, where he’s been active in the community and youth basketball and done real estate development. In 2017, Coleman led groups in delivering water to Flint, Michigan residents during the city’s water crisis. Another former Syracuse star, Dave Bing, who was an NBA All-Star six times while playing for the Pistons from 1966 to 1975, and later became mayor of Detroit, has been a mentor since Coleman’s childhood. Over the last decade, Coleman has created and run DC Elite, a summer league program in Detroit.

“I just started it because I saw the level of competition here in Detroit dying off,” said Coleman. “We were a state of producing talent. I started it because I wanted the kids to have a safe environment to come and compete and play, but also work on the game of basketball, and I started doing the week, which was like Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, because everybody always played at St. Cecilia on Saturdays and Sundays. It took off. First year, I probably had 15, 20 teams and I have to turn teams away now because I really don’t have the floor space to do what I really want to do. We’re playing in one gym, with one court. But again, it’s bigger than basketball. We have the mentoring program with all our kids where you see all these ex-NBA guys come through the gym and have a chance to really sit and have conversation with all these NBA cats that are still here in Michigan. We have a food program. We still feed all the kids every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and to be able to take food home to their families. So for me, it’s always been bigger than the game. It’s just using the game to enrich the lives of these kids and get them to understand that through sports, through basketball, basketball can take you around the world if you let it.”

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Catching Up With Derrick Coleman

It’s not always easy to be first in line.

In the 1990s, NBA uniforms were about to start breaking the rules. Clean, traditional-styled jerseys had dominated the 1980s, but a wave of wild redesigns and bold color choices from expansion franchises — hello teal and purple — was about to break out.

One of the first teams to start pushing the boundaries was the New Jersey Nets, who launched a new decade with a full redesign of the team’s uniforms and logo for the 1990-91 season, moving away from the stars &amp; stripes styling that had dominated the team’s look for nearly two decades.

What they came out with for the team’s road uniforms, a washed-out, sky blue-to-white gradient, became the talk of the league — social media would have had a blast with this — and went down in NBA history as the “tie-dye” jersey. And 30 years later, it’s back, as the first-ever Brooklyn Nets Classic Edition jersey for the 2020-21 season, which the Nets will debut Thursday night when they play the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center.

But when first unveiled, there were skeptics, and some of those included the team’s players, among them prized rookie Derrick Coleman, who as the No. 1 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft was immediately the team’s signature player, and made his NBA debut in the jersey.

“I don’t think any of us liked it in the beginning because we just looked at the NBA as looking at us as being soft,” said Coleman. “When you’re playing against guys and trash-talking, it always came back to the jersey. I might have a tie-dye jersey on, but I’m going to give you 35 and 20 tonight, so take that. There was always conversation. Stuff grows on you, and the popularity kept growing. Even when we stopped wearing ‘em, people would always ask us, ‘Why don’t you rock those tie-dyes anymore? Those are hot.’”

As Coleman saw the tide turn, he went with it as well. When he caught his first sighting of a fan wearing his No. 44 tie-dye on the streets of Hoboken one night, he hopped out of the car to autograph the jersey. When the Nets opted for a more modest, solid royal blue road jersey the following season, he was a little disappointed and looked forward to the tie-dye jersey coming back.

But then, back in October, there they were, proudly popped by a New Jersey kid, Kyrie Irving, who grew up rooting for the Nets at the arena Coleman once called home in the Meadowlands. Coleman caught sight of the photo gallery on social media and retweeted his approval, tagging his former Nets teammate Kenny Anderson while he was at it with appreciation for the call-back to the franchise’s New Jersey days.

“Everything goes full circle,” said Coleman, who’s keeping his eye on another Nets team with big ambitions behind the tandem of Irving and Kevin Durant.

“The potential is the sky's the limit with that team,” said Coleman. “The biggest thing for me in watching them play and you know in the time that I have watched them I'm not really concerned about the offense. I'm really concerned about the defensive side of the ball, you know, and that just goes with communication you know, everybody talking to each other down and being on the same page. And you see it in spurts and sometimes it is, sometimes you just forget the rotation. That comes, like you said, not being able to practice, not having a real training camp, Kevin coming back off of injury. But he's not showing any of that. So, it’s just being on the floor and communicating with each other getting everybody on the same base. I just see the struggles right now just going to be better for you later on in the season. Just have to keep continuing to work.”

Coleman said he can see an NBA Finals appearance within reach for this team, and if the Nets happen to break out the throwbacks for a big-time nationally televised game, he might get a few more calls about the uniform that broke a barrier for the jersey game and became, despite the early doubters, a classic indeed.

“I still have my original, at my mother’s house,” said Coleman. “Like I said, people ask me all the time about autographing jerseys. That’s the No. 1 question. ‘Do you have any of your tie-dye jerseys left?’ I’ve got two. They’re at my mother’s house. I can’t give that up.”

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Derrick Coleman Sees a Classic Nets Jersey Come Full Circle

For four years in the early 1980s, it was an annual tradition: the Nets at the Knicks on Christmas Day. The series was worth the setup, with four games decided by a total of 11 points, including two overtime finishes.

The final game of the series was the Nets’ 120-114 win on December 25, 1984, giving them wins in three of the four games. YES Network is showing this game as its Nets Classic for the week, with multiple viewings.

It was an exciting period for the Nets after the franchise had scuffled through its first five seasons in the NBA. The Nets had two top 10 picks in both the 1980 and 1981 NBA Drafts, taking Mike O’Koren and Mike Gminski the first year, and Buck Williams and Albert King the next. They added All-NBA guard Otis Birdsong for the 1981-82 season, when they moved into their new arena at the Meadowlands.

The Nets jumped from 24 wins to 44 that season, beating the Knicks 96-95 on James Bailey’s layup with 19 seconds remaining in the first of the four straight Christmas matchups. On Christmas Day 1982, Buck Williams had 30 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 14-of-15 in the Nets’ 112-110 overtime win. That victory was part of an 11-game win streak for the Nets, who went on to win 49 games.

The next year, the Knicks flipped things around, winning by the same 112-110 score, again in overtime, despite 27 points from Birdsong and a 14-point, 18-rebound double-double by Williams.

With the Nets coming off their first NBA playoff series win, an upset of defending champion Philadelphia in 1984, the 1984-85 season got off to a shaky start. They were 11-17 going into the Christmas Day matchup. But their holiday win would be the start of a four-game win streak and they went on to finish the season on a 31-23 run and make their fourth straight playoff appearance.

They were down as many as 16 points as the Knicks’ Bernard King scored 40 first-half points. King, the older brother of the Nets’ Albert King, had been drafted by the Nets in 1977, the team’s first NBA draft pick. Bernard, who played two seasons for the Nets, would go on to finish with 60 points.

But the Nets climbed back throughout the second half, eventually pulling ahead 106-105 with five minutes to go on a Micheal Ray Richardson three-point play for their first lead since the game’s opening basket.

With the Knicks up 111-108, Richardson connected on a jumper, and Gminski scored to put the Nets ahead for good 112-111, sealing the game with a 12-0 run.

Richardson finished with 36 points, four assists, five rebounds, and four steals. Gminski had 27 points and 14 rebounds. Williams had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Kelvin Ransey came off the bench for 24 points.

Four days later at the Meadowlands, Richardson had 33 points and Williams had 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Nets followed up with a 100-97 win over the Knicks.

Richardson finished the season averaging 20.1 points, 8.2 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.0 steals while playing all 82 games. Birdsong led the Nets with 20.6 points per game — his high in seven seasons as a Net — while shooting 51.1 percent, and Williams averaged 18.2 points and 12.3 rebounds.

But despite their strong finish the Nets couldn’t repeat their playoff success, falling in the first round to Detroit. It was the last of four straight 40-win seasons. Injuries began to slow the core group as the Nets slipped to 39 wins and the last of their five straight playoff appearances in 1985-86, also leaving their Christmas Day rivalry with the Knicks behind.

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Nets History Spotlight: A Christmas Day Classic

Between YES Network and NBATV, there’s plenty of classic Nets action to watch while the NBA is on hiatus. Check in each Monday for the full schedule of programming so you don’t miss these great moments in Nets history.

4:00 AM: Road Trippin’ with guest Nick Young (YES)

YES Network Nets analyst Richard Jefferson hosts the former NBA guard.

The high-flying former Net has announced his retirement, and NBATV takes a look at some of his most astonishing highlights.

10:00 AM: Nets 122, Hawks 112December 21, 2019 (YES)

The Nets wiped out Atlanta’s 18-point, third-quarter lead and pulled away down the stretch at Barclays Center. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 39 points on 13-for-27 shooting, plus 11-for-12 from the free throw line, with six assists and six rebounds. Garrett Temple scored 25 points and DeAndre Jordan had a double-double with 12 points and 20 rebounds, plus six assists.

3:00 PM: Encore — High Tops: Vince Carter (NBATV)

8:30 PM: Encore — High Tops: Vince Carter (NBATV)

An all-new episode of Nets Magazine looks back at the 2019-20 season up through its halt in March and looks forward to what awaits for the Nets as they return to play in Orlando, with a conversation between Michael Grady and Frank Isola. Also, check out an inside look at the New York Liberty, led by No. 1 overall Sabrina Ionescu.

7:30 PM: Nets 120, Knicks 114December 25, 1984 (YES)

Micheal Ray Richardson had 36 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals while applying all 48 minutes of this Christmas Day win. Mike Gminski had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and Buck Williams had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

10:00 PM: Road Trippin’ with Jared Dudley (YES)

The former Nets forward joins YES Network Nets analyst Richard Jefferson.

11:00 PM: CenterStage — Julius Erving (YES)

Nets legend and Hall of Famer Julius Erving sits down with YES Network’s Michael Kay.

12:00 AM: Encore — Nets 120, Knicks 114; December 25, 1984 (YES)

9:00 AM: Nets 117, Heat 113January 10, 2020 (YES)

Caris LeVert teamed with Spencer Dinwiddie to lead Brooklyn’s fourth-quarter comeback, knocking down the go-ahead 3-pointer with just over a minute to go. Dinwiddie had 26 points and 14 assists, and Jarrett Allen had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

11:00 AM: Encore — Nets 120, Knicks 114; December 25, 1984 (YES)

1:00 PM: Nets 108, Hawks 86January 12, 2020 (YES)

In his return after missing two months with a shoulder injury, Kyrie Irving made 10-of-11 shots in scoring 21 points in a rout of Atlanta. The Nets shot 53.2 percent as a team with six players scoring in double-figures.

10:00 AM: Nets 121, Pistons 111January 25, 2020 (YES)

Kyrie Irving scored 45 points in this overtime win or the Nets, who also got 20 points and 15 rebounds from Jarrett Allen. Irving shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range and had seven assists and six rebounds.

11:00 AM: Nets 125, Pistons 115January 29, 2020 (YES)

Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn’s game-breaking 12-2 run early in the fourth quarter and finished with 28 points in the win. Taurean Prince had 22 points and Kyrie Irving scored 20.

10:00 PM: Encore — Road Trippin’ with guest Jared Dudley (YES)

2:00 AM: Encore — Road Trippin’ with guest Jared Dudley (YES)

4:00 PM: Encore — Nets 120, Knicks 114; December 25, 1984 (YES)

10:00 PM: Nets 133, Bulls 118January 31, 2020 (YES)

Kyrie Irving scored 54 points, the second-highest total in franchise history, and his second 50-point game of the season. Irving’s 27 first-half points came on perfect 10-of-10 shoot, including all four of his 3-point attempts.

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Nets Classics Broadcast Schedule: Week of July 6

One week earlier, the Nets had been written off. Now they were headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

The 96-88 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on May 31, 2002 was a milestone moment that capped a high-wire run through the conference playoffs and a turnaround season.

Going into the 2001-02 season, the Nets had won a single playoff series dating back to their entry to the NBA for the 1976-77 season, an upset of defending champion Philadelphia in 1984. They were coming off a 26-win season, and while the acquisition of Jason Kidd in a point-guard exchange with Phoenix fueled some optimism, there were no predictions of what was to come.

A wholesale transformation was coming, and it wasn’t just fueled by Kidd. Guard Kerry Kittles returned from a knee injury that cost him all of the 2000-01 season. Rookie Richard Jefferson was acquired in a three-for-one draft-night deal that also brought Jason Collins. Center Todd MacCulloch was signed as a free agent. Forward Kenyon Martin was ready to go after a rookie season cut short by injury.

“It was like a fresh start for everybody,” said Kittles. “It was like Kenyon Martin’s first year, you could just toss it up and throw it away. All the guys that were returning, it was alike a new start for everybody. We were excited.”

With wins in seven of their first eight games, the Nets announced a new era. For anybody expecting them to fade over the course of the season, it didn’t happen. Behind Kidd’s orchestration, the Nets unleashed an up-tempo, equal-opportunity offense. Martin’s 14.9 points per game led the team, followed by Keith Van Horn with 14.8 and Kidd with 14.7. Kidd also averaged 9.9 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, the first Net ever to achieve the honor.

“The thing about that team was that nobody wanted to give them credit,” said Nets radio play-by-play broadcaster Chris Carrino. “During that season, I think the prevailing feeling was this is just a fluke or the East is bad. But nobody wanted to believe it. I don’t know if it was whether or not because Jason was still in a redemption tour. Nobody wanted to believe that one player at that position at the time could have that impact.”

The doubts followed the top-seeded, 52-win Nets into the playoffs, and after a veteran Indiana team pushed them to the limit in the first round, they cruised past Charlotte and split the first two games at home against the Celtics.

Then came Game 3 in Boston. Up by 25 in the third quarter and 21 to start the fourth, they suffered an epic collapse in a 94-90 loss, outscored 16-2 to close the game without making a shot in the final four minutes.

“They were absolutely written off following Game 3 and the collapse,” said Nets television play-by-play broadcaster Ian Eagle. “I had never seen an arena louder than the TD Garden that night. And the resolve that not only Jason Kidd exhibited, but their head coach Byron Scott also had. He was interviewed the next day and he was asked the question, ‘How’d you sleep last night?’ and his answer was, ‘I slept like a baby. We’re going to win Game 4.’ Reporters chuckled, and he was 100 percent serious. They handled the adversity impeccably, and again Kidd had this look in his eye that indicated to his teammates, follow my lead.”

Back in the Boston crucible for Game 4, the Nets won 94-92 on two Lucious Harris free throws with 6.6 seconds remaining. Kittles scored 22 points and another 21 in the 103-92 Game 5 win at the Meadowlands, with Kidd posting an 18-point, 12-assist double-double.

With a 3-2 series lead, the Nets returned to Boston for Game 6, where they trailed 54-44 at halftime. But they outscored the Celtics 26-15 in the third quarter with Kidd assisting on six of the Nets’ 11 field goals in the quarter and took a one-point lead into the fourth.

They never trailed again. With a three-point lead as the clock ticked under a minute to go, Van Horn drained a 3-pointer for a 94-88 lead with 50 seconds remaining and Boston never scored again. Six Nets scored in double figures. Kidd’s triple-double featured 15 points, 13 assists, and 13 rebounds.

“When you have a guy like that who can sort of steady the ship when things start getting very intense or tight,” said Collins, “you could look at JKidd and JKidd was like, ‘I’m ready.’ That sort of calm would resonate throughout the locker room. OK, we can do this, because we have a guy on our team who can go out and get a triple-double.”

The dream season came to a close with an NBA Finals loss at the hands of the three-peating Los Angeles Lakers. But it was also the start of something. The Nets returned to the NBA Finals the following season and went on to win four division titles in five seasons. It’s been the most successful run in the franchise’s NBA history, and the 96-88 Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics on May 31, 2002 was as important as any win they had along the way.

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Nets History Spotlight: 2002 Eastern Conference Championship Clincher

We’re taking a look back at some major acquisitions in Nets history with significant dates from the month of July.

After two seasons, Rick Barry leaves the Nets, signing with the Golden State Warriors to return to the NBA. Barry averaged 29.4 points per game in 1970-71 and 31.5 in 1971-72, leading the team to the 1972 ABA championship series. His 30.6 average over those two seasons is the highest by a player with the Nets in franchise history.

Nets acquire Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers for Thaddeus Young. A deal agreed to before the NBA draft became official, with the Nets acquiring LeVert with the 20th overall pick.

The Nets acquire Joe Johnson from Atlanta for five players and three draft picks. Johnson had been selected for the previous six NBA All-Star Games while with the Hawks. In four seasons with the Nets, he averaged 14.7 points while shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range. He represented Brooklyn in the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.

One year after the Joe Johnson trade, the Nets acquired Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from Boston as part of a nine-player trade that includes exchanges of six draft picks. Pierce averaged 13.5 points per game in his lone season with the Nets, while Garnett was traded midway through the 2014-15 season.

The franchise moves from New Jersey to Long Island and changes its name on the way, transforming from the New Jersey Americans to the New York Nets. The team would play nine seasons in three arenas on Long Island before moving to New Jersey for the 1977-78 season, its second in the NBA after the merger with the ABA.

The Nets acquire Jason Kidd from Phoenix as part of a five-player trade that sends Stephon Marbury to the Suns. Kidd would go on to lead the Nets to consecutive NBA Finals appearances and four division titles in five seasons, earning three All-NBA nods with the Nets, two to the First Team.

this-month-in-nets-history-july

This Month in Nets History: July

3:30 AM: Road Trippin’ with guest James Worthy (YES)

YES Network Nets analyst Richard Jefferson hosts the Hall of Fame forward.

10:00 AM: Nets 130, Hawks 118 December 4, 2019 (YES)

The Nets were up by nine at halftime and outgunned the Hawks in a high-scoring second half with 74 points after the break. Garrett Temple had a season-high 27 points, Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 and Jarrett Allen had 20 points with 13 rebounds.

A definitive look at the career of Nets legend and Hall of Famer Julius Erving. Dr. J won the ABA MVP award in all three of his seasons with the Nets, leading the team to two ABA titles.

Check out highlights of interviews with current Nets from the last two months of YES We’re Here.

7:30 PM: Encore — YES We’re Here (YES)

8:00 PM: Nets 96, Celtics 88March 31, 2002 (YES)

The Nets advanced to their first NBA Finals with this Game 6 win in Boston to clinch the Eastern Conference championship. Trailing 2-1 in the series, the Nets won three straight to eliminate the Celtics. Jason Kidd had a triple-double with 15 points, 13 assists, and 13 rebounds to lead the Nets, who had six players score in double figures in the win.

10:00 PM: Road Trippin’ with guest Nick Young (YES)

11:00 PM: Encore — YES We’re Here (YES)

12:00 AM: Encore — Nets 96, Celtics 88; March 31, 2002 (YES)

8:30 AM: Encore — YES We’re Here (YES)

9:00 AM: Encore: Nets 130, Hawks 118; December 4, 2019 (YES)

11:00 AM: Encore — Nets 96, Celtics 88; March 31, 2002 (YES)

1:00 PM: Nets 111, Hornets 104Dec. 6, 2019 (YES)

The Nets won for the eighth time in 11 games with six players scoring in double figures and a season-high 35 assists on 42 turnovers. Spencer Dinwiddie (13 points, 12 assists) and Jarrett Allen (14 points, 10 rebounds) both posted double-doubles.

1:30 AM: Encore — YES We’re Here (YES)

10:00 AM: Nets 105, Nuggets 102December 8, 2019 (YES)

Spencer Dinwiddie’s driving layup with under 30 seconds left was the last of 18 lead changes in a wild game that saw the Nets hold off one of the Western Conference’s top teams. Dinwiddie had 24 points and eight assists, and Jarrett Allen had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

6:00 AM: 1976 ABA &amp; 1984 NBA Dunk Contests (NBATV)

In the first-ever Slam Dunk Contest — at the last-ever ABA All-Star Game — the Nets’ Julius Erving delivered his iconic dunk from the foul line.

11:00 AM: Nets 109, Sixers 89December 15, 2019 (YES)

The Nets blitzed a streaking Sixers squad behind 24 points from Spencer Dinwiddie, while DeAndre Jordan posted a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.

11:00 PM: Encore — Road Trippin’ with guest Nick Young (YES)

3:30 AM: Encore — Road Trippin’ with guest Nick Young (YES)

4:00 PM: Encore — Nets 96, Celtics 88; March 31, 2002 (YES)

10:00 PM: Nets 108, Pelicans 101December 17, 2019 (YES)

The Nets came alive late, shooting 61.2 percent in the fourth quarter and overtime to get past New Orleans on the road. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 31 points and Jarrett Allen had 12 points and 14 rebounds.