As the Nets gear up for their first-round series against Joel Embiid and the 76ers, expectations for the team are nowhere near where they were expected to be just a few short months ago.
But trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving moved the team into a transition phase, but thanks to newcomers like Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn was still able to secure the sixth seed, and will head to Philly for game one on Saturday afternoon. In that upcoming series, the Nets will look to add to their list of top playoff moments of all time, with the best of the best listed below.
Here are the top moments already cemented in franchise history, keeping it within the Nets’ time as an NBA team:
Beating up on big brother
The Nets earned the second seed in the 2004 playoffs, and were handed the seventh-seeded Knicks in the first round. New York owned the city and the New Jersey area, where the Nets played at the time, but while the Knicks held the fan advantage, the Nets had the advantage on the court.
New Jersey wiped the floor with Stephon Marbury and the Knicks, winning games one and two by 24 and 17 points, respectively, to send the team on its way to a four-game sweep. Kenyon Martin dropped 36 points in the game four clincher, but the Nets would lose to the eventual champs in the Pistons in the next round.
Back to the Finals
One year before losing to the Pistons in 2004, the Nets dominated Detroit in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals to earn a second straight trip to the NBA Finals. The Nets had been locked in a 2-2 series tie with the Bucks in the first round, but went on to rattle off 10 straight playoff wins to get to the Finals.
New Jersey left no doubt in the game four clincher against the Pistons, torching Ben Wallace and their defense in a 102-82 win behind 26 points from Jason Kidd.
The peak
After being swept out of the Finals against the mighty Lakers a season before, the Nets showed some serious fight in 2003, trading blows with the Spurs and tying the series at two games apiece in a tightly-matched game four. After San Antonio outscored New Jersey by 12 in the third quarter, the Nets settled down and pulled out a narrow 77-76 win to even the series.
Kidd was ice cold from the floor but was picked up by Martin and Richard Jefferson, who combined for 38 points in the victory. Manu Ginobli had an open look from beyond the arc in the closing seconds, but his game-tying attempt fell well short.
It was the closest the Nets would come to a title in the Kidd era, as San Antonio would take the next two games, and the series.
Dominant in double OT
It took every bit of the Nets firepower to take out Reggie Miller and the eighth-seeded Pacers in the first round of the 2002 playoffs, including a double overtime classic in a decisive game five.
After Indiana tied the series at two games apiece, New Jersey looked to avoid the upset at home in game five, and took a three-point lead into the final possession, where Miller banked in a ridiculous turnaround 3-pointer from a few steps in front of halfcourt to send the game into overtime. Of course, if replay existed then, the shot wouldn’t have counted since ball was still in Miller’s hands when the clock hit zero, but alas, there was overtime.
The Nets led again in the closing seconds before Miller soared in for a two-handed dunk to tie the game with three seconds left to send the game to another overtime. That’s when the Nets took over, getting a big jumper from Kidd to push the lead to five with just over a minute to go, and New Jersey pulled away for a 120-109 victory.
Epic turnaround
After a pitiful 26-win season a year prior, Kidd came to the Nets and helped lead one of the greatest one-year turnarounds in league history, capped by a conference finals clincher against the Celtics in game six. Trailing 2-1 in the series, New Jersey rattled off three straight wins, including a 96-88 win in Boston in game six, to secure a trip to the Finals.
The Nets trailed by 10 at the half but took control in the second half, getting big bench minutes from Jefferson, who shot 6-for-12 from the floor.
Kevin Durant' historic game five
The high point of the Nets' superteam era, Durant put the team on his back in a crucial game five against the Bucks in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Playing all 48 minutes, becoming the first player to do so since LeBron James three years before, Durant put up a performance for the ages, scoring 49 points to go along with his 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Durant's superhuman effort put the Nets on the cusp of making the Eastern Conference Final.
Instead, Milwaukee took game six, and eventually game seven after Durant came millimeters short of another heroic effort (Durant scored 48 in game seven), when his toe was on the 3-point line on a shot that could have won the game.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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