2006 New Jersey Nets: A Bounceback Season & Playoff Win

The Nets had been in decline since Jason Kidd led them to consecutive NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. They lost in the second round in 2004, and then in the first round of 2005. The 2006 New Jersey Nets bounced back with an improved season and successful advancement in the playoffs.

Kidd was still running the show, and he averaged 13 points/7 rebounds/8 assists per game. The scoring fuel came from Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Carter knocked down 24 points a night and also averaged six rebounds. Carter, along with Kidd, gave New Jersey a good rebounding backcourt. Jefferson averaged 20/7 from his forward spot. He got help up front from Nenad Krstic, and his 14/6 per-game average.

While the offense wasn’t deep and the Nets only ranked 24^th in the league for offensive efficiency, it was enough to win—thanks to a defense that ranked sixth.

New Jersey was slow out of the gate and lost 12 of their first 21 games, including to the best two teams in the Eastern Conference, Miami, and Detroit. But starting in mid-December, the Nets ripped off ten wins in a row. They won at Miami. They beat LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers. By January 8, New Jersey was 19-12 and led the Atlantic Division by four games.

A difficult schedule stretch against some of the best teams in the Western Conference slowed the hot streak. The Nets lost to defending champion San Antonio, eventual Western champ Dallas, and a good playoff squad in Memphis. By the end of January, New Jersey was 23-20 and their lead in the Atlantic was narrowed to a single game.

The division race had more value under the playoff structure of the time—the top three seeds in the bracket were reserved for division champs. The Nets played pretty well in February, pushed their record out to 31-25 and again got comfortable in the Atlantic race. While the Pistons and Heat were clearly the top two seeds, New Jersey was in prime position to get the 3-line.

And the Nets would surge down the stretch. Starting on March 12, they tore off 14 consecutive wins. That included victories over the Mavericks, the playoff-bound Washington Wizards, Detroit, and the Phoenix Suns, who were the eventual 2-seed in the West. New Jersey knocked off Memphis and Miami. It was an impressive way to close out the season and sent the Nets into the playoffs at 49-33, the 3-seed, and on a roll.

The Indiana Pacers were the opponent. The Pacers had a similar profile to the Nets—good defensively, with some offensive issues. But Indiana, having undergone some roster shuffling in mid-season, didn’t have the momentum the Nets did.

But that momentum would crest in Game 1. While Carter got 31 points, he had to shoot 12-for-33 to get those points. New Jersey was outrebounded. Krstic’s 22 points/6 rebounds were a bright spot, but in a game that was close throughout, the Nets lost 90-88.

Game 2 was now close to a must-win. New Jersey tightened up the defense and forced Indiana into 35 percent shooting. Carter poured in 33 points, and this time they were efficient—12-for-20 from the floor. Jefferson scored 21, and Krstic had another big game, posting a 20/10 line. The Nets were up eight at the half, opened the game up in the third quarter and coasted to a 90-75 win that evened the series.

They would still need to get one on the road, and the defense softened in Game 3. New Jersey allowed Indiana to shoot 52 percent. They couldn’t contain big Jermaine O’Neal down low and got pounded on the boards. Jefferson scored 25, but Carter’s 25 was inefficient, and no one else produced. The game got away in the third quarter and the Nets lost 107-95.

Saturday afternoon’s Game 4 would be another threshold moment and New Jersey’s defense turned up the pressure. They forced 23 turnovers. They held the Pacers to 15 points in the first quarter. After three quarters, the Nets led by 19, and it ended 97-88. New Jersey had homecourt advantage back.

Game 5 was a good one, and the New Jersey stars were ready for the moment. Jefferson scored 24. Krstic continued his strong series with a 19/11 night. And Carter? Merely 34 points/15 rebounds/7 assists, while making over half of his field goal attempts. The Nets decisively won the rebounding battle, and they won the basketball game 92-86.

Carter cooled off on the road in Game 6, but the rebounding effort continued. New Jersey won the boards 44-30. Jefferson stepped up with a big 30-point night, while Krstic kicked in 17 and Kidd handed out eleven assists. The Nets won 96-90 and closed out the series.

Miami was up next. The Heat had the perfect combination of a rising star and a veteran star. Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal were a potent duo, and they were coached by the great Pat Riley. It came as no small surprise when the Nets went to South Beach and stole Game 1 with a stellar defensive effort. There was a window of hope.

But that window would close shut. After Miami evened up the series, New Jersey couldn’t control their homecourt. Carter’s 43 points weren’t enough to stop a fourth quarter meltdown and a 103-92 loss in Game 3. Kidd had an exquisite triple-double in Game 4, going for 17 points/12 rebounds/13 assists, but it wasn’t enough in another double-digit loss. The series was all but over. The Nets didn’t roll over in the road Game 5—Carter and Jefferson scored 33 points apiece. But a 106-105 heartbreaker ended the season.

It was still a bounceback year in New Jersey. They won a playoff series again in 2007, although the .500 regular season it followed was a warning sign. Following ’07, the Nets disappeared from the landscape for several years and didn’t become relevant again until they relocated to Brooklyn.