New Jersey Nets

A proposed arena in Brooklyn is in the planning stages and if apporoved, the Nets would move across the Hudson River for the 2007-2008 season. Basketball Hall of Fame Members:. The owner has threatened to move the franchise beginning with the 2005-2006 season. Reserves. In 2004 and 2005 there were constant rumors that the Nets were going to move back to New York. Starters. Teaming with Kidd, Carter rallied the team from being more than 10 games out of the playoffs to gain the final seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the duo could not overcome O'Neal again and were swept by the Miami Heat in the 2005 postseason. Eastern on ABC.

In 2005, after two disappointing seasons, the Nets acquired disgruntled star Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors. Game 5 is scheduled for Sunday, June 19th at The Palace of Auburn Hills at 9 P.M. The following season Kidd again led the Nets to the finals, only to be thwarted by the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have won the first two games, and Detroit the second to, all by margins of 15 to 31 points. Under Kidd, the Nets advanced to the NBA Finals that season, but were defeated by Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. Games 3 and 4 and 5 will be played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, and games 6 and (if necessary) 7 will be in San Antonio. In 2001, though, the Nets acquired Jason Kidd, a perennial all-star. The Pistons are currently facing the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, the first two games of which were played at the SBC Center in San Antonio.

In the mid 1990s, the team continually tried to rebuild, as the Nets brought in star after star, only to see them fail. Players, such as Stephon Marbury, Kendall Gill, Keith Van Horn, and Jayson Williams each played for the Nets a few seasons before being traded again. Lakers did so at the Sacramento Kings in 2002. However, the team failed to advance in the playoffs, and after the stunning death of Petrovic, the others were traded. In the process, the Pistons became the first team to win a game 7 on the road since the L.A. However, the next few seasons yielded a shift from veterans to young players, as the Nets acquired Derrick Coleman, Drazen Petrovic, and Kenny Anderson. In the conference finals, the Pistons again fell behind, three games to two, but then won the final two games to defeat the Miami Heat and become Eastern Conference Champions. Led by Darryl Dawkins, Buck Williams, Otis Birdsong, and Michael Ray Richardson, the team finally had a winning season and advanced into the playoffs, beating the Philadelphia 76ers before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks. Seeded second in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 and then rallied from a 2-1 deficit to finish off the Indiana Pacers 4-2.

In the 1983-1984 season, though, the Nets fielded what was believed to be their best team since joining the NBA. Presently, the Pistons are considered a strong contender to win a second consecutive title in 2005. The next few years were disappointing, as the Nets compiled losing season after losing season, never advancing in the playoffs. See also: The Malice at The Palace. The year after the Nets joined the NBA, the franchise relocated to New Jersey, becoming the New Jersey Nets. A month later, five Pacers and seven fans were charged after being involved in the "basketbrawl.". The next season the ABA merged to form the NBA. Hampered by contract disputes, the Nets were forced to send Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers, ending a highly-promising era. Other Pacers such as Jermaine O'Neal fought with fans who had walked onto the court.

After a grueling series with the Denver Nuggets, the Nets won the championship series and could boast their second championship in three years. This caused Artest to rush into the stands and attack some fans. Erving again led them to a successful 55-win season; he also was named MVP again that year. On November 19, 2004, the Detroit Pistons were involved in a massive brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills during a losing home game against the Indiana Pacers. After fouling Pistons' Ben Wallace, Pacer Ron Artest was hit by a cup while lying down on the scorer's table. However, the team rebounded in the 1975-1976 season. Coached by Hall of Fame inductee Larry Brown, the Pistons returned to prominence, winning the 2004 NBA championship. The next season also looked to be promising, but the Nets were stunned early on in the playoffs and were denied their second championship. Under Dumars's leadership, the Pistons have since surrounded Wallace with rising stars Chauncey Billups, Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince.

After Erving was declared the ABA's MVP, the Nets advanced in the playoffs and won their first ever ABA title. One of them, Ben Wallace, would prove to be a cornerstone for the franchise's revamped roster. In the 1973-1974, with Erving, the Nets dramatically improved their record to a 55- win season. In the summer of 2000, Hill indicated his intentions to leave to Orlando, and Dumars – appointed the franchise's president of basketball operations that year – dealt Hill to the Magic in return for a pair of largely unheralded players. J". Though Grant Hill emerged as a gifted player, the team was unable to win a playoff series, losing to the Orlando Magic in 1996, the Atlanta Hawks in 1997 and 1999, and the Miami Heat in 2000. In the 1973 offseason, however, the Nets acquired Julius Erving, known as "Dr. The franchise went through a lengthy transitional period as its key players either retired or left.

The 1972 - 1973 season was one of disappointment, as the Nets only won 30 games. The team moved into the lavish Palace of Auburn Hills in 1988 and remains there today. Barry left after that postseason, sending the Nets into rebuilding mode. With their physical style of play, and intensity with opponents, the Pistons gained the nickname "Bad Boys." Coach Chuck Daly took the team to the NBA Finals three consecutive years (1988-90) and won NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. However, they could not overcome the Indiana Pacers and lost the series four games to two. The three, along with later aquisitions Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman, formed the core of a team that would rise to the top of the league. In 1972, two years after the acquisition of star Rick Barry, the Nets advanced to the ABA finals. In early 1982, it acquired center Bill Laimbeer and guard Vinnie Johnson.

The team was renamed to "Nets" to rhyme with the two other professional sports team in New York: the New York Mets and New York Jets. The franchise's fortunes finally began to turn in 1981, when it drafted point guard Isiah Thomas out of Indiana University. Originally called the New Jersey Americans, the team changed its name and location to become the New York Nets. (The Silverdome was the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions at the time.). The franchise was established in 1967 as part of the American Basketball Association. Displeased with the team's location in downtown Detroit, Davidson moved it to the suburb of Pontiac in 1978, where it played in the mammoth Silverdome, a structure built for professional football. In 2004, the franchise was sold to Bruce Ratner. In 1974, Zollner sold the team to Bill Davidson, who remains the team's owner.

The New Jersey Nets are a National Basketball Association team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling on both the court and the box office. Rod Thorn. The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for their first four seasons, then moved to Cobo Arena. Kevin Loughery. In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit, a much larger city that did not have an NBA franchise; the Detroit Gems had folded after one season of existence. Lawrence Frank. Led by star forward George Yardley, the Fort Wayne Pistons were a popular franchise and appeared in the NBA Finals in 1954 and 1955, losing both times.

Byron Scott. It is the oldest existing franchise in the NBA. Chuck Daly. The franchise was founded in 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Fred Zollner, owner of a General Motors subsidiary that manufactored pistons. Nenad Krstic.
. Richard Jefferson. The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association team based in the Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area.

Jason Kidd. Gregory Johnson. Vince Carter. Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach). 52 Buck Williams. Chuck Daly. 32 Julius Erving. Larry Brown.

25 Bill Melchionni. 40 Bill Laimbeer. 23 John Williamson. 21 Dave Bing. 4 Wendell Ladner. 16 Bob Lanier. 3 Drazen Petrovic. 15 Vinnie Johnson.

Richard Jefferson. 11 Isiah Thomas. Vince Carter. 4 Joe Dumars. Jason Kidd. 2 Chuck Daly (never played in the NBA; represents the two NBA championship teams he coached). Alonzo Mourning. Jerry Stackhouse.

Keith Van Horn. John Salley. Kenyon Martin. Dennis Rodman. Stephon Marbury. Rick Mahorn. Kerry Kittles. Grant Hill.

Armon Gilliam. Adrian Dantley. Kendall Gill. Chuck Daly (Inducted as Coach). Yinka Dare. Isiah Thomas. Chris Childs. Earl Lloyd (inducted as a contributor, not as a player or coach).

Kenny Anderson. Bob Lanier. Bob McAdoo. Dave Bing. Nate Archibald. C - #31 Darko Miličić (Serbia). Rick Barry. F-C - #24 Antonio McDyess (Alabama).

Drazen Petrovic. G - #5 Horace Jenkins (William Paterson) - restricted free agent. Julius Erving. G - #10 Lindsey Hunter (Jackson State). F - #8 Darvin Ham (Texas Tech) - free agent. F - #12 Ronald Dupree (LSU).

G-F - #20 Carlos Delfino (Argentina). C - #41 Elden Campbell (Clemson) - free agent. G - #30 Carlos Arroyo (Florida Int'l). PG - #1 Chauncey Billups (Colorado).

SG - #32 Richard "Rip" Hamilton (UConn). C - #3 Ben Wallace (Virginia Union). PF - #36 Rasheed Wallace (North Carolina). SF - #22 Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky).