New Jersey Nets Play Their Final Home Game Before Moving to Brooklyn

35 years ago, the Nets came to New Jersey. On Monday, at 7:30pm, they had their last home tip-off in the state of New Jersey.

Where were you during the final game?

Unfortunately, the final game in New Jersey, in front of a sold out crowd, was a Nets loss, 105-86 to the 76ers. The last 35 years? It's been a roller coaster.  They've had a great run, of course, before that 12-70 season.

But unlike the countless stories of nasty divorces that scar both town and team forever (Brooklyn and the Dodgers, Cleveland and the original Browns, Houston and the Oilers), no tears were shed when the final buzzer sounded tonight in Jersey.

But I wanted to give this more thought—How could such a proud state, one with a nice little Napoleon complex, just give up and hand their team over to the big city?

It could be to do with the idea that it can be tough for basketball fans to notice the Nets as they stand below the shadow of their cross-river rivals. Hey, it might even be a result of the Devils, the more successful and popular stadium-mate for stealing the passion from the people in an already competitive sports market.

There's a whole bunch of excuses we could come up with, but it all just comes down to winning and losing. For the vast majority of their 35 years in New Jersey, the Nets haven't just been below average, they have been trash.

Other than the Jason Kidd years, which yielded a couple Finals appearances, this has been known as the franchise that traded Dr. J, that conceded picking Kobe in '96 draft per Jerry West's request, and more recently, the team that just was not able to get the superstar they wanted.

Whatever it was, the team and the town never really became one. The future does look bright, though, as the team packs its bags for Brooklyn, which has dreamed of having a professional franchise to call their own since their beloved Dodgers left town back in 1957.

Finally, the Nets can play in front of a town proud of their team.