1976–77 New York Nets season

1976–77 New York Nets season
Head coachKevin Loughery
ArenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record22–60 (.268)
PlaceDivision: 5th (Atlantic)
Conference: 11th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionWOR-TV
Cablevision Sports 3
RadioWMCA

The 1976–77 New York Nets season was the tenth season for the franchise, the ninth and final season where the team went by the New York Nets name after previously going by the New Jersey Americans in their first season in the now-defunct American Basketball Association, and the first for the team in the NBA. It was also their only NBA season that they played in Long Island before they moved back to New Jersey while retaining the Nets name they've had ever since their second season in the ABA. This season was notable for, as the franchise owner at the time Roy Boe described it, trading the team's very soul for a birth into the NBA since as they were the only ABA team intruding upon another NBA team's territory at the time (in this case, the New York Knicks' territory for the New York City area), the Nets in particular had to pay an extra fee for the Knicks just to play in the NBA. While the Nets tried to get the Knicks to waive the extra fee, to the point of even allowing them their star Julius Erving to join the Knicks instead, the Nets would only really make it by trading Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers in order to secure a birth into the NBA instead. Their forced trade of Dr. J to the 76ers just to secure their permanent entry into the NBA resulted in them going from being the final champions in ABA history to the worst team in the NBA in their first year of entry, with them not only finishing the season with a 22–60 record, but also not even getting the #1 pick that year due to them losing the coin toss to the Milwaukee Bucks (or at least, they would have had they not also traded that draft pick to the Kansas City Kings earlier in the season as well just to help themselves get the payment they need to enter the NBA properly), which forced them to have the #7 pick in the 1977 NBA draft instead due to the Nets trading with fellow ABA-turned-NBA team Indiana Pacers as a means to help each other out since they were both struggling in their own ways during their first seasons out in the NBA.

ABA Dispersal Draft

Main article: 1976 ABA dispersal draft

The New York Nets would be one of four ABA teams to not participate in the 1976 NBA draft, nor would they be able to hold an ABA draft of sorts due to the ABA-NBA merger that was taking place in June 1976. However, they would be able to participate in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft, with the Nets being the last team to select a player in the first round of the dispersal draft. The player they would select in the first round (which later became the penultimate pick of that draft) was Jan van Breda Kolff from the Kentucky Colonels, which they then purchased to have him join their team for $60,000.

Roster

1976–77 New York Nets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
PG 1 Nate Archibald  6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1948-09-02 UTEP
SF 42 Mike Bantom 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1951-12-03 Saint Joseph's
PF 21 Tim Bassett 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1951-04-01 Georgia
PF 31 Mel Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1950-11-09 St. John's
C 40 Jim Fox 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1943-04-07 South Carolina
SG 11 Robert Hawkins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954-06-30 Illinois State
C 35 Kim Hughes 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1952-06-04 Wisconsin
SG 30 Al Skinner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1952-06-16 UMass
SF 12 Chuck Terry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1950-09-27 Long Beach State
SF 20 Jan van Breda Kolff 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1951-12-16 Vanderbilt
PG 15 Dave Wohl 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1949-11-02 Penn
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: February 2, 1977

Regular season

In a special $6 million deal, the Nets sold Julius Erving, the ABA's leading scorer, to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million.[1] The other $3 million went to Erving, by way of a new contract.[1]

Season standings

Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers 50 32 .610 – 32–9 18–23 11–5
x-Boston Celtics 44 38 .537 6 28–13 16–25 9–7
New York Knicks 40 42 .488 10 26–15 14–27 8–8
Buffalo Braves 30 52 .366 20 23–18 7–34 6–10
22 60 .268 28 10–31 12–29 6–10
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Philadelphia 76ers 50 32 .610 –
2 y-Houston Rockets 49 33 .598 1
3 x-Washington Bullets 48 34 .585 2
4 x-Boston Celtics 44 38 .537 6
5 x-San Antonio Spurs 44 38 .537 6
6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 43 39 .524 7
7 New York Knicks 40 42 .488 10
8 New Orleans Jazz 35 47 .427 15
9 Atlanta Hawks 31 51 .378 19
10 Buffalo Braves 30 52 .366 20
11 22 60 .268 28

Record vs. opponents

1976–77 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS BUF CHI CLE DEN DET GSW HOU IND KCK LAL MIL NOJ NYK NYN PHI PHO POR SAS SEA WAS
Atlanta — 0–4 4–0 2–2 2–2 2–2 0–4 0–4 1–3 0–4 1–2 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–3 3–1 1–3 0–4 3–1 4–0 1–2 1–3
Boston 4–0 — 3–1 2–2 1–3 3–1 2–2 1–3 2–2 1–2 3–1 2–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–3 2–2 1–3 4–0 2–2 0–4
Buffalo 0–4 1–3 — 1–3 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–3 1–3 1–3 0–3 1–3 3–1 3–1 1–3 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–3 0–4 3–1 0–4
Chicago 2–2 2–2 3–1 — 3–1 1–3 2–2 2–2 1–3 2–2 2–2 3–1 3–1 4–0 2–2 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–4 3–1 2–2 1–2
Cleveland 2–2 3–1 2–2 1–3 — 2–2 1–3 2–2 1–3 2–1 3–1 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–3 2–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–3
Denver 2–2 1–3 2–2 3–1 2–2 — 3–1 2–2 3–0 3–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 1–3 3–1 2–2 1–2 4–0 2–2
Detroit 4–0 2–2 1–3 2–2 3–1 1–3 — 3–1 2–2 2–2 4–0 1–3 3–1 3–1 1–2 3–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 1–2 1–3 1–3
Golden State 4–0 3–1 3–0 2–2 2–2 2–2 1–3 — 2–1 4–0 1–3 2–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 3–1 3–1 4–0 1–3 2–2 1–3 3–1
Houston 3–1 2–2 3–1 3–1 3–1 0–3 2–2 1–2 — 4–0 2–2 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 1–3 3–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 3–1
Indiana 4–0 2–1 3–1 2–2 1–2 1–3 2–2 0–4 0–4 — 2–2 1–3 2–2 2–2 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–2 0–4 2–2 2–2 0–4
Kansas City 2–1 1–3 3–0 2–2 1–3 1–3 0–4 3–1 2–2 2–2 — 1–3 2–2 2–2 4–0 4–0 1–3 3–1 2–2 1–3 1–3 2–2
Los Angeles 2–2 1–2 3–1 1–3 2–2 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 3–1 — 3–1 3–0 1–3 4–0 2–2 3–1 3–1 3–1 3–1 4–0
Milwaukee 2–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 0–4 1–3 1–3 3–1 1–3 2–2 2–2 1–3 — 1–2 1–3 3–1 1–2 1–3 2–2 3–1 1–3 1–3
New Orleans 3–1 2–2 1–3 0–4 2–2 1–3 1–3 3–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 0–3 2–1 — 3–1 2–2 0–4 3–1 2–2 1–3 1–3 2–2
N.Y. Knicks 3–1 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 2–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 0–4 3–1 3–1 1–3 — 2–2 1–3 2–2 1–3 1–3 1–2 2–2
1–3 1–3 2–2 1–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 1–3 2–2 0–4 0–4 0–4 1–3 2–2 2–2 — 1–3 2–2 0–3 1–3 1–3 1–3
Philadelphia 3–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 3–1 2–2 1–3 3–1 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–1 4–0 3–1 3–1 — 1–2 2–2 1–3 2–2 3–1
Phoenix 4–0 2–2 1–3 2–2 1–2 1–3 2–2 0–4 1–3 2–2 1–3 1–3 3–1 1–3 2–2 2–2 2–1 — 1–3 1–3 3–1 1–3
Portland 1–3 3–1 3–1 4–0 2–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–3 4–0 2–2 1–3 2–2 2–2 3–1 3–0 2–2 3–1 — 2–2 3–1 1–2
San Antonio 0–4 0–4 4–0 1–3 2–2 2–1 2–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–3 1–3 3–1 3–1 3–1 3–1 3–1 2–2 — 3–1 2–2
Seattle 2–1 2–2 1–3 2–2 1–3 0–4 3–1 3–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 1–3 3–1 3–1 2–1 3–1 2–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 — 3–1
Washington 3–1 4–0 4–0 2–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 1–3 1–3 4–0 2–2 0–4 3–1 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–3 3–1 2–1 2–2 1–3 —

References

  1. ^ a b "NBA.com: Walton, Lucas Ignite 'Blazermania'". Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
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