Nothin' But Nets
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Brooklyn Nets: Calipari’s 1998 Nets Team That Almost Shocked the Bulls

By Jeremy Goldstein

24 Apr 1998: Head coach John Calipari of the New Jersey Nets talks with his guards Sam Cassell, Kendall Gill and forward Keigh Van Horne during a game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Nets 96-93.
24 Apr 1998: Head coach John Calipari of the New Jersey Nets talks with his guards Sam Cassell, Kendall Gill and forward Keigh Van Horne during a game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Nets 96-93. /
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1998 Playoffs vs. Bulls Games 2/3

Before Game 2, The Last Dance shows Michael Jordan saying to his team: “we gonna show them we a lot better than we were in game one.” This is a prime example of Jordan’s manifest destiny: if he wanted something, it was going to happen. No other player in NBA history possessed the combination of talent and drive to single-handedly impact the outcome of a contest.

Cassell was limited to only six minutes in Game 2, but Douglas held down the point with 20 and 12.

Kittles went for 12 of his 23 in the third, but the Nets were still trailing with 11 through three.

A late fourth-quarter run saw them bring the lead down to just three with 15 seconds left, but Pippen would ice the game with two free throws to bring the game to a 96-91 final. The Nets would be sent back to New Jersey down 2-0.

Jordan went for a cool 36 in this one.

Three days later, he went for 38 on a remarkable 16 for 22 (72.7%) from the field.

Scott Burrell, featured frequently in The Last Dance receiving discipline from the former Tar Heel, went for a surprising 23 off the bench as the Bulls cruised to a coast-to-coast 116-101 victory.

The Bulls were on their way to winning a sixth title in eight years.

The Nets? This was their only playoff appearance during a seven-year window from 1994-2001.