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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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Reflections

In the post-Jordan Eastern Conference, the Nets were considered genuine sleepers for a deep playoff run for the 1998-99 lockout-shortened season. However, plans quickly changed.

Calipari went to Europe to scout for the 1998 Draft. One prospect got away:

"“The other [prospect] I missed was Dirk Nowitzki,” Calipari said. “I was the coach and President and whatever I was with the Nets…. I went over to watch him and he’s really good but I have to see him more…. I wasn’t totally sold… so I missed.”"

Nowitzki went to the Dallas Mavericks by way of a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks, instead.

The Nets started the season 3-17 and Calipari was fired.

The young team, for one reason or another, was mostly disassembled. Douglas signed with the Clippers as free-agent after the season ended. Cassell and Gatling were traded in a controversial, three-team swap that netted the Nets Stephon Marbury.

Williams suffered the aforementioned career-ending leg injury, and shortly after pled guilty for manslaughter and was eventually sent to prison.

Gill left for the Miami Heat in 2001.

Kittles and Van Horn were part of the Nets squads that would make back-to-back NBA Finals (Van Horn just the first season), but the makeup of the team was almost completely different from Calipari’s team.

"“We were really young, undersized, [and] they were not taking us seriously,” Calipari said. “We should have won that game! The second game, we were in the game!”"

If the Nets nicked the first game off the Bulls, potentially creating the momentum for them to steal another somewhere else in the series, who knows what would’ve happened in Game 5 in Chicago…..

No, they would’ve lost a closeout game to the Bulls. But considering Michael Jordan had only lost ONE first-round game out of 22 since 1990, simply making two games highly competitive is a major accomplishment.

Kevin Durant would work very well with Michael Jordan. dark. Next

It would also be a sign that perhaps this Bulls team would have to work harder than expected to make it out of the East. Need evidence? Watch Episode 9 of The Last Dance this Sunday to see the fascinating Bulls-Pacers Eastern Conference Finals.