MLKG

No, I think Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd were equally disliked even before the Nets were any good. Kenyon with his flagrant fouls and Kidd with his domestic abuse incident.

And besides, until they win a championship, the Nets aren't really on top of anything.

schub

I have to disagree with you there. There are 14 other Eastern Conference teams that would have loved to be where they have been the last 2 years. Just because you don't win a championship doesn't mean you aren't a success.

The Nets have had more playoff wins in the last 2 seasons than any other NBA team. The playoffs are so intense, and every game means so much, so as Nets fans, we've truly been fortunate these last 2 years. The Nets went 39 straight days last postseason without losing. That was absolutely incredible and a whole lot of fun for fans like us that live and die with each playoff possession.

NYCbballFan

It's a small point, but don't forget, the Nets were for a brief time tied with the Spurs in the Finals. For those few days, the Nets WERE on top of the NBA, albeit sharing the space, before they were knocked down again to just being the EC champs over teams like the Pistons and the Magic.

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Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

MLKG

I'm not saying the Nets aren't a success, or what they've done hasn't been great for their fans- two straight Finals appearances after being so bad for so long. And I'm also not trying to down play what the Nets accomplished.

But I don't think you can be viewed as the team on top until you win a title. And I don't think there is any hate associated with being the team on top until you win at least 2 titles.

My point is, the Nets are one of the more disliked teams because of their players and not their success. Although, it IS true that if they were a lottery team, nobody would care enough to hate them.

Excel

How's the saying go:

You can please all of the people some of the time or you can please some of the people all of the time...

But you can't please ALL of the people ALL of the time.

As a Nets fan... I'm pleased.

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NYCbballFan

I received the distinct impression that K-Mart enjoyed playing the role of the villain and the lightning rod. He is naturally demonstrative on the court anyway, but his gestures in MSG were more than the rush of the moment. I thought he was being deliberately theatrical for the benefit of Knicks fans.

Martin is a player who understands the nuances of an area rivalry and values his relationship with his fans.

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Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."