Let’s begin with some opening night starting lineups that definitely will NOT make our list:
2009-10: C- Brook Lopez, PF – Yi Jianlian, SF – Chris Douglas Roberts, SG – Courtney Lee, PG – Devin Harris
2010-11: C – Brook Lopez, PF – Joe Smith, SF – Travis Outlaw, SG – Anthony Morrow, PG – Devin Harris
Why put the last two starting lineups before Deron Williams joined the Nets? Because it makes me happy to see that everyone but Brook is no longer on the team. Also, it’s to point out to those dismissing Brooklyn (“They’re too old!” “They can’t compete with the Miami Heat!”) just exactly why longtime Nets fans are so willing to drink the 2013-14 Brooklyn Nets starting five Kool-Aid.
Not only are those starting lineups listed above mediocre at best and vomit-inducing at worst, they are also VERY recent. If you happen to be a Nets fan entering senior year of college, those two starting lineups are from your senior year of high school and freshman year of college. You might have ironic facial hair that is older than those lineups. Especially if you live in Brooklyn.
Now, on to the old folks.
The ABA was an amazing and weird basketball alternate universe. Sure, the Nets won their only titles in the ABA, but it’s hard to compare the ABA to the NBA, so we’re sticking to one ABA team on the list. In fact, in order to give a representative sample of the Nets history, we’ll pick one team from each decade. But feel free to opine about Billy Paultz and his underrated, floppy Marc Gasol hair, or how my music is too loud and my pants are too low.
And remember, no matter your age, we are discussing whether this is the greatest Nets opening starting lineup EVER. So be happy, you old fogies and young whippersnappers.
