Jason Kidd did the unthinkable in New Jersey
In my previous life as a sports fan, the Nets were my hands-down favorite team. So what if throughout the '90s a good season for them was eclipsing 30 wins. I still rooted for players such as Sam Bowie, Chris Childs, Armon Gilliam, Tony Massenburg, Benoit Benjamin and Yinka Dare thinking that some day this team would produce a winner.
Then, in 2001, along came Jason Kidd.
The 2001-02 NBA season will forever be my favorite (and my last) as a fan. The Nets were such a surprising success, and the ride to the top was so much fun. I even drove with a friend to Boston for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, bought tickets outside the stadium from a scalper and celebrated the Nets' NBA Finals berth in person.
I haven't rooted for a team since, my primary reason being I'm an objective journalist. But in the years since I've also come to the conclusion that that season was as good as it could get for me, even if they didn't win it all. It was that much fun.
Say what you want about Kidd, and his many off-the-court issues, but I'm going to choose to remember him for the year he made the woeful Nets a winner.
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Comments (2)
i find it hard to believe that after years of rooting , you suddenly "stop" being a fan.
It's not like a light switch, I admit. It's more of a gradual process. But the bottom line is this is my job, just like whatever your job is. And you look at everything that happens from a different perspective -- how it affects your job. Heck, I still root - but not for teams. I root for good games and good stories. I also generally root for quick games, for deadline purposes.