Bill Simmons describes the original sin of the Nets' NBA existence, the 1976 ABA-NBA merger, and how it took the team from ABA champs to decades of pain and penury. Simmons writes about the extra money the Nets had to pay the Knicks--leading to the sale of Julius Erving and the trading of Brian Taylor and two first round picks for an aging Nate Archibald. Not to mention a botched TV deal.
- Summer of 1976: The Merger - Bill Simmons - ESPN