1985–86 New Jersey Nets season

1985–86 New Jersey Nets season
Head coach	Dave Wohl
General manager	Lewis Schaffel
Owners	Secaucus Seven (led by Alan N. Cohen and Joseph Taub)
Arena	Brendan Byrne Arena
Results
Record	39–43 (.476)
Place	Division: 3rd (Atlantic) Conference: 7th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	First round (lost to Bucks 0–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WOR-TV SportsChannel New York (Steve Albert, Bill Raftery, Bob Goldsholl)
Radio	WNBC (Neil Funk, Mike DiTomasso)

The 1985–86 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' tenth season in the NBA. After starting the first half of the season strong with a 23–14 record, the Nets lost star Micheal Ray Richardson due to a lifetime ban from the NBA due to repeated drug offenses and Darryl Dawkins to injuries, and then stumbled and went 16–29, finishing with a 39–43 record and barely making it into the playoffs.

Draft picks

Main article: 1985 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	36	Yvon Joseph		Haiti	Georgia Tech
2	38	Fernando Martín	C/PF	Spain
3	62	Nigel Manuel		United States	UCLA
5	108	Kelly Blaine		United States	South Alabama
6	130	George Almones		United States	Louisiana–Lafayette
7	154	Gary McLain	PG	United States	Villanova

Roster

1985–86 New Jersey Nets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From SG 10 Birdsong, Otis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1955-12-09 Houston PF 45 Cattage, Bobby 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1958-08-17 Auburn PG 12 Cook, Darwin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1958-08-06 Portland C 53 Dawkins, Darryl 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 251 lb (114 kg) 1957-01-11 Maynard Evans HS (FL) C 42 Gminski, Mike 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1959-08-03 Duke PF 43 Johnson, Mickey 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1952-08-31 Aurora SF 55 King, Albert 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1959-12-17 Maryland SF 31 O'Koren, Mike 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1958-02-07 North Carolina PG 14 Ransey, Kelvin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1958-05-03 Ohio State PF 35 Turner, Jeff 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1962-04-09 Vanderbilt PF 52 Williams, Buck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1960-03-08 Maryland SG 13 Williams, Ray 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1954-10-14 Minnesota

Head coach Dave Wohl Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Roster notes

• The Nets let F Rod Higgins's 10-day contract expire.
• C Yvon Joseph was waived after playing 1 game in the NBA.
• G Micheal Ray Richardson received a lifetime ban on February 25 after he violated the league's drug policy three times.

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	67	15	.817	–	40–1	27–14	18–6
x-Philadelphia 76ers	54	28	.659	13	31–10	23–18	15–9
x-Washington Bullets	39	43	.476	28	26–15	13–28	11–13
x-New Jersey Nets	39	43	.476	28	26–15	13–28	11–13
New York Knicks	23	59	.280	44	15–26	8–33	5–19

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Boston Celtics	67	15	.817	–
2	y-Milwaukee Bucks	57	25	.695	10
3	x-Philadelphia 76ers	54	28	.659	13
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	17
5	x-Detroit Pistons	46	36	.561	21
6	x-Washington Bullets	39	43	.476	28
7	x-New Jersey Nets	39	43	.476	28
8	x-Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	37
9	Cleveland Cavaliers	29	53	.354	38
10	Indiana Pacers	26	56	.317	41
11	New York Knicks	23	59	.280	44

Record vs. opponents

1985–86 NBA records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	0–6	5–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	5–1	2–0	1–1	3–3	4–2	5–1	4–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–4
Boston	6–0	–	5–1	5–1	1–1	1–1	4–1	2–0	2–0	5–1	2–0	2–0	5–0	4–2	5–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–1
Chicago	1–5	1–5	–	3–3	0–2	2–0	2–4	2–0	1–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–3	4–2	1–5	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–4
Cleveland	2–4	1–5	3–3	–	1–1	1–1	1–5	0–2	0–2	3–2	1–1	1–1	1–5	3–3	4–1	0–6	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–5
Dallas	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	–	3–3	0–2	4–1	1–5	2–0	2–3	1–4	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	5–0	2–3	3–3	4–2	3–2	5–1	1–1
Denver	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3	–	1–1	3–2	3–3	2–0	4–1	3–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1	3–2	3–3	3–3	2–3	3–3	2–0
Detroit	2–4	1–4	4–2	5–1	2–0	1–1	–	1–1	1–1	5–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	4–2	4–1	2–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–2
Golden State	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–4	2–3	1–1	–	0–5	1–1	5–1	2–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–4	1–5	2–3	2–3	2–4	2–3	1–1
Houston	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	5–1	3–3	1–1	5–0	–	2–0	3–2	1–4	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–2	3–2	4–2	5–1	3–2	3–3	2–0
Indiana	1–5	1–5	3–3	2–3	0–2	0–2	1–5	1–1	0–2	–	2–0	0–2	2–4	2–3	2–4	0–6	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	5–1
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	1–4	0–2	1–5	2–3	0–2	–	2–4	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–4	2–4	5–0	1–4	3–3	3–2	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	4–1	2–3	1–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	4–2	–	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	5–1	6–0	5–0	4–1	4–2	5–0	2–0
Milwaukee	3–3	0–5	5–1	5–1	2–0	0–2	4–2	2–0	2–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	–	4–2	6–0	4–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	4–2
New Jersey	2–4	2–4	3–2	3–3	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–1	1–1	3–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	–	5–1	2–4	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–4
New York	1–5	1–5	2–4	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–4	1–1	0–2	4–2	0–2	1–1	0–6	1–5	–	0–6	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–3
Philadelphia	1–4	2–4	5–1	6–0	2–0	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	6–0	2–0	0–2	1–4	4–2	6–0	–	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–3
Phoenix	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–5	1–4	2–0	4–2	2–3	1–1	4–2	1–5	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	–	2–4	2–3	3–2	5–1	1–4	1–1
Portland	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–2	2–3	1–1	5–1	2–3	2–0	4–2	0–6	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	4–2	–	3–2	1–4	5–1	2–3	0–2
Sacramento	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	3–3	3–3	2–0	3–2	2–4	2–0	0–5	0–5	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–2	2–3	–	5–1	5–0	2–4	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	3–3	1–1	3–2	1–5	1–1	4–1	1–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	4–1	1–5	–	2–3	2–4	2–0
Seattle	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	3–2	0–2	4–2	2–3	0–2	3–3	2–4	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–5	1–5	0–5	3–2	–	2–3	1–1
Utah	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–5	3–3	1–1	3–2	3–3	2–0	2–3	0–5	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	4–1	3–2	4–2	4–2	3–2	–	1–1
Washington	4–1	1–5	4–1	5–1	1–1	0–2	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–0	0–2	2–4	4–2	3–3	3–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	—

Playoffs

1986 playoff game log
First round: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 18 @ Milwaukee L 107–119 Buck Williams (27) Buck Williams (14) Birdsong, Cook (7) MECCA Arena 11,052 0–1 2 April 20 @ Milwaukee L 97–111 Mike Gminski (28) Mike Gminski (13) Darwin Cook (7) MECCA Arena 11,052 0–2 3 April 22 Milwaukee L 113–118 Otis Birdsong (28) Buck Williams (10) Kelvin Ransey (4) Brendan Byrne Arena 7,784 0–3
1986 schedule

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

See also

• 1985–86 NBA season