The New Jersey Nets — now known as the Brooklyn Nets — had made five consecutive postseason appearances coming out of their first decade in the NBA, but hard time were straight ahead on the horizon.
The Nets fell from 39 wins in 1985-86 to just a 24-58 record in 1986-87 and they would be a non-entity for the next five seasons, losing at least 56 games every year and burning through three head coaches and an interim head coach in that span.
Dave Wohl was fired 15 games into the 1987-88 season after a 2-13 start and replaced by interim head coach Bob MacKinnon, who went 10-29 before former New York Knicks great (and former head coach) Willis Reed was hired late in the year.