NBA

Heat became team Nets wanted to be

Nets coach Avery Johnson is one of those who can’t quite understand all the hate being spewed at LeBron James and the Heat for cornering the free-agent market last season.

The fact that James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are now on the same team is all good as far as he’s concerned.

“I don’t think anything’s wrong with it,” Johnson said yesterday. “It’s a free-market system. Different teams, including us, had money to spend. It’s up to those guys to go wherever they want to go. But some of the backlash they’ve gotten because of the decision they made is pretty comical to me.”

Johnson might not be so supportive after today’s 1 p.m. game at Newark’s Prudential Center, where the Heat (2-1) will attempt to hand the Nets (2-0) their first loss of the season. The Nets had high hopes of landing James during the free agency period last summer, presenting a package centered on the big bucks and business ties of the Nets Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

But James ultimately chose Miami, leaving the Nets to rebuild their team with basically the same centerpieces they had last year — point guard Devin Harris and center Brook Lopez. Former Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, who is questionable today with a sprained right ankle, and Travis Outlaw, who spent most of his career with the Blazers, wound up being the Nets top free agent acquisitions. Troy Murphy also was added via a trade, but the Nets didn’t make the big splash that they had hoped.

So instead of being the team today, the Nets face the team they hoped to be. But Johnson said he isn’t jealous or intimidated.

“I think it’s great for the NBA,” Johnson said. “Wherever they go, they sell out. They can stay in the news every day. It keeps our sport in the forefront. In the offseason we probably had as much attention on our sport as any sport has ever had in any offseason. Even though everywhere we go we have to answer questions [about the Heat]. But I think it’s a part of the deal.”

Playing the Heat today might be the best thing to happen to the Nets, who own victories over Detroit and Sacramento. It’s not like they have a reason to get complacent, but challenging the league’s most hyped team makes it easier for Johnson to keep his players’ attention. Playing the Heat is a game that every team in the league points to, whether they admit it or not.

“It’s what I call the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” Johnson said. “The rest of us that are underdogs. If we can win some of those games we can have the thrill of victory and let them feel the agony of defeat because they’re supposed to win by 20.”

Harris, who fueled the Nets 106-100 win over the Kings on Friday night, sees today’s game as an early character test.

“They’re the marked team,” he said. “They’re the face of the NBA right now. It’ll be a good measuring stick for us to see where we’re at.”

The Heat have won two straight since its opening night loss at Boston and likely will get better with each game. They’re a glorified “traveling road show,” as Johnson calls them, the team the Nets hoped they would be.

george.willis@nypost.com