In 1998-99, three months of the season were lost to a labor dispute, so the NBA was forced into a postage stamp-sized 50-game season. Then, anything could and did happen, including a No. 8 seed, the Knicks, landing in the NBA Finals. But the shortened season came to an abrupt halt when the Spurs’ Avery Johnson hit a baseline jumper with 47 ticks left in Game 5 to push the Spurs to a 4-1 Finals-clinching victory as the season ended June 25, the latest ever.
More than a decade later, another lockout and labor issues threaten the start of the season. This time Johnson, who went through it as a player the first time, is experiencing it from management’s side as coach of the Nets. But with the long arm of the NBA slapping fines at the mere mention of what’s happening, Johnson was very careful yesterday when asked to compare then and now.
“All of those experiences as a player, going through different types of seasons, can be a good frame of reference,” Johnson said.
In his second year of rebuilding — last season was basically shoveling out of the grave of the Nets’ 2009-10 historically inept 12-70 horror — Johnson is trying to prepare for a season. But he’s doing so minus his team. In some ways, it’s a little easier than 2010-11.
“More than anything, we have a foundation,” said Johnson, whose Nets went 24-58 last season but finished with something that was absent for a long time — hope, which came through the likes of in-season acquisition Deron Williams, currently in Turkey, and Brook Lopez.
“There were so many things I had to do last year that I don’t necessarily have to do this year,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have continuity. Nobody understood our terminology. Just generally speaking, a lot of the things we had to do in the beginning stages last year, we won’t have to do this year.”
Whenever those beginning stages begin. Yesterday’s labor talks didn’t seem to raise optimism. Figure additional casualties will be shortened preseason schedules and compressed training camps. Johnson said 10 days for camp would be the minimum.
“I’m sure most coaches would like to have at least 10 days, ideally,” he said, “but I just think we’re in a situation right now where whatever we get, we’ll take it.
“As NBA coaches — whether you talk to Tom Thibodeau, Gregg Popovich, Mike Brown, Doc Rivers — I just think we all just want to do what we love to do. And right now we just don’t have any control over it so we just prepare and plan and do what we do around this time of the year without having anybody to work with.
“We’re doing the same thing we would normally be doing without being able to get on the court. So we’re still doing it.”
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Johnson confirmed assistant coach John Loyer is headed to the Pistons, rejoining Lawrence Frank. Late last season, aide Larry Krystkowiak left for the University of Utah. Johnson praised P.J. Carlesimo, who is a prime candidate to join the Nets staff, according to team and league sources.