in three straight games. The Bulls would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz in six games in the NBA Finals for their third consecutive championship, and sixth overall in eight years. Following the season, Douglas signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers, while Cage and MacLean were both traded to the Seattle SuperSonics, whom Cage used to play for, and Xavier McDaniel retired, although he was released to free agency during the regular season. The Nets new primary logo and home uniforms both remained in use until 2012, while the road jerseys lasted until 2009. Off-season NBA Draft Roster Roster notes Small forward Xavier McDaniel was waived on January 24. Regular season The Nets began the season by winning their first four games, and maintained a winning record through all 82 games for the first time in the franchise's NBA history. The Nets clinched a playoff berth with a victory over the Detroit Pistons on the final day of the season. It was the Nets first postseason appearance since 1994, and the season brought excitement back to the Meadowlands. The heart and soul of the Nets was center Jayson Williams, who averaged 13.6 rebounds, (2nd in the NBA), and 12.9 points per game. Williams became the first Net to appear in an All-Star Game since 1994. After missing the first 17 games of the season due to a leg injury, rookie Keith Van Horn quickly acclimated himself to the NBA game and led the Nets in scoring at 19.7 points per game. Another strong presence in the frontcourt was forward Kendall Gill, who averaged 13.4 points per game. The Nets backcourt consisted of Sam Cassell and Kerry Kittles in the backcourt. Cassell ranked second on the team in scoring, behind Van Horn at 19.6 ppg, and led the Nets in assists with 8.0 apg. Kittles was in his second NBA season, and was third on the team in scoring with 17.2 ppg. The Nets bench included Sherman Douglas (8.0 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Chris Gatling (11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg). Late in the season, the Nets added depth with the trade for Rony Seikaly, who joined the Nets in a five-player trade with the Orlando Magic on Feb. 19. Seikaly played in only nine games for New Jersey, because of a nagging injury to his right foot. Season standings Record vs. opponents Schedule Playoffs Injuries would become