The Nets Move To Brooklyn Has Changed Everything

Prior to this season, the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets had fallen on hard times. After making consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, the Nets have not made the playoffs since the 2006-2007 season, finishing the 2011-2012 campaign with a 22-44 record.

The past couple years have also seen the team lose out on a slew of big free agents from the historic 2010 class, along with last summer's most sought-after player, Dwight Howard.

However, in the blink of an eye, things are really looking up for the franchise. During the offseason, the club re-signed Deron Williams (five-year/$100 million contract), Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace, engineered a seven-player trade that landed them Joe Johnson and signed  C.J. Watson, Andray Blatche and Josh Childress to free agent deals.

By far, the most significant change that has happened to the Nets involves its relocation to Brooklyn. In addition to adorning new sleek black uniforms, the organization now calls the brand new and simply spectacular Barclays Center home.

Entering Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets are 9-4, coming off a 96-89 home victory vs. their cross-town rival, the New York Knicks. The win tied Brooklyn and New York for the lead in the Atlantic Division.

Monday's win not only gives the Nets some bragging rights over their foes from Manhattan, but for the first time maybe ever, the team is receiving the same level of both local and national media attention as the Knicks.

When factoring in the move to Brooklyn, the snazzy new arena/uniforms and the presence of pop culture icon Jay-Z (Nets part owner), suddenly, the once dormant franchise now finds itself far more prominent than ever before.

As these iFolloSports.com original videos show, even all the way across the country in Los Angeles, fans have taken notice of this talented and uplifted squad, who now has a chance to be a marquee NBA attraction for many years to come.  

After 45 years of bouncing around between a whopping six home venues, the Nets not only have found a true place to call home, but perhaps even more importantly, the former ABA team may have finally found themselves an identity.