In 1946, Leo Durocher, the legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, had this to say about the lowly New York Giants, his crosstown rivals in Manhattan, “The nice guys are all over there. In seventh place.” It got shortened along the way to “Nice guys finish last,” which became a mantra in sports, politics, whatever. Teams or individuals who are decent are at a disadvantage when faced with the more aggressive, the more mean-spirited.
Is this where we stand now with the Nets? Over the last three years, the Nets had been seen as super talented, arrogant and controversial.