The Nets season ended in fitting fashion. At least they had a night out on South Beach. At times, they played like they had a night out on South Beach.

This was a game you thought the Nets would win, especially since the Heat were without Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O’Neal. But how many times have the Nets not taken advantage of a team without some of its top players? Whatever the number is, add one now.

The Nets should have avoided their 70th defeat. But they were down 13 at the start of the fourth quarter as they played like there was some good times on Ocean Ave or Collins. But hen the Nets put up a fight and made it interesting.

They didn't lose until double overtime, 94-86, and the game wasn't decided until Yakhouba Diawara banked in a three. The last time the Nets played here Quentin Richardson banked in a big shot late, but the biggest was the Wade bucket at the buzzer.

It was ironic also because so many of the Nets couldn’t wait for this season to end and yet they pushed and pushed and kept playing as if they didn’t want it to end. Give the Nets this – they were professional until the end.

People probably are wondering why Brook Lopez, Devin Harris and Terrence Williams sat out most of the second half. Interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe stuck with the players that led the Nets back, so Chris Quinn, Josh Boone and Chris Douglas-Roberts got some extra run.

"The players that we played played hard," Vandeweghe said. "They fought back from the deficit. They forced a couple of overtimes. They deserved the chance to win."

There was a point where Lopez, Harris and Williams were at the scorer's table but they came back to the bench and for the most part were spectators. Lopez was put back in with 16 seconds left in regulation and then just stayed in. But he wasn't into the game mentally or physically and you could see it. Lopez missed a pair of free throws in the second OT and he's an 82-percent foul shooter.

So the Nets went their separate ways last night. 

Many of them either stayed in Florida because they live here or they flew home. There won't be the usual clean-up day the Nets, and most teams, would have after a season is over. But this was a strange season right from the beginning.

There were no tears. Many of them are happy, relieved it's over. This was been "an awful season" according to Douglas-Roberts. Harris called it "abysmal." Find any synonym for bad and it fits because few teams experienced all the Nets did.

Many of them said goodbye for good last night. They’ll see each other at some point, but many of them will no longer be teammates.

It’s safe to say Lopez, Williams and probably Courtney Lee will be back. It’s also fair to say Trenton Hassell, Tony Battie, Bobby Simmons, Keyon Dooling, Jarvis Hayes, Quinn and Boone played their last games as Nets. Simmons actually played it months ago.

It will be an interesting off-season that will feature a new Russian owner, the hiring of a new coach, some new executives, a top four draft pick and some high-priced free agents.

The Nets officially are under construction.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)