As Rodney Stuckey’s three-pointer from the right corner missed at the buzzer, the fans inside Prudential Center cheered loudly, wildly and made the Nets feel like although this is a temporary home they are glad to have them.

But the Nets gave the 15,178 fans every reason to cheer because they played hard, put forth the kind of effort you expect from a young team, an Avery Johnson coached team and one that wants to prove this is nothing like last season.

The Nets pulled out a 101-98 win in their opener, first-ever regular-season NBA game in Prudential Center and the first game with Johnson on the bench and new owner Mikhail Prokhorov in the stands.

The only way this night would have been better for the Nets would have been if LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony was the starting small forward. Or if their starting small forward and big free-agent acquisition for $35 million over five years, Travis Outlaw, hit more than one field goal.

The Nets were down 10 with 5:43 left, eight with 3:10 left and seven with 1:40 left. When Richard Hamilton buried the three-pointer to make it seven with 100 ticks remaining, my initial thought was that was the dagger.

But the Nets battled back, came back and made all the plays they needed to make – except for two missed Terrence Williams free throws with 1.6 seconds left – and they won.

“There was a period of time in the game where we looked like we were finished and our guys kept playing,” Johnson said.

You’re going to read this plenty we presume: the Nets wouldn’t have won this game last year, more than likely. Remember, they lost their first 18 games. Last year, Stuckey hits the shot and gets fouled and the Nets lose on the four-point play.

“I don’t like to reference to last year,” Devin Harris said. “It’s forgotten about and we’re moving on. This is how this year’s team shows what we can do when we do things right.”

The Nets got the type of game they expected from Brook Lopez – a game-high 25 points. They got a good second half from Harris. He had 18 and eight assists after halftime and the biggest of the night.

Rookie Derrick Favors made his presence felt in his NBA debut with eight points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. Williams had a good defensive game and finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists, but he knows he should have had 11 or 12 points.

Newcomers Anthony Morrow and Jordan Farmar played huge down the stretch, made the kind of plays the Nets brought them in to make.

Morrow scored 13 points and drilled the go-ahead three with 26 seconds left after Harris lost the ball, fell and then pushed it out to his new starting shooting guard. Morrow, known for his three-point shooting, didn’t disappoint.

“They brought me here to score and make shots,” Morrow said. “That’s what I want to do for this organization.”

Farmar was huge late, too. He hit a three, had a steal that led to a three-point play and buried two foul shots to put the Nets up three with 14 seconds to go. He finished with 10 points and four assists.

With Prokhorov, Jay-Z and Beyonce in the house, the Nets couldn’t have asked for a better night, a better opener. They got great support, played for another and played until the end. Their reward was a victory in the first game together.

More than likely, the Nets wouldn’t have won this game last year.

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“Anthony was the second option. We wanted to get Devin to the basket. Our spacing wasn’t good on that play. We practiced that play five times or more and Brook kind of got caught in the wrong spot and our spacing wasn’t good. The ball got to Anthony, great pass by Devin, way to get on the floor for the ball. That’s what we got Anthony for to make those kind of shots.”

- Avery Johnson on Morrow’s go-ahead three.

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Follow me on Twitter: @Al_Iannazzone

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