The New Jersey Nets crushed their most worthy Eastern Conference opponent, the Bucks, by 25 Thursday night. Jason Kidd recorded the 42nd triple-double of his career, and four Nets scored at least 20 points.

So who got the loudest ovation in the Meadowlands?

Brian Scalabrine, of course.

The Nets rookie forward out of USC played his first pro game last night after spending the year on the "injured list". Five seconds into his career, the mop-top redhead committed a silly foul on Glenn Robinson. That was just nerves. A few possessions later he drove baseline and found Todd MacCulloch for an easy hoop. Hey, this NBA thing ain’t bad.

Already, he’s a fan favorite. "Hey Carrot Top, nice D!" offered a young fan. "Let’s go Ralph Malph," shouted another. About 100 times. There were a few less imaginative "Hey, Opies" mixed in there, too. Comes with the territory.

When he knocked in his only shot attempt, a 20-foot jumper from the top of the key, the crowd broke into "Scala-Brine, Scala-Brine". "I was on fire," he would later say in his first post-game interview.

In his first attempt at playing defense in the post, he was floored by an Anthony Mason shoulder to the midsection. Brian’s okay, but his ribs are out for 4-6 weeks. He may not be quick enough or strong enough to play in the NBA, but he gets by.

"I had some nervous energy at first," he said " But I settled in pretty quickly." When he came out of the game his teammates stood and embraced him. The crowd honored him with a standing ovation that lasted nearly seven seconds.

The final line: 12 min, 1-1 FG, 1 board, 1 dime and three personals.

Is it too late for the Rookie game?

Chris Palmer covers The NBA Life for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at christopher.palmer@espnmag.com.