Tony Dejak/Associated Press
The Nets' Brook Lopez was stopped by the Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson (13) and Anderson Varejao in the third quarter. Lopez finished with 21 points.
CLEVELAND — Kevin Garnett lacked the precise word to describe the prodigious anxiety and eagerness he and his teammates felt walking onto the court here Wednesday night, so he contorted his face into an exaggerated snarl and let out a comical growl.
It was a light moment from Garnett, the Nets' intense new forward, and he allowed himself a quick laugh, even as he rued his team's season-opening 98-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"But it felt like that," he said. "Everybody wanted it right here, right now, and that's not the process."
The process, he said, will be gradual. It will require work and unity. And, he added, "We've all got to be patient with that process."
After an exciting gestation period, the curtain has been raised on the Nets' ambitious experiment. It became clear during the rocky first game that good or bad, it has the potential to be fascinating.
The Nets' ownership this summer engineered a roster overhaul that rocketed their payroll to $101 million and their luxury-tax bill to $82 million. It was money spent with a purpose.
"Hopefully the finished product will be us hoisting up the trophy," said Jason Terry, who was traded alongside Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics. "We know it's a long haul."
On Wednesday, there were flashes of the traits that could propel the team to greatness, but just as many glimpses of the roadblocks that could hamper them. The Nets have expressed hope that they can become a freewheeling team on both ends of the court. But because of assorted injuries and rest schedules, Wednesday night was the first time the Nets' five starters played a competitive game together.
At several points, it showed. The offense, as a whole, lacked rhythm. There were superfluous passes and ones that just missed their mark.
"We looked good at times, but then we looked a little out of sync at times — maybe being a little bit too unselfish at times when we could have just made plays," said Joe Johnson, who scored 13 points and was 3 of 10 from the field.
The defense was wobbly, too. The Cavaliers' fleet guards ran intricate patterns around Nets defenders, who seemed hesitant and half a step slow. Multiple players after the game repeated the same concept: There are 24 seconds on an N.B.A. shot clock, and the Nets on Wednesday seemed only to defend the first 22.
The Nets were outrebounded, 48-37, and they allowed 16 offensive rebounds in all.
"We gave up last-second shots, and we gave up offensive rebounds in key possessions," said Pierce, who scored the Nets first 6 points and finished with 17. "To be a championship team, we're going to have to clean those things up."
But they were doomed when the Cavaliers made the most of a second chance at the end of the game. Brook Lopez (21 points) finished an alley-oop layup to tie the game at 91-91 with 1 minute 4 seconds remaining, and Kyrie Irving of the Cavaliers missed a 3-pointer on the next possession. But Earl Clark pulled down the offensive board, letting Irving get the ball back, complete a winding dribbling sequence, and pass to Anderson Varejao, who hit a 14-foot jumper to put the Cavaliers ahead.
The Nets came down the court having drawn up a play to get Johnson the last shot. But when he saw a double team, he passed to Pierce, who attempted an 18-foot step-back shot but missed, essentially sinking the Nets' comeback.
"I think every shot I shoot is good," Pierce said.
Further hampering them, the Nets were not at full strength. Deron Williams, who is recovering from a sprained right ankle, was limited to 22 minutes, which meant he was unavailable for the fourth quarter.
And Jason Kidd, who is entering his first season as the Nets' coach, had to watch the game from the team hotel as he began serving a two-game suspension issued after his guilty plea last July to a drunken-driving charge.
Joe Prunty, an assistant coach, was designated as the coach shortly before the game.
That would not be a big deal, the Nets insisted, considering the basketball intelligence they put into uniform each night. Intuition, more than set plays or a coach's instruction, would guide them on the court, they said.
But as Wednesday's disjointed effort showed, that alone will not be enough, and the growing process will need to continue.
REBOUNDS
Andrei Kirilenko was inactive as he continued to recover from back spasms that forced him to miss the Nets' last five preseason games. He said he hoped to play Friday night. ...Andrew Bynum received a huge ovation when he checked into the game in the first quarter. Bynum, 26, last appeared in a game in May 2012, when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed the entire 2012-2013 season with the Philadelphia 76ers because of knee problems. Bynum, who joined the Cavaliers on a two-year contract, scored 3 points in eight minutes.
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