I think you guys are missing one key point here, actually 2:
1-It was Scott's game desition of leaving Mutombo out, after he was playing great agaisnt duncan and Robinson, that may have decided at least one game in the finals.
The main reason the Nets got Mutombo was to play agaisnt big guys in the West
2- The Nets, RIGHT NOW, are not playing consistent basketball, even when they have the same core players, maybe it was time for a change. The expectations are to high for the Nets to be where they are, after 2 trips to the finals you can't think below that, and that's exactly what they are doing.