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Photo: thousands lined up at Barclays for bus service

Posted on: November 1st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Via instagram, user virginialaird

Divorcing the Cruel, Despotic James Dolan (and the Knicks)

Posted on: November 1st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 5 Comments

 

By MATT ENGEL

Divorce. Despite the frequency with which it’s used, it is still a nasty business. The kids (if they exist) always get hurt. There’s endless acrimony about dividing money and property. Lucky to have been personally unaffected, from what I’ve heard from friends and seen in movies, divorce brings out the worst in people. Still, despite the pain, after it’s all over and done with, divorce can provide the promise for a new beginning, for something better.

For years in the United States, a divorce could only be accomplished if the party seeking dissolution found a legal fault with his/her incompatible counterpart. Now, though, with the advent of “no-fault” divorce, a marriage may be ended for such excellent vagaries as Irreconcilable Differences, Incompatibility, and my personal favorite, Irredeemable Breakdown of the Marriage. In 2010, New York became the last state to move from a legal scheme that allowed only fault divorces, to one that permits no-fault divorces as well.

Without wasting any more of my or your time, I’ll assert my privilege: Goodbye, New York Knicks.... MORE →

TBG Podcast, #1: A Very Excited Ian Eagle

Posted on: November 1st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Mike Fratello Ian Eagle

Ian "Yeezy" Eagle (right) not lettin' Mike Fratello finish

Yes, we're back in the podcast game!

For The Brooklyn Game's first-ever podcast, I'm very happy to say that I spent some time chatting with Ian Eagle, YES Network announcer, voice of the Brooklyn Nets, and the only man I know that can make a mundane basketball phrase like "the pull-up pop" sound like a cool breeze on a warm summer day.

In our 25-minute sitdown, Ian and I chatted about the new team, the re-branding, and our terrifying elementary school flashbacks.

We also, near the end, talked about the anticipation surrounding the team on November 1st, and since we had this chat earlier this week, we had no idea that the game was going to be cancelled. So depending on relevance, just shift that part of your brain over to Saturday/whenever the game gets rescheduled for, and our discussion will make more sense.

Enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Ex-Knicks Fan Had Loyalty “Pried Away” by Brooklyn Nets

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

In his continued quest to be one of the best in the business, Howard Beck spent some time in his latest New York Times article talking to two Knicks defectors: Nelson Ortiz and James Graham, once fans of the New York Knicks but have, as Mikhail Prokhorov prophesied, turned into Brooklyn Nets fans.

Ortiz said that the team was so bad for so long that he was "kind of looking for a way out," and the Bay Ridge resident will attend Saturday nights' pseudo-opener dressed in black and white. Graham says he tried diligently to remain loyal throughout the lawsuits, lost seasons, and poor playoff performances, but his loyalty was "pried away with a crowbar, (and) now it’s attached to a new team.”

Beck did talk to one fan, Brian Koppelman, a 23-year Knicks season ticket holder, who vowed to become a Brooklyn Nets fan this season -- and got cold feet at the last moment.

Read more: New York Times -- Fans in Brooklyn Have New Shoulder to Cry On

NYT Architecture Critic: Barclays Is “Anti-Manhattan Monument”

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman reviews the Barclays Center, as well as the arena's context in Brooklyn:

No, this isn’t a beautiful or ingratiating building, but it’s technologically smart, with an underground turntable for trucks that may sound eye-rollingly dull but makes traffic engineers like the city’s transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, swoon because it reduces the number of backing up and double-parked 16-wheelers on nearby streets like Dean.

SHoP has also spared Brooklyn another retro stadium. The architects have created something tougher, more textured and compelling, an anti-Manhattan monument, not clad in glass or titanium but muscular and progressive like its borough. On the street the Ellerbe Becket design would have looked like a depressing echo of the faux-historical shopping mall across Atlantic Avenue, another Forest City Ratner project. It’s not meant as faint praise to say that by cloaking it, SHoP has averted a civic blight on a scale of Madison Square Garden.

And if it’s a stretch to claim that the unevenly colored panels mimic the disparate colors of neighborhood brownstones, it is true that the undulating way they wrap around the building — a little like marbling in aged beef, is how Gregg Pasquarelli, a partner at SHoP, likes to put it — makes the building look almost elastic (again, the antithesis of the stolid Garden) and as low-slung as an architectural behemoth like this can be.

Read more: An Arena as Tough as Brooklyn. But Street Smart?

Fan Reax to Cancellation: “2 Thumbs Down” vs. “Buena Decision”

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 1 Comment

 

Update: Nets-Knicks opening night cancelled

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

UPDATE: Mayor Michael Bloomberg is speaking now on the Hurricane aftermath.

Confirming earlier reports, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the Nets-Knicks game on Thursday night is officially cancelled, at his personal recommendation. The Nets home opener is officially Saturday night vs. the Toronto Raptors. Bloomberg noted that the city will provide extra public transportation by bus to Saturday's game. All the Nets need to do to give this game juice is trade for 2008 Vince Carter!

This announcement comes on the heels of last night's official announcement from the NBA that the game would proceed as scheduled.

The Nets just couldn't leave their storied tradition of confusing their fans behind in New Jersey.

Nets practice facility flooded

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

via Tim Bontemps of the New York Post:

Because of extensive flooding around their New Jersey practice facility, the team will be unable to practice there for an indefinite period of time. It’s unclear how that will impact the Nets going forward, as the team will be unable to always use Barclays Center as their practice site because the arena will be hosting other events.

Read More: New York Post -- Flooding prevents Nets from using practice facility

Video: Billy King talks Hurricane Sandy, Toko gets hit with football

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Video below of Billy King talking about his players and the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Also, Nets players were throwing around a football at practice today. Watch around 1:20 to see Toko get affected.

Knicks-Nets opening Thursday night as scheduled

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

New York Knicks Brooklyn Nets
NBA Public Relations announced today that the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks will play Thursday, November 1st at 7 P.M., as originally scheduled. The game's viability was in doubt due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy on New York City. Many subway lines remain down across the city, and there's a good chance that many who expected to take the train to Atlantic Terminal will end up with severely limited options.

According to the MTA website, the buses will attempt to run on a full schedule as early as tomorrow and will be fare-free. For those looking to drive, there are roughly 600 parking spaces available on event nights at Barclays Center.

UPDATE:

The New York Times reports:

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that he hoped the game would be played and that he planned to attend. But he noted, pointedly, “It’s going to be tough to get there.”...

A Barclays Center spokesman said the arena came through the storm without any serious damage. The only remaining concern, then, is getting fans to the building. The Nets have two more home games coming up, Saturday (against Toronto) and Monday (against Minnesota)....

The N.B.A. consulted with the Nets and the mayor’s office before making the final call, and Bloomberg’s public statement in favor of the game helped influence the decision. The announcement came late in the day because league officials were awaiting final confirmation from city officials.

Rescheduling the Knicks-Nets game would have been challenging, given national television and arena commitments...

The Nets are already coping with the storm’s aftermath. Their training center in East Rutherford, N.J., lost electricity and was cut off to traffic by flooding and debris, prompting the team to cancel practice Tuesday. The Nets will practice at Barclays Center on Wednesday, and possibly for several more days, depending on how long it takes to restore power at the training center.

Most of the Nets’ players live in New Jersey, which experienced massive flooding and power failures. Two Nets — Josh Childress and Mirza Teletovic — had their homes flooded in Weehawken, forcing them to make alternate living arrangements. Two others — Reggie Evans and C. J. Watson — were without electricity. Tyshawn Taylor’s apartment in Hoboken was surrounded by water.

Most of the team planned to spend Tuesday night in Brooklyn hotels, to simplify their commute to practice on Wednesday.The Knicks’ training center in Westchester County was unaffected by the storm, and the team practiced there late Tuesday afternoon. Most of their players live close to the facility. Marcus Camby was the only one who could not make it, because of fallen trees in his neighborhood.

How to make a Stackhouse Burger

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Jerry Stackhouse is known for a lot of things. He's known as the guy who averaged nearly 30 points per game in one of the most high-usage, low-efficiency player seasons ever. He's beaten up so many players that there's actually a Dime Magazine article dedicated to his top five beatdowns, and #1 was Shaquille O'Neal.

But what you may not have known is that Stack has his own burger recipe, and he went mano-a-mano with Knicks center Tyson Chandler (no punches thrown, at least on camera) in a Courtside Cook-Off on the Rachael Ray Show.
... MORE →

Morning Shootaround: Barclays is hot, Avery’s seat getting warm?

Posted on: October 31st, 2012 by Devin Kharpertian 1 Comment

 

  • Steve Kyler lists Avery Johnson as a coach potentially on the hot seat: "If Johnson cannot deliver a winner, he could be out. The saving grace for Johnson is that owner Mikhail Prokhorov likes him a great deal. But with so much of the Nets’ future riding on being good from day one, the expectations for Johnson have more than doubled." Related: In yesterday's Prokhorov interview, he said he expects Avery Johnson to become a "living legend." No pressure or anything.

  • Barclays Center has brought more and more Manhattan yellow cabs to Brooklyn. With subways still down, they're going to need a lot tomorrow for opening night.

  • Speaking of tomorrow night: still over 1,000 tickets left on StubHub.

  • Barclays Center gets a 4.4 out of 5 rating and glowing review by Stadium Journey: "When you enter Barclays, it feels connected to the surrounding area of Brooklyn. Throughout the arena, music is blasting through the speakers with a Brooklyn theme in mind. Whether it is Faith Hill's "Brooklyn We Go Hard" or the Beastie Boys "No Sleep Til' Brooklyn", the anthems are present. The history of the Nets organization is also present; pictures, jerseys and memorabilia are placed all around Barclays to remind those in attendance that the team's foundation began elsewhere. Even though the team name is less than a year old, fans all around the venue have newly acquired team gear, making the New Jersey Nets, seem like a thing of the distant past."