Kevin Garnett, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce (AP)
Although the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks are separated by 8.5 games in the standings, their showdown at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday may be their most important matchup yet this season.
With the Nets jockeying for home-court advantage in the first round and the Knicks struggling to make it at all, they find themselves in the unique position of potentially getting to deliver one of the final blows to the Knicks’ nightmare season.
The last time these teams met, they were trending in opposite directions– the Nets in the midst of their January revival and the Knicks in their winter free-fall. Since then, Kidd has notched two Coach of the Month Awards and has the Nets playing like an elite team in the Eastern Conference. Lots has changed since the Nets blew out the Knicks 103-80 on January 20th. Check out the position-by-position starting lineup breakdown ahead!
