The NYTime’s George Vescey provides a nice retrospective on the evolving Knicks/Nets rivalry, which was punctuated last night on a game on national television (we’ll ignore the final score for now):
Both the Knicks and the Nets are mutants — teams that keep evolving, on their way to someplace else. Eventually the dust and disorder at the Garden will be replaced by a vastly more expensive new version of the arena, while the Nets continue their loopy hegira from the Meadowlands to Newark and onward to Brooklyn, three-card monte with players. Now you see them, now you don’t.
Personally, I hope this rivalry becomes as brutal and vicious as Dodgers/Giants in the 1950s, Rangers/Islanders in the 1980s and 1990s, and Mets/Yankees today. I think it would be great for both organizations and the NBA in general. The key is both teams have to be good – and I think they will be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to knock the Knicks every chance I get – they have two of the best scorers in the NBA and are barely a .500 team right now and their fan base is acting like everything has been set right after eeking out two wins the past week at “Duh Mecca.” Meanwhile, with Deron Williams now in tow, I expect the Nets will go through yet another dramatic transformation this summer. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another “all-star” on this roster and a brand new supporting cast.
