I gave it a shot, and you know what? It’s really true. This marks the 50th season for the Knicks and Nets in the NBA’s Atlantic Division. You’d expect a real rivalry by now, right? It doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
This is definitely a basketball town. Sure, it may have been a harder sell when the Nets were located in places like Long Island, Piscataway, East Rutherford, and Newark. They bounced around the suburbs for over 35 years, but that’s not the case anymore.
But Brooklyn going against Manhattan? That’s significant, isn’t it? Those four matchups each season, the big showdowns—two at Madison Square Garden and two at Barclays—should create an electric atmosphere, at least like the Philadelphia schools in the Big 5 City Series.
Yet, it just doesn’t seem to happen. You could argue it never really does. The Knicks held on to win against Barclays 113-100 on Monday night, claiming their second road victory of the season. But leading up to the game, there were those familiar caveats that always come into play whenever they face off at Barclays.
Technically, it’s a road game.
And that’s a bit disheartening. The arena was full, with 18,019 fans in attendance. Yet, around 10,000 of them were Knicks supporters. That’s an issue. Sure, occasional Yankees fans infiltrate Citi Field, and sometimes there’s a mix at UBS or Prudential Center, but typically, you know who the home team is.
It feels like we’re still waiting for things to change. We keep hoping both teams will be competitive at the same time, but that never seems to pan out. In their shared existence of 50 years, they’ve only met in the playoffs ten times, with the pairs sharing three series wins: 1983 (2-0 Knicks), 1994 (3-1 Knicks), and 2004 (4-0 Nets).
And if you recall any of those series, there might just be a prize in it for you.
Nets coach Jordi Fernandez commented post-game, saying, “There was energy, but I felt that energy and purpose started to fade as the game went on.”
This is what Knicks coach Mike Brown had to add: “Look at their last few games; they’re putting in the effort. You can see they’ve visibly improved since we last faced them.”
Since Brown is actually Fernandez’s mentor, it’s unlikely we’d ever see anything like Rex Ryan covering the Giants’ Super Bowl logo before a 2011 MetLife Stadium game. The closest thing to a genuine antagonist? Well, that would have to be back in 1993 when John Starks broke Kenny Anderson’s wrist.
(Of course, half of the Meadowlands crowd was likely Knicks fans that day, so the reaction was probably a bit muted.)
The tough truth? We might be stuck in a stretch of unexciting competition, which really isn’t ideal. Monday’s game marked the Knicks’ 12th consecutive win over the Nets, highlighting a significant turnaround since 2022 thanks to Jalen Brunson. But prior to that, the Nets had enjoyed a nine-game winning streak and affirmed their dominance during Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s brief time together.
Thinking back on it, the worst part might be:
Perhaps the most memorable clash between the Knicks and Nets happened on October 18, 1975. The Knicks were just clawing their way out of a major slump, featuring stars like Clyde Frazier, Pearl Monroe, and Bill Bradley. The Nets, on the other hand, were fresh off winning their second ABA title in three years, boasting a peak Julius Erving.
Dr. J put on a show, scoring 33 points, including a spectacular 25-footer with just two seconds remaining. He famously declared, “New York has a new No. 1!” A delightful moment, but it never quite materialized—then or now. On that night, 50 years past, just 7,723 fans showed up for the Knicks-Nets game at Madison Square Garden. Seems fitting, doesn’t it?
