Getty Players look on during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte.
When Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant decided to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2019 it was no doubt that they would make the Nets the most exciting team in New York to watch. What nobody could see coming was the arrival of nine-time All-Star James Harden which would make them the clear favorites to bring the franchise its first NBA title sooner rather than later.
With all of the hype comes much scrutiny but just as well the Nets get praise for what they have accomplished this season as a team. Despite all of the turmoil, absences, roster changes and everything in between the Nets still have a chance to capture the top spot in the Eastern Conference. This month they received an honor that is as rare as they come.
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KD, Kyrie & Harden Grace Cover of New Yorker
The Brooklyn Nets along with the New York Knicks will grace the May 10 edition of the New Yorker. The title of the picture is “Hoop Dreams in New York” by Mark Ulriksen. The photo shows the Nets ‘big 3’ in front of the Knicks who are chasing behind them and it is sure to further stoke the debate of who the best team in New York is between the two franchises.
This week’s cover, “Hoop Dreams in New York,” by @MarkUlriksenArt.
t.co/LTa721UE21
The Nets and Knicks Have a Rivalry Brewing
The Nets swept the season series against the Knicks, but the Knicks won the war of words between the two teams this season.
Earlier this year Knicks All-Star Julius Randle along with Reggie Bullock had a strong response to a reporter who asked them how they felt about how they matched up against the team on the other side of the bridge.
“We got a big 5,” Bullock said to reporters during a postgame press conference via SNY. Knicks All-Star Julius Randle doubled down on Bullock’s comments saying, “We got a big 15.”
“We’re not really concerned about their Big 3. We know what type of basketball we’ll be able to come into the game and play,” Bullock said of the Nets.“We’ll focus on our team. The game plan that coach draws up. Other than that, that’s all we’re focused on. The Knicks.”
Reggie Bullock says the Knicks won’t be fazed by facing the Nets’ Big 3:
“We got a Big 5”
Things Got Physical Last Time the Nets and Knicks Played
Things got heated during the last matchup of the season between the two teams when Randle and Nets guard Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot got into a heated altercation. Randle addressed the incident after the game.
“I’m not sure. I’m not sure what his problem was,” Randle told reporters via SNY. “Like I said, he’s not a guy I’m worried about when I’m playing.”
Randle and TLC having words. t.co/6jrtcrE1jZ
“I don’t really know what his problem was”
Julius Randle talks about his double-technical incident with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
The Nets & Knicks Are Just on Different Levels
The with the Knicks 118-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday the team will have their first winning season since 2013. This franchise has been built from out the mud through hard work and perseverance and the patience of Knicks fans is finally starting to get rewarded. The Knicks have a record of 37-28 and are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
While the Knicks’ story is touching there are levels in the NBA and the Nets are on the top floor of the building. Harden, Kyrie, and KD are looking to capture a title this season, and when at full health have looked like the best team in the NBA. They have only played 7 games together but in that time have a record of at 5-2. If the Nets are at 100%, they could be raising a title when it is all said and done.
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