Barclays Center may as well have changed its name to “Madison Square Garden South” for Tuesday's Brooklyn Nets-New York Knicks matchup. The black and white court decals were the only reminder that you weren't at a Knicks home game during the Nets' 108-103 loss to their crosstown rival.

The Nets turned in an impressive performance through three quarters and led by nine entering the final frame. However, as has been a recurring theme during their recent struggles, the cushion quickly evaporated. And with every New York stop and bucket, the “Let's go Knicks!” chants echoed louder through the arena.

Tom Thibodeau's squad took the lead with four minutes remaining and would close on a 10-5 run as the crowd willed them to a victory.

“You could hear it in the crowd. It felt like an away game when they made their run,” Nets star Mikal Bridges said. “It’s not fun when you feel like you’re in an away game at home. That’s for probably any person sitting in here, any person alive.”

Bridges drained a career-high seven threes on his way to a game-high 36 points. However, the cheers for his buckets paled in comparison to those of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, who scored 30 points apiece while combining to shoot 21-of-41 from the field.

The Knicks' takeover of Barclays underscores a new era of New York City basketball following the exits of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn's star duo had led the team to nine-straight wins over their crosstown rival before being traded at last year's deadline. Since their departures, the Knicks have won four straight.

New York has one of its strongest teams in a decade, posting a 27-17 record to date, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Brooklyn has fallen to 11th place amid a 4-16 stretch over its last 20 games. The Nets' lackluster play has been reflected in their television ratings, which have plummeted 35 percent compared to this time last season, according to the New York Post's Brian Lewis.

Brooklyn enters the trade deadline with a flurry of question marks surrounding its roster. The team has veterans such as Spencer Dinwiddie, Royce O'Neale, and Dorian Finney-Smith, who have been fixtures in trade conversations over the last season. Nic Claxton has also been floated as a trade chip ahead of his unrestricted free agency this summer. Cam Thomas' role remains inconsistent in his third season ahead of potential extension talks this summer.

Regardless, the Nets have a ways to go before re-entering contender status. And even when they get there, they'll have a Knicks shadow cast over them.

“I said this even back in the day when we were beating them all the time, they’re still historic,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “The Knicks franchise itself is one of the most historic franchises, probably you would argue maybe third-most outside of Lakers and Celtics. So they’re gonna travel well, they’re gonna have a global presence, they’re gonna have all those things.”

“We just feel like we have enough in the locker room to win these games… Unfortunately, we weren’t able to pull it out, but there’s no secret as to how big their fanbase is. Nobody ever questions that.”