The New York Knicks hopped a subway to visit the Brooklyn Nets in a battle of the boroughs, with both teams convening to provide an exhilarating reminder that New York City is absolutely obsessed with roundball. The energy at Barclays Center reached a fever pitch as a record 18,081 packed into the arena. The Nets (technically) defended their home court with a 112-110 win over the Knicks, but it was pretty clear that the fans were divided in their allegiance.
The Nets were led by James Harden, who helped spoil the fun for Knicks fans who made the trek to what's being affectionately called “the Clays” by Nets Governor Joe Tsai and some local fans.
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2 reasons Knicks vs. Nets was wild
The atmosphere was off the charts
Before the game, Nets coach Steve Nash was asked if this Knicks-Nets thing is an official rivalry yet.
“That's a good question,” said Nash, whose most iconic moments might have come playing with his nose gushing blood, or some freshly stitched eyebrows during his Suns teams' heated playoff rivalry against the San Antonio Spurs. Nash knows a bit about rivalries, and the Knicks-Nets may not meet his standards just yet.
“I think for it to be like a real, real rivalry,” he continued, “you probably have to go through some history and play in the playoffs, but I think there’s still obviously that energy of a rivalry. We're here in the biggest city in the country with the incredible basketball history, two teams that are competing and playing good basketball, so I think it sets the stage for a rivalry for sure.”
Perhaps some foreshadowing by the head coach for the upcoming playoffs?
The Nets now find themselves in first place, and the Knicks are in seventh. But New York remains tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers. There certainly exists a world where both teams could meet during the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and that would be an electric atmosphere.
“We know it's gonna be a pro-Knicks crowd, the Knicks have been around for 75 years, if I'm not mistaken,” said Nash after the thrilling two-point win. “And we understand that, so it's an opportunity for our team to rise to the challenge and defend their home court, so I thought the atmosphere was great, thought it felt like, I dunno, a big barn burner like a big high school game or a big college game. It's a great atmosphere.”
Defending home court doesn't often sound like that, but they pulled it off.
James Harden got to play the rare spoiler role at a home game
James Harden has had an up-and-down season for his MVP-caliber standards. He spent most of the summer rehabbing from a hamstring injury. He has had to adjust to new rule changes aimed at limiting non-basketball moves. And he has had to figure out just what his role on this Nets team is while Kyrie Irving is out of the lineup. Harden is traditionally a shooting guard, but for the better part of his Brooklyn career, he has run the point.
Prior to the big game, Nash was asked if he prefers Harden looking to shoot or pass.
“Well I always want James to attack,” confessed Nash. “I want him to attack and put pressure on the defense. If it ends in a shot more times than not, great. If it ends in a pass more times than not, that's great too. So for me, I don't wanna necessarily pigeonhole him into you have to score, you have to playmake. I want him to be aggressive, be himself and make plays,”said the former two-time MVP point guard in Nash, who undoubtedly sought to find the same shoot-pass balance in his own playing career.
It was pretty clear that Harden was in attack mode early in this game, as he had 28 points by halftime. The Beard finished with a game-high 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Kevin Durant struggled at first, but exploded for 21 of his 27 points in the second half to keep the Knicks at bay. After the big win, the three-time scoring champ credited a certain Hall of Fame shooter with injecting some adrenaline into him.
“Yeah, it was definitely that [pregame talk I had with Reggie Miller and he] was the one who got me going. He’s the one that got me going for sure. Yeah, man, just ultimate confidence, ultimate best player in the league type vibe. That mindset, it was some good motivation before the game, something I needed,” said Harden.
Miller, the TNT broadcaster, is of course most famous locally for making Knicks fans miserable back in the '90s when he played for the rival Indiana Pacers. It's fitting he was the one to connect with Harden before he got to play the role.
The Clays went nuts (a mixture of shock and cheers) as Knicks wing Evan Fournier drained an off-balance triple to tie the game with 17 seconds remaining. On the ensuing play, Durant was trapped and threw it to reserve forward James Johnson. The former member of the Miami Heat was fouled by Knicks big Mitchell Robinson before burying two game-winning free throws to secure the Nets' local bragging rights.
Brooklyn will happily stack another W to get to 15-6 on the season. It's pretty rare, though, to have to lean on one of your top stars to play spoiler at a home game. It would be really exciting if this battle of the boroughs took that next step toward what Nash would deem a true rivalry by meeting in the playoffs down the road.
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