A Rivalry Grows In Brooklyn
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By DERON SNYDER
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — With few exceptions, professional sports rarely contain the emotion and fervor normally associated with the college game. Aside from storied matchups like Lakers-Celtics, Cowboys-Redskins and Yankees-Red Sox, passion runs a lot cooler at the pay-for-play level. The energy and excitement that exists on a college campus disappears once students are spectators only, not competitors as well.
That wasn’t the case Monday night at Barclays Center, where the Brooklyn Nets hosted the New York Knicks for the first time. Single-cup coffee makers don’t brew faster than the league’s newest rivalry took root.
It was a historic moment for the Big Apple, but it embodied time-honored themes that are recognizable in any region and any season. Upstarts butting heads with bigwigs. Newcomers fighting for turf against the old guard. A young sibling wrestling his big brother in the backyard.
Most of us love a good underdog story, and it’s hard to imagine one turning out better — for at least one night. The Nets, who moved to Brooklyn this season after 36 years in the Knicks’ shadow/New Jersey, prevailed in an overtime thriller before nearly 18,000 fans. For the first time in history, whether they were home or away, the Nets had more fans than the Knicks. They were noisy and exuberant, chanting throughout the game, never louder than with 20 seconds left, when Jerry Stackhouse sank two free throws for the final margin, 96-89.
“Every time some sort of Knick contingency started to cheer, our fans got louder,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “This is what we have been dreaming about since I’ve been here. It is a nice feeling, and I’m glad we rewarded our fans with a victory. They deserved it.”
