Nets get a new arena in Brooklyn, a city with a long history of basketball and across the river from the iconic MSG

Admit it. Most of you newly minted Brooklyn Nets fans were not shouting for Deron Williams and company in the Prudential Center when they ended their 2011-2012 NBA season, winning 22 of 66 games total.

But that's okay; new city, new team, new fans and oh... a new coach, right? You're entitled to jump on the bandwagon.

It may be too early to decide whether or not the city of Brooklyn has accepted the Nets as their home team. However, it's quite evident that the NBA has already made a rivalry between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks. The Nets continue to prove themselves as a lead contender in the Eastern Conference, with an even 2-2 record with New York. But in my opinion, the rivalry is a bit over-hyped.

Don't get me wrong, Brooklyn has raw talent; Joe Johnson is probably one of the most underrated and under-appreciated guards in the league. Brook Lopez, a great scorer, averaging 18.6 points this season so far, is still justifying Shaq's thoughts on him being better than Dwight Howard. Hopefully, if Deron Williams doesn't whisk away another coach, maybe he can lead this team to a Division championship.

MAYBE.

But for a Brooklyn girl, like myself, the tale of these two teams is more than just a bridge between boroughs; it's about two iconic territories: The Garden and The Barclays Center. Brooklyn has history, but Madison Square Garden is historic.

Every kid in New York City aspired to play at The Garden. Since 1903, The Garden has hosted the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) basketball championships. In New York City, Brooklyn is legendary for basketball, producing an epic list of high school basketball players, such as Lenny Wilkins; Fly Williams; Bernard King; Albert King; Connie Hawkins; World B. Free; Chris Mullins; Mark Jackson; Billy Cunningham; Mike Dunleavy; Stephon Marbury; Sebastian Telfair; Gary Forbes; Lance Stephenson; and Epiphanny Prince.

In a recent interview, Telfair said regarding playing for the Brooklyn Nets one day, "I would love to if the opportunity comes, I think I would, I'm from here. I think before I get out of the league, I think I'd give it a shot."

I mean, who wouldn't want to play for Brooklyn? More than just an NBA team, it is home for many of us. Smack dead in the middle of Brooklyn, Barclays is surrounded by at least 10 high schools that are within walking distance:

Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn HS of the Arts
Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School
Pacific High School
ACORN Community High School
Metropolitan Corporate Academy High School
Berkeley Carroll School
Benjamin Banneker Academy
International High School at Prospect Heights
Brooklyn School for Global Studies

The Nets' new home has paved a path for a restructured city and bigger dreams for city kids. A dream for a city kid is right--you can even take in a view of the practice court by stopping into Starbucks at the Barclays Center.

Even "go-hard" Spike Lee, raised in Brooklyn thinks Barclays "is great for Brooklyn." (Don't count on him ever rooting for Brooklyn though.)

I'm actually looking forward to the future of Brooklyn and the Nets. Once the hype dies down between the Nets and the Knicks, hopefully, Brooklyn can re-establish a tone for basketball, and maybe even street ball.

Let's thank Jay-Z for that.

Miami Heat ends Lin-sanity and shows the New York Knicks who's "bigger, stronger, meaner and faster"

About 400 miles from where the NBA is setting up for the second biggest league event (the NBA Finals is the first), the New York Knicks were in Miami facing the Heat who were on a 7 game winning streak. The New York Knicks felt good about themselves coming into the game after demolishing the Atlanta Hawks the night before at Madison Square Garden. They were hoping that momentum would carry over and the combination of Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony in the offense would improve. The Heat had other thoughts as they came out in the immortal words of rapper Kanye West, "bigger, stronger, meaner and faster. In their 102-88 win over the Knicks, the Miami Heat 4 players score in double figures led by Chris Bosh with 25 points. It's what they did on the defensive end that suffocated the Knicks and in particular phenom Lin who was warned before the game that Miami would throw every defensive scheme his way every time he touched the ball.

Miami came out like a "pack of wild dogs" the term used by legendary linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants when he wanted to get his team fired up. The Knicks did not wilt from the first wave of the Heat's pressure. In fact, the Knicks only trailed by 4 points (24-20) after the first period despite Lin's 3 turnovers. Things would only get worse for Lin as he finished the night missing 10 of 11 shots and turning the ball over 8 times.

The third period is when it all began to unravel for New York. They began the period down by 4 points again (51-47) when the Heat took total control. After Lin and Anthony converted 4 straight free throws to get within 2 (53-51) Miami responded by scoring the next 6 points. Before you could say Lin-Sanity, the Heat then outscored New York 27-15 the rest of the way to take a 14 point (80-66) lead. The Heat defense only allowed the Knicks 19 points. Miami then put the game on cruise control as the Knicks could only get within 9 points (82-73) with a little over 9 minutes left in the game.

The bench play that was supposed be a big part of the Knicks since they got Baron Davis back from injury, and the signing of J.R. Smith, was a non-factor in the game. Although Smith did contribute 14 points Davis struggled mightily. He missed all 7 shot attempts finishing the game with zero points. Steve Novak continued his hot shooting nailing 4 of 5 three-pointers for 12 points. Anthony led all Knicks scorers with 19 points.

It wasn't the way the Knicks wanted to end the first half of the year, losing to a team that is expected to not only get to the NBA Finals but to win it all. For one night Lin was brought back to earth by a team who was hell-bent on not letting the Lin-Sanity continue. Said Heat's head coach Erik Spoelstra, "we wanted to treat him (Lin) with the adequate respect he deserves."

NBA All-Star weekend takes center stage tonight as the Celebrity All-Star game and Rising Stars Challenge takes place at the Amway Center. Jeremy Lin has been chosen to be on the team that will be coached by Shaquille O' Neal.

Lance Stephenson helps Indiana Pacers overwhelm New York Knicks for a shot at the NBA Eastern Conference Finals

For the umpteenth time, the New York Knicks have disappointed basketball fans all across the world when they were defeated by the Indiana Pacers, 106-99 in Indianapolis on Saturday. Despite New York’s once again failed attempt to make it to an NBA Conference finals game, the city continues to shine with one Brooklyn-native hero, Lance Stephenson.

Stephenson carried the Pacers on his back throughout Game 6 and scored a career-high 25 points. The 22-year-old third-year professional basketball player who was drafted in 2010 as a freshman at the University of Cincinnati seems to have never forgotten the city he came from. On his Twitter page, his background image is the backdrop of his neighborhood--Coney Island.

Three years ago Larry Bird, the former Pacers president saw something special in the then-19-year-old young man out of college and decided to draft the guard, giving him the perfect balance of tough love, structure, and discipline.

A year ago, Stephenson a protege of Lincoln High School in Brooklyn was considered a joke and an immature basketball player. During a semifinal conference game against Miami last year, television cameras caught Stephenson redhanded--mimicking a choke hold sign at Lebron James.

But even in the midst of his boyish tactics, Bird still believed in Stephenson and treated him like a son.

“I'm so blessed I want to thank GOD, my family, my kids, my team, LARRY BIRD, Pacers fans and everyone that believed in me. Thanks,” Stephenson tweeted on Saturday.

Bird’s faith in Stephenson has gone a long way as he will join his team in attempting to defeat the reigning national champions. Indiana will play Miami Wednesday evening.

When coming out of the subway, it's not too hard to gaze the skies and marvel at how tall the buildings are or wonder why there's a food vendor on every corner and at the end of every block. It's also fascinating to observe how much of a melting pot this place is and pondering where did all of these people come from? That place is Manhattan, NY, New York City, the city that never sleeps. NYC grants you a reason to stay out beyond your bedtime due to the nightlife, the bars, the restaurants, the sights and monuments, but just maybe, maybe the reason you haven't arrived home yet is because you are attending a New York Knicks game, the professional basketball team that calls the Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden, on 33rd Street home.

There's no place like the Garden when it's rocking with the intelligent basketball minds from Wall Street brokers to social workers. I believe the Garden hasn't really erupted since the 1990s during the Patrick Ewing era. Remember when former Knicks Forward Larry Johnson executed a four-point play on the Indiana Pacers during the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, ultimately winning that game and advancing to the 1999 NBA Finals? The Knicks ultimately lost to San Antonio Spurs or most notably "The Dunk". How about a series of events that ended in guard John Starks dunking over sg Michael Jordan among others in Game 2 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls?

Those nights are cemented in NBA history and have little chance of duplicating themselves in the near future, but there is a chance that this current arrangement of what is the New York Knicks can have the garden partying like it's 1999, whatever that means. Last season featured one of the best Knicks seasons that they have had in quite some time, garnering many accolades courtesy of their personnel. SG J.R. Smith won the Sixth Man of The Year Award. The Knicks captured the Atlantic Division Crown and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference winning 54 games. The orange and blue team advanced to the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs where they eventually lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games, previously defeating the Boston Celtics in the first round in six games. In a season where several accomplishments were attained, many would expect that those same accomplishments would translate to the postseason which is an entirely different season and one that the Knicks are still adjusting to and acclimating themselves to even though with the injuries that plagued the Chicago Bulls, and the Celtics presented a clear shot to the Eastern Conference Finals that the Knicks did not take advantage. In a couple days the 2013-2014 NBA campaign begins for the Knicks who will enter this season with a number of questions regarding the expectations attached to their organization which are: Can this team actually win a championship?

I have the answer, and sadly it's No, take it and receive it. With the way this team is constructed I believe the Knicks will have a hard time stopping elusive and quick point guards on the perimeter from penetrating the paint due to the lack of athleticism on the perimeter excluding from that group 3rd year shooting guard Iman Shumpert and former Sixth Man Of the Year J.R. Smith, the enigma. There's no doubt that the new additions of forward Metta World Peace, center Andrea Bargnani and the 2013 first round pick of the Knicks in guard Tim Hardaway Jr. should all aid the Knicks in their individual strengths, but that's not the issue.

The Knicks have more questions regarding their overall makeup than a five-year-old yearning to explore the world so let's start here: Will we see a more organized and balanced offensive attack this season? The "Melo offense", courtesy of star forward Carmelo Anthony makes me sick, which is an indictment on the personnel of this team and the coaching staff, which leads to my next question: Can Head Coach Mike Woodson duplicate the season he delivered last season? The Knicks won 54 games and captured the Atlantic Division crown the previous season for the first since guard Michael Jordan announced his initial retirement (Shaking My Head), which means he is definitely earning his pay but with a vastly improved Eastern Conference as well as the other team across the river threatening their rights to the heart of New York, he is on the hot seat. Here's another one: How will these lineups work? Do you want to go with a more defensive lineup and start World Peace along with Shumpert, Chandler and the obvious mainstays in pg Raymond Felton and Anthony? Or would you rather a shootout starring, cover your eyes, Smith in the starting lineup along with Felton, Bargnani, Anthony, and Chandler? Can forward Amar'e Stoudemire remain healthy throughout this season and contribute? Whether he plays or not, we should all thank Stoudemire for electing to choose the Knicks that 2010 offseason for reshaping the culture that haunted the Knicks for the duration of an entire decade, because without the signing of Stoudemire, there is no Anthony, but there's a title on the line and the addition of Stoudemire and his offensive skill set down in the low post pushing Anthony to the perimeter could do wonders for the Knicks. Are there any other point guard options? The only time Anthony advanced to any conference finals and in his particular career the Western Conference Finals was in the 2009 postseason against the Los Angeles Lakers when he played alongside pg Chauncey Billups, a 5-time all-star, an NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, and a 2-time NBA All-Defensive Second team finalist. Felton is solid but he does not measure up. Okay, front office, figure out.

Lastly, this message is directed at Anthony on behalf of all New Yorkers: we adore your scoring prowess but we would really appreciate it if you blended yourself within the offense in the first three quarters and then take-over the fourth because the game is not won in the 1st through 3rd, it's done in the fourth. Let's get creative, act as a decoy, call for picks, work off screens, and hit the open man when you see it fit to do so and upon the fourth quarter, explode because you are "Melo". If the Knicks can locate all of the items on their scavenger hunt, they will get their wish and possibly challenge the Miami Heat but until then as we observe this season, let's just hope the Knicks can find the various fans and cooling checkpoints to survive the humidity as only they can change the weather forecast for oh so satisfying comfort.

VIDEO: Hornacek reflects on the state of the NY Knicks and the opportunity that a road trip could bring for the team before and after the NBA All-Star break

The New York Knicks came across the Bridge from Manhattan into Brooklyn on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, looking for a win after losing to Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans 123-118 just 24 hours ago. As a side note, the Brooklyn Nets also go into this game with a recent loss. The Nets lost to the Washington Wizards on Saturday also in overtime, 119-113.

Ahead of the New York Knicks matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, Knicks head coach, Jeff Hornacek, briefed the media on the current state of his team.

“No Tim Hardaway Jr., tonight,” Hornacek said straightaway.

Hardaway, who is just back from an injury, is on a minutes restriction. Last night’s game against the Pelicans went into overtime and Hardaway played more minutes than he should have.

“We’re going to make him inactive today,” Hornacek said responding to a reporter’s question. “No setback or anything like that, the plan was to gradually build him up. Unfortunately, the game went into overtime and we ended up playing him a few extra minutes, so we’re going to hold back today.”

Hornacek also commented on Kristaps Porzingis’ remark to a reporter after the team’s loss to the Pelicans last night. Porzingis is coming to the revelation that he might want to concentrate more on defense and shoot less.

“Well, we still want to use him and I like that attitude,” Hornacek said. “I think that’s all of our guys. When you get the ball and we call a play for you, it’s not necessarily for you to shoot the ball; it’s for you to make a play. So if you have the shot, great, if not, you’ll make a play to kick it out to somebody; that’s what we have to do to do a better job of coming out of these plays and that could help KP more if he could pass it out. He did it a couple of times last night; he made a pass to Enes (Kanter) late in the game for a dunk. That keeps teams a little more honest, so that’s throughout our team, we need a little more of that.”

Technically, today’s game against the Nets is the start of a seven-game road trip for the Knicks. However, coming across the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn isn’t a typical NBA road trip. Nevertheless, Coach Hornacek is looking forward to playing the Nets today because it’s a chance for the Knicks to start its seven-game road trip on good footing.

“I think we look at these seven games as an opportunity for us to play better on the road. The last five games, we’ve only won two of them, but we were right there. We’re going to play some tough teams, but if we play well, we’ll have a chance to win that’s what I think. It’s an opportunity for these guys to get out on a little roll,” Hornacek said.

Hornacek went on to talk about Knicks center and team leader, Porzingis, as a big guy will need more time for his body to catch up to his role; there may not be too much change to the second-half strategy with Tim Hardaway being out today; understanding that Jahlil Okafor brings an inside game for the Nets, so that will be something that the Knicks will have to keep an eye on, and; the fans do get a little extra amped when the Knicks and Nets play each other.

DeMarre Carroll scored 22 points and eight rebounds in loss to Knicks

Not a good day for the Brooklyn Nets on this Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday holiday. The event started with a pre-game montage of Nets players giving their views on Dr. King and the significance of his life. That was Thing 1, as Chris Hayes says on his MSNBC show, All in With Chris Hayes. Thing 2, the Nets lost to the Knicks 119-104.

The Nets fell to 16-28 this season and 8-13 at Barclays Center with today’s loss, while the Knicks improved to 20-24 overall and 3-11 on the road with the win.

“I thought they did a great job waiting for us at the rim on our drives,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said about the Knicks effort today. “But we do have to do a better job of kicking it out. If they have two guys waiting for us at the rim, we have to make that extra pass. I think we’ve regressed in our ‘making the extra pass’ philosophy and against this team, that’s flood the rim all the time with two bigs, you have to make that extra pass.”

Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson expressed his thoughts on some of the successful things the Nets did tonight, “I think we did a better job at rebounding the first three quarters, the first half especially. I feel like we could have done a better job at keeping them from driving in and fouling them, too.”

For the Nets, DeMarre Carroll scored a team-high 22 points with eight rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes today. Caris LeVert totaled 20 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes as a Nets’ reserve this afternoon. Hollis-Jefferson recorded 16 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. Quincy Acy added 13 points off the bench and Joe Harris chipped in 10 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.

In the win, Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis led all scorers with 26 points in 27 minutes.

“I just try to slow down mentally and that’s helping,” Porzingas said about his shot selection tonight. “Just not thinking I need to score as much, I just want to be involved and when the shots come I’m gonna take them and those are going to be higher percentage shots. You know, not as many contested shots and not as much me fighting to get the bucket. Just trying to make it easier for myself and I think it’s just mentally, I’m slowing down a little bit and that’s helped me. ”

Knicks rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina, who has been a big concern of many Knicks fans, finished with 10 points and 10 assists in 29 minutes for his first career double-double.

And, Ntilikina’s performance did not get past Porzingas.

“He played great,” Porzingas said congratulating his teammate. “The last few games he wasn’t really in rhythm but tonight you could see that he was pushing the ball and making plays. He was close to that triple-double that I talked about early in the season and you know I still believe that and moving forward as he keeps growing as a player, he will be that type of player.”

Today was the start of the Knicks’ seven-game road trip, the next stop for the Knicks is the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, January 17.

The Nets will host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at the Barclays Center at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson score career-highs, Caris LeVert leads Nets 2nd Unit, but team could not capitalize on Porzingas absence

For this reporter, being at the Barclays Center last night watching the Brooklyn Nets get routed by the New York Knicks was a bit surreal. It wasn’t that the Knicks defeated the Nets 111-104, but the atmosphere didn’t feel like a Nets home game. The home crowd was overrun by Knicks fans. The Nets entertainment team was hard-pressed to get a response from Nets fans to engage in its usual t-shirt toss and other activities. Who turns down a free t-shirt? Even if the Nets isn’t your team, it’s the holidays, give it away to a Nets fan. Next, as I was checking in on Facebook, every business came up as if I was at Madison Square Garden. Seriously, Facebook; I’m in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center.

Now back to the Nets game against the Knicks. Although the Nets seemed to be off-kilter, there were flashes of brilliance. Both Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson put in strong performances for the Nets scoring career-highs of 26 and 25 points, and seven rebounds respectively.

“I was just fortunate to hit shots,” Dinwiddie said about his performance against the Knicks on Thursday. “Last game, I couldn’t hit the side of a barn so today they went in and looked like a better game. That’s really it.”

Other Nets scoring leaders were Caris LeVert, who added 15 points, 5 rebounds, and five assists; and DeMarre Carroll chipped in 13 points. Tyler Zeller didn’t cross the double-digit line in points for the Nets, but he led the Nets in rebounds with eight.

The Nets’ bench is rated second in the NBA, but last night, the second unit just couldn’t find its rhythm, only mustering up 27 points. Meanwhile, the Knicks bench put up 45 points.

“I thought their second unit came in and just really took the game over,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told the media in his postgame presser. “Similar to the first game [against the Knicks], they turned up their pressure, their physicality really. I thought they were the much more physical team.”

Yes, the Knicks were very physical and proud of it.

Even the Nets three-point shooting was off as a result of the Knicks physicality. Brooklyn hit 12 of its 42 three-point shots partly because the Knicks’ physicality forced the Nets to take bad shots. Joe Harris, the Nets G/F, is a three-point specialist and Harris shot 1 for 7. Allen Crabbe, who has had a rough go of it lately, shot just 1 for 8, including 1 for 7 from behind the arc.

New York Knicks center Kristaps Porzingas, who proved nearly unguardable, left the game in the second quarter with an injured knee and the Nets could not take advantage of his absence for a “W” mainly because of the Knicks’ physical play.

For the Knicks, Courtney Lee led all scorers with 27 points. Michael Beasley scored 15 points; both Porzingas and Enes Kanter had 13 points with Kanter putting up nine rebounds, and Kyle O’Quinn was the leading rebounder for the Knicks with 10 rebounds.

Up next, the Knicks will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, which will be Carmelo Anthony’s first visit to Madison Square Garden since leaving the team this season.

The Nets will visit the Toronto Raptors today and it will mark DeMarre Carroll’s first return to Toronto since leaving the Raptors. The Nets’ next home game is Sunday, December 17, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. against the Indiana Pacers at the Barclays Center.

NY Yankees making a push for the World Series; Michael Jordan is not a fan of the NBA super team structure

 Episode Synopsis

In What’s The 411Sports Episode 100, co-hosts Keisha Wilson, and Mike McDonald of What’s The 411Sports are talking about:

Roger Goodell’s meeting with NFL players and owners,

Michael Jordan;

NY Yankees’ push for the MLB World Series;

Ezekial Elliot is headed back to court;

Kijuana Nige outs cocaine-using Miami Dolphins line coach Chris Foerster, and more.

WHAT’S POPPIN

NFL Commissioner Sends Letter to NFL Owners

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to all 32 NFL club presidents and owners to put the National Anthem on the agenda for the NFL’s Fall Meeting.

Is Roger Goodell is up to the task of turning this issue around?

Michael Jordan Doesn’t Like Super Teams

NBA icon Michael Jordan is not happy with the state of the NBA. He thinks the super team setup is hurtful and will get in the way of the NBA’s growth.

Is Michael Jordan delusional or does he have a point?

Shad Khan Outs NFL Owners

In an interview with Crain’s Chicago Business, Shahid "Shad" Khan, one of several NFL owners that donated one million dollars to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is calling out his NFL peers and Donald Trump. Khan said Trump is dividing Americans and conflating First Amendment rights with patriotism.

Ezekial Elliot Loses Federal Appeal, for now?

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekial Elliot is in limbo for now. A federal appeals court has lifted an injunction that blocked a six-game suspension for Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott. As expected, the NFL re-enacted its six-game punishment for Elliot over domestic violence allegations. However, the NFL Players Association has filed a petition with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals asking for a full review of Elliott's case.

Quick BITES

Kyrie Irving loves Boston
Richard Sherman is a real-life Shermie doll for a little girl in hospital

A Miami Dolphins Coach Fired Over Cocaine Use

As revenge over National Anthem protests, a Las Vegas-based model, Kijuana Nige, outs Miami Dolphins offensive line coach, Chris Foerster, who videotaped himself snorting cocaine in his office. Once the video became public Foerster and the Dolphins parted ways.

The NBA and Nike Are Back Together Again

Nike is now the official apparel partner of the NBA.

At the NBA store in NYC, the NBA and Nike introduced the NBA “connected jerseys”.

NY SPORTS REPORT

NY Yankees are Trying to Get Past Houston Astros

This week in sports it’s all about the NY Yankees.

The Yankees are making a run against the Houston Astros to move on to get to the World Series.

Can the Yanks do it?

Brooklyn Nets Get a Wakeup Call

The Brooklyn Nets received a wake-up call when they played their last preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Sixers Joel Embiid exploited the Nets weakness on defense and on the frontcourt.

New York Knicks in Rebuild Mode

Most Knicks fans are trying to reconcile in their minds that the Knicks are in rebuild mode.

However, deep down inside, fans still want the Knicks to have a winning season.

If the Knicks have a losing season, is head coach Jeff Hornacek's job on the line?

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Allen Crabbe gets lots of praise from teammates, he scored 11 points in six minutes off the bench

For the second time during this preseason, the Brooklyn Nets have defeated the New York Knicks, and this time, at home at the Barclays Center on a Sunday evening. Yes, it is preseason, but for Nets fans a defeat of 117-83, sure looks good. Nets scoring was also music to the ears of Nets fans as it quieted Knicks fans in the arena each time the Nets put up more points on the scoreboard.

But, let’s be real here. The odds were in the Nets favor. Since the Nets landed in Brooklyn in 2012, the Brooklyn Nets regular season win record against the New York Knicks is 13 - 6.

Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin advised reporters to remember that although the Nets are playing as a cohesive unit and winning, which is a good thing, it is still preseason.

In the postgame presser, Lin discussed the Nets camaraderie and how players' unselfishness has helped the team's overall effort. Lin heaped praise on new teammate Allen Crabbe for scoring an impressive 11 points in six minutes. He also had good words for D'Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert with whom he spent a lot of time with over the past summer. Lin expects the Nets will make an improvement over last season because of the new additions to the team, younger players improved game, and unselfishness.

Brooklyn Nets Guard Jeremy Lin in his Own Words

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson liked what he saw from his team tonight.

“I thought our defense was solid,” Atkinson stated. “I thought we were active. I think we turned them over a lot in the first half. That really started the ball rolling. Great activity, a lot of deflections, steals, high energy defensively, making some shots.”

And, what about Allen Crabbe?

“We can talk about the points, but I just like how he just makes a simpler play,” Atkinson said about Nets guard/forward Allen Crabbe. “If it’s not there, he’ll make the next pass to the open guy. There is no extra waste of movement. Yeah, of course, it’s great if the shots go in, but he is a really good all-around basketball player.”

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Allen Crabbe in his Own Words

D’Angelo Russell led all Nets scorers with 16 points and he credits the Nets scoring with playing as a team.

Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell in his Own Words

Other Nets scorers in double digits were Crabbe with 14 points, DeMarre Carroll and LeVert each had 12 points, Timofey Mozgov added 11 points, and Trevor Booker chipped in 10 points. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Quincy Acy each had a total of 8 rebounds. Assist leaders for the Nets were Russell and Lin.

Knicks leaders included Willy Hernangomez, who led all scorers with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 13 points, and Ramon Sessions scored 12 points and five assists.

New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek obviously was not happy with his team’s effort.

“Not moving the ball and the turnovers,” Hornacek said about what disappointed him about the Knicks effort. “We had a lot of turnovers the other night and that continued. They’re just soft passes. We’re not tough with the ball. We’re careless with it. I don’t know if they think guys aren’t going to reach up and try to deflect our passes or what. That was probably the biggest disappointment. I think our guys played hard. We did the wrong thing quite a bit tonight, in terms of the rotations. We have a lot of bumps and bruises, KP (Kristaps Porzingis) and Michael’s (Beasley) foot was bothering him to start the game. We need to get those guys back so we can get our regular rotation going.”

Next up, the Brooklyn Nets play the Philadelphia 76ers at Nassau Coliseum.

VIDEO DISCUSSION: Lance Thomas was so hurt by Carmelo’s departure that he wrote a heartfelt letter

Former Knicks player, Carmelo Anthony, will not only be missed by many New York fans, but also at least one teammate, Lance Thomas.

When Carmelo was traded to OKC, Thomas was so hurt by Carmelo’s departure that he wrote a heartfelt letter to The Players Tribune thanking Carmelo.

“I was hurt when he left,” Thomas said. “Not only not having him as a teammate but not having him here as one of my best friends.

Are you surprised that Carmelo’s departure has affected players in this manner?

Hit us up in the comments section under this video on YouTube.