The Knicks and Nets both started their seasons off right yesterday, with victories over the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, appropriately. Both teams were aided by the fact that their opponents are expected to be two of the weakest teams in the Eastern Conference this year, but considering that the Knicks and Nets have been woefully terrible for the last several years, yesterday was a triumph for modest expectations.
The Daily News called the Knicks win "a success. Just not a rousing one," while the Post praised "two refreshingly new ingredients missing far too long...a new star to carry them home and a stout defense capable of making a key final-minute stop." The $100 million man Amare Stoudemire had a double-double to begin his Knicks career, which bodes well for his new digs: Curbed reports that Stoudemire will be moving into the penthouse at West Village condo building 99 Jane Street, whose massive terrace has become known for raucous parties.
The Nets won on the back of center Brook Lopez, accomplishing a feat that took "3 coaches, 19 games and 38 days" to do last season. New owner Mikhail Prokhorov toasted the season’s start with Champagne before the game, and told reporters after the win that he rarely drank but that he hoped the Nets eventually made him addicted to Champagne.
With both teams in victorious harmony, it's easy to forget that they'll soon be true crosstown rivals competing for outer-borough fans. In response to the Nets erecting a massive billboard over MSG, the Knicks put the Nets on notice with their own billboard in Brooklyn near the construction site of the Nets new arena. Nets CEO Brett Yormark described the move cattily as a "defensive maneuver."
