Clash of the Boroughs

Battle of NYC Begins Tonight

25 days later than expected, the first of many games to decide "New York's Basketball Team" will take place tonight at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The relocated and new-look Brooklyn Nets face the New York Knicks tonight on TNT and many have been debating, who is the better team.

It will be hard for the Nets to come in and steal New York City from the Knicks in terms of fan base, but with all of the change around the Nets, the question of who is better is now legitimate. At the beginning of the season, many were leaning toward the Nets as the better team probably because they are the newer, cooler choice, and many also argued that the Knicks were too old.

Well as a die-hard Knick fan who has been through the years of Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, and annually questionable draft picks of guys such as Mike Sweetney and Channing Frye in the lottery, I don't care how old Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace are, they're upgrades. In fact, Kidd and Wallace have instilled a will to win in these guys and sure they slipped up for a few games down south, but they are still 9-3 and that is without Amar'e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert.

If I look at this series as an impartial and unbiased fan of basketball, I have to say I am excited for this rivalry to begin. It is good for the city of New York, and both teams should be playoff teams for the next few seasons at least. However, if I am going to decide which team is better right now, and this season, I will still take the Knicks.

Joe Johnson is simply not a superstar, he is another average player like Gerald Wallace and the combination of Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez down low is hardly scary. Maybe if you combined their skill sets of Lopez as a scorer and Humphries as a rebounder, you might have something, but separated I don't see it. Deron Williams is a baller, and he is one of the top point guards in the league, but I don't see him lifting this mediocre bunch to anything special.

The Knicks on the other hand have a superstar in Carmelo Anthony who is playing inspired basketball, and Raymond Felton is playing as well at the point guard position as somebody can. Throw in Ronnie Brewer who has found his offensive game, and Tyson Chandler a guy that can match up with any center in the league and you are looking at a solid core. The Knicks second unit is also lightyears better than the Nets second unit. J.R. Smith is playing the best basketball of his career, Jason Kidd is shooting the lights out, Rasheed Wallace is giving the Knicks amazing minutes, and Novak is a fantastic shooter.

One Last Thing: I just see too much fire power for the Knicks and yes I am a lifer when it comes to my allegiance with the Knicks, however New York City is the Knicks city until the Nets take it from them. The Knicks haven't won a championship since 1973 and the Nets have never won an NBA Championship. So until someone ends their skid, the battle for NYC begins tonight and won't be decided until then.