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Knicks – Nets rivalry: from buzz of NY to disappointment

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Carmelo Anthony remains but Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are long gone.Seth Wenig/AP

Carmelo Anthony remains but Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are long gone.

Remember the buzz of New York basketball heading into the 2013-14 season?

It wasn’t that long ago, really, but New York basketball years are like dog years in a kennel, advancing life quickly and depressingly.

That was back when the Knicks were coming off a 54-win season, a division title, and Carmelo Anthony’s best season in a blue uniform. The Nets had just hired Jason Kidd as coach, acquired Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and were thumping their chests about championships.

It was Pierce vs. J.R. Smith; Garnett vs. Anthony and Honey Nut Cheerios; Mikhail Prokhorov needling James Dolan.

And then, Phwump. I was trying to think of a word to describe the anticlimax, and I came up with Phwump, because it looks and sounds like demoralizing disappointment. Like Knicks vs. Nets — a rivalry with about as much juice as a steamrolled blueberry.

TEN OF THE BEST KNICKS VS. NETS MOMENTS

Here are the depressing facts and numbers heading into their final matchup of the season Thursday at the Garden:

* Of all the players and coaches on both teams during that 2013-14 season, only two remain — Carmelo Anthony and Brook Lopez. That kind of turnover is hard to do. But never underestimate the power of dysfunction.

* Their combined records since the start of that 2013-14 season is 186-291. Again, that is hard to do with payrolls bursting through the luxury tax line.

* The current incarnation of the Knicks and Nets includes two interim coaches, one absentee Russian owner, one absentee Zen team president, zero first-round draft picks and zero chances of making the playoffs.

* Since the start of the 2011-12 season, the teams have been coached by a combined nine different people. Holy Revolving Door, we’re sensing a trend of instability.

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* Since the start of last season, three max contract players took buyouts to leave New York, each deciding it’s better to give up millions of dollars than stick around here. Those players: Amar’e Stoudemire, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson.

* Some other quick similarities: Both teams thought it was a good idea to acquire Andrea Bargnani; Both teams gave up valuable draft picks to teams in their own division; Both teams are currently guard-deficient in an increasingly guard’s league; Both teams are playing out the remaining games to develop players who may or may not be here next season (exciting stuff).

So you get the picture, and I’ll understand if you don’t tune in tomorrow night. There are more riveting rivalries to watch, like a mouse against a spinning wheel or a blade of grass fighting the elements for survival.

Tags:
new york knicks ,
brooklyn nets ,
nba

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