How Alive is the Knicks-Nets Rivalry?

Ahead of tonight's NBA Cup game, let's analyze New York and Brooklyn's intertwined history.

Apr 12, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) drives for a shot against Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) and forward Trendon Watford (9) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets are set for a matchup with the New York Knicks tonight in an NBA Cup showdown. This will be the two team's first meeting, and it will be especially notable for Mikal Bridges.

Bridges was traded from the Nets to the Knicks back in June, and since then both fanbases have found new beef over social media. Bridges became public enemy number one in Brooklyn, while New York fired back at the Nets for going into a rebuild.

Tommorow 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/PM7bc80l8A

— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) November 15, 2024

In the 2000s, the Nets (playing in New Jersey at the time) had the edge over the Knicks who were trending in the wrong direction. New Jersey made two NBA Finals appearances in that time, while New York was marred by poor ownership.

In the early 2010s, both teams were in the playoffs frequently, but at the same time, fell into a rebuild to close out the decade. That nearly killed the rivalry as both teams were in the basement of the league.

Many will argue that there is no rivalry between the two franchises, but the last few years will say otherwise. The Knicks were the laughing stock of the NBA for years until the emergence of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, while the Nets bringing in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving put them in the NBA's spotlight. Both turnarounds happened at the start the 2020s.

The Bridges trade gave fuel to the fire, but what's even more interesting is that right now the Knicks are underperforming at 5-6, while the Nets are exceeding expectations at 5-7. If tensions weren't already high, the all-time head-to-head record between the two is 107-107.

New York swept the season series with Brooklyn last year, which prompted many Knicks fans to claim that there isn't a rivalry based on where both franchises were headed. However, the Nets have hung with some of the best teams in the league, and tonight will be an interesting matchup.

As long as both franchises are playing in New York City, there will always be some sort of rivalry between the two. The Knicks have won the last six matchups, but let's not forget that the Nets had the previous nine before that. Brooklyn and New York will always jaw back and forth, and as basketball fans, we can appreciate the animosity.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.