New York Knicks Rivalry

Lore & Background

The rivalry began in 1976 when the Nets joined the NBA as part of the ABA–NBA merger. At the time, the team was known as the New York Nets and played at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in suburban Long Island. The team became the New Jersey Nets the following season when they relocated to suburban New Jersey. The rivalry became an intra-city series when the Nets relocated to Brooklyn in 2012. When the Nets played in New Jersey, the rivalry had several nicknames, including the Turnpike Classic, The Function at the Junction, Battle of the Hudson River, and The War Between the States. After the Nets' move to Brooklyn, media outlets have dubbed the rivalry the Battle of New York, Battle of the Boroughs, or Clash of the Boroughs. The two teams have met in the playoffs three times over the course of their history, with the most recent meeting in 2004.

In Their Own Story

The tunnel lights hummed low before the roar hit him like a physical wave. Stepping onto the hardwood at Madison Square Garden, the Nets player adjusted his jersey, feeling the weight of the crowd's anticipation. It wasn't just about winning tonight; it was about proving Brooklyn belonged in this arena as much as anyone else. The orange glow from the Knicks' side clashed with the blue energy rising from the visitors' section, a visual representation of decades of history waiting to be written on this court.

Reader's Guide

The Knicks and Nets have generally been antagonistic to each other since the beginnings of the Nets franchise. The Nets were originally established in 1966 as a founding member of the ABA, to be named the New York Americans, and the league had intended for the team to play at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan. The Knicks forced the Armory to back out three months before opening day, forcing the Nets to settle on the Teaneck Armory in Teaneck, New Jersey. Upon their transfer to the NBA in 1976, the then New York Nets were cited for encroaching on the Knicks' New York City territory at the Nassau Coliseum and forced to pay an encroachment fee of $4.8 million. This fee, along with the NBA expansion fee, forced the Nets to sell Julius Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers. When the Nets decided to move to New Jersey in 1977, the Knicks threatened to block the move, and the Nets sued. The lawsuit was settled after the league and the state of New Jersey intervened, and the Nets agreed to pay another $4 million to the Knicks. Between 1977 and 2012, the Knicks generally received more media coverage. The teams met in the first round of the 1983 and 1994 playoffs, with the Knicks easily defeating the Nets. The rivalry heated up in the early 2000s after the Nets traded for Jason Kidd. In 2004, Stephon Marbury was traded to the Knicks, and the Nets swept the Knicks in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. After the Nets moved to Brooklyn, Mikhail Prokhorov took jabs at the Knicks, and both sides marketed heavily. The trash talking reached a point where NBA commissioner David Stern arranged a meeting between owners to lessen tensions.

Did You Know?

• The Nets were established in 1967 as a member of the ABA and joined the NBA in 1976.
• The rivalry began in 1976 when the Nets joined the NBA as part of the ABA–NBA merger.
• The Nets were forced to pay an encroachment fee of $4.8 million to the Knicks upon joining the NBA.
• The two teams have met in the playoffs three times, with the most recent meeting in 2004.