The Nets have spent the last 35 years fighting to gain a foothold in the New York market.
But despite plying their trade within shouting distance of the New York City skyline, despite making back-to-back NBA Finals appearances led by future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, the Nets have never been able to make a significant dent into the immense popularity of the Knicks in the area.
“I think when we were in New Jersey, we didn’t really have the platform to do that,” Nets CEO Brett Yormark said. “We were the after thought. We were certainly the second team in the market. That’s not debatable.”
What’s also not debatable is the loud and clear signal being sent the Knicks way that, now that the Nets have officially moved to Brooklyn and into the brand-new Barclays Center, the days of being able to ignore the Nets are over.
Instead, the Nets have become one of the most talked-about teams in the league over the past several months, despite finishing last season with a 22-44 record and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year. But since last season ended, the Nets have traded in their red, white and blue color scheme in New Jersey for their black and white look in Brooklyn, overhauled their roster through the draft, trades and free agency, and now are set to rival the Knicks both on and off the court.
“I think every NBA team needs to establish a strong sense of identity based on where it is located, who the players are and what the fans relate to,” Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said. “In terms of the Knicks, honestly I just think it’s great for everyone that a real rivalry is being born, most of all for the fans.
“We’re ready to fight for the heart of every one of them.”
They’ve gotten off to a good start, thanks to the wildly successful launch of the team’s redesigned logo and color scheme on April 30. Even though the new Nets jersey still hasn’t been released, Nets merchandise has been among the best-selling among all NBA teams since the redesigned logos and color scheme were made public.
The demand for the merchandise has far exceeded what both the Nets and the NBA had anticipated.
“I think, in many things, we may have underestimated how broad the appeal would be for the team,” NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said. “We anticipated much of it would come, but not until later in the life of the arena and the team.
“The fact that it began so early … I give Jay-Z and the Nets a lot of credit. They got that logo out into the marketplace, they got their merchandise out … and the ongoing drum beat of support has clearly exceeded our expectations.”
Despite the positive reviews that the team’s new look has received, none of it would have mattered if the Nets entered Brooklyn with an inferior product. And there was a real possibility of that being the case back on July 1, when the Nets entered free agency with a combined five players under contract.
But before long, Nets general manager Billy King had quickly assembled a vastly improved team, re-signing Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries, trading for Joe Johnson and Reggie Evans and signing, among others, C.J. Watson and Mirza Teletovic.
Suddenly, the Nets went from a cellar dweller playing out the string in New Jersey to a team that has a chance to contend for a top-four seed, will appear in 18 nationally televised games this season and, for the first time, can truly challenge the Knicks for attention and admiration inside the city limits.
“It’s just the fact that we have a home,” King said. “For two years, we didn’t have a home. We had a place where we were able to play, and the fans there supported us as best they could, but now we have a building that’s ours.
“It’s like renting, and now you get to buy your home. Now, for the first time, you get to sleep in your own bed, you get to walk in your own front yard. Now, when the players come out on the court, it will be ours, instead of a rental.
“People knew it was going to happen but, once the name changes, it’s now the Brooklyn Nets. It’s reality.”
tbontemps@nypost.com