The New Jersey portion of the Knicks-Nets rivalry ended Wednesday night in Newark with the home team going without two major players, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, without half its bench and, seemingly, without any of its fans.
The rivalry — or what has passed for a rivalry — will continue next season when the Nets move to Brooklyn. But the Knicks’ 104-95 victory ended the “cross Hudson River” feud that has been a part of the landscape for 35 seasons. The next river involved will be the East River. And you have to figure Knicks fans will cross that barrier as well to boo the Nets and cheer the Knicks.
Wednesday night was as bad as ever as blue and orange dominated the sellout crowd.
“That’s unfortunate. Unfortunate. Very unfortunate. They had the advantage,” said Nets rookie MarShon Brooks. “We would have been better off playing in Madison Square Garden. I like their rims better.”
Actually, there might have been more Nets fans at the Garden.
“Honestly, in all my years I never seen it,” said Gerald Green (12 points). “New York has a strong fan base and it’s tough where you’re home and it feels like you’re away.”
And this game was different how for the Nets? The Prudential Center was filled with Knicks enthusiasts, the way it always has been in New Jersey, whether the arena was in Newark, East Rutherford or Piscataway. Nets coach Avery Johnson understood. He couldn’t get ticked at visitors being cheered in his home venue.
“Not in our situation.We’ve got to build something here. We’re only two years into this program,” Johnson said. “We’re not a perennial playoff team. We haven’t been to the Finals in my tenure here. … So we’ve got to earn it, and that’s what it’s all about.
“That’s been happening to us since I’ve been here so it’s nothing new, but our guys did a good job of being professional.’’
If what the Nets have done in the past 12 years didn’t win over the local populace, it’s hard to imagine what would. While the Knicks have played 29 playoff games since 2000, the Nets have played 78, twice advancing to the NBA Finals.
During the glory of the Jason Kidd years (from 2001-02 to 2007-08), the Nets owned the Knicks, beating them 20 of 27 times and sweeping them, 4-0, in the 2004 playoffs.
But from now on, the rivalry will be in-city. The Knicks finished the N.J-N.Y saga with a slim 85-82 advantage all-time, but the Nets have a commanding 48-34 record in New Jersey in regular-season meetings.
One positive the Nets did manage was the return of Gerald Wallace (21 points) from a four-game absence due to a sore hamstring. He lobbied Johnson hard for the chance to play — “I like playing,” he said — and fought hard all game. And hearing pro-Knick chants was nothing new.
“You must’ve forgot — I was in Charlotte for like seven years, and the first three years, every team we played it felt like we were in their city, so that’s not a big thing. I’m used to that. That doesn’t bother me,” Wallace said.
But the home team getting booed? Especially after it made a run from 21 points down to within five (76-71) in the third quarter.
“We [Charlotte] never got booed. I don’t know what that was all about, but you know — they’re a playoff team and we’re not, so their fans are going to be more energetic than our fans,” Wallace said.
“We’ve been through it since last year,” Anthony Morrow said. “It’s just how it is around here.”