Knicks owner James Dolan finally took a question about his Knicks, but wouldn’t say if they are better than the Nets, instead lauding the budding rivalry.
Dolan said it should push the teams to “greater heights.’’
Dolan, sporting a beard, appeared on the dais Wednesday at the NBA’s announcement All-Star Weekend will be shared in 2015 by the Knicks and Nets, with the Garden getting the main event.
Dolan answered his first query since 2007 from a sportswriter when The Post asked him his view of the rivalry and whether the Knicks roster stacks up with Brooklyn’s star-studded cast.
“I think the rivalry is a good thing for New York, so from that point of view, it’s enjoyable,’’ Dolan said. “As far as how the teams will go, I’m not going to make my predictions here. This is about the All-Star Game. My hope is that both teams have a lot of players in the All-Star Game. That would be great.”
Dolan wore mostly a stoic look on stage, sitting next to commissioner David Stern and was joined by Nets minority owner Bruce Ratner and Mikhail Prokhorov’s assistant Irina Pavlova. Prokhorov was not in New York.
Dolan took on his usual curmudgeon persona when the discussion turned to the meeting Stern brokered between Dolan and Prokhorov last season to quell any ill feelings — as first reported by The Post’s Fred Kerber.
When asked what he got out of the meeting, Dolan offered the best line of the event, saying: “Free lunch.’’
Dolan has tried to get the All-Star Game ever since the Garden started its transformation. As reported by The Post in 2012, the Garden would have had the 2014 All-Star Game, but the NBA didn’t want to compete against the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium.
Dolan was more expansive on the rivalry being good for the teams on and off the court.
“New York is used to rivalries,’’ Dolan said. “We’ve seen quite a few of them in our day. The most famous, Brooklyn versus the Yankees. We’ve seen Rangers versus Islanders and Devils. They are nothing but good. Nothing but fun for the fans. They are great for business. And they push the teams involved to greater heights athletically. I expect that should continue to go on. The All-Star Game, we’ll take the timeout from the rhetoric.’’
Stern said Dolan and Prokhorov came to him about setting up a meeting. “When I heard from each of them, they would like to sort of get together and talk about their shared interests and the like,’’ said Stern. “I said that’s a great idea. So have mine call yours. It was not a major diplomatic initiative but it came easily and I was happy to assist in setting it up.’’
The rare Dolan appearance didn’t come free of controversy. Some reporters were handed leaflets from the Communications Workers of America, protesting Dolan being awarded the All-Star Game because of a Cablevision labor dispute. The statement said Dolan, Cablevision’s CEO, is on an “anti-union crusade,’’ allegedly firing 22 unionized Brooklyn workers.
Dolan addressed the issue when a reporter asked Stern about a letter Democrat mayoral nominee Bill deBlasio wrote, stating Dolan shouldn’t get the game because he’s anti-union.
“ If they check that out, Madison Square Garden has had excellent relationship with all its unions,’’ Dolan said. “We’ve had no issues there at all. That particular letter was spurred on by CWA more than anything to do with Madison Square Garden. It’s more about politics — to set the record straight.’’