Two Teams. One City. A Knicks-Nets Preview

Tonight is the night: finally New York gets to see the bi-borough ballathon that Hurricane Sandy forestalled. Our Knickebockers will be traveling over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Barclays Center and Jay-Z's new racism-defeating jerseys as the rescheduled season-opener that New Yorkers have been drooling over finally comes to a head. A few things you might want to know about both teams, after the jump.
This is going to be a high-energy statement game for both teams. The Nets are one of the best teams at home at 6-1 (only the Heat, Jazz, and of course, the Knicks are better at home--all undefeated), and are still looking to cement in the league their elite status. After splitting series with the Celtics and 76ers, this team, ranked 9th in the most recent NBA power rankings, is still in some ways looking for its identity. Hova's squad plays a slow-paced, high efficiency offense that is slightly less effective in offensive and defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage, and turnover rate but miles ahead in offensive rebounding and getting to and defending the charity stripe.

The Knicks, on the other hand, are looking to get back on track after a road trip that has left them rather worse for wear. One of the best defensive teams in the league a mere three games ago, the Knicks have given up 100 or more points three games in a row, compared to once over their first nine games. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has somehow lost the ability to defend a pick and roll and has been absolutely killed by the Rockets and Detroit, two mediocre teams, consecutively.

Not that the Knicks don't know that this is a problem, they do. This game will be a chance for them to re-establish themselves as the defensive juggernaut they are, and to do it against a team that fancies itself one of the East's best. We will see who ends up claiming New York as their own for now.

Oh, and on a brief side note, Ronnie Brewer has been playing through a knee injury since training camp. He has still been surprisingly effective on offense and pretty darn good on D, but given the Knicks and their history with knee injuries, I don't particularly like the sound of that.

And there's this: