Can you believe it’s been 20 years since there’s been an NBA Finals in New York City? The 1999 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs, headlined by Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Tim Duncan and David Robinson, was the last time there was relevant basketball in The Mecca. For the past two decades – filled with nothing but disappointment, from ownership issues to a long list of draft busts, and even the addition of a second team to the five boroughs – basketball in New York City just hasn’t been the same. Now, the Nets are changing that narrative after the most successful summer in franchise history.
The lack of stars has been at the forefront of issues for New York basketball, with both the Knicks and Nets having made failed attempts to bring the star to the city. Big names like Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce had disappointing, post-prime stints. The narrative of true stars not wanting to come to New York seemed never-ending, until Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving gave New York a summer to remember.
In late June of 2019, 10-time All-Star Kevin Durant made the decision to join six-time All-Star Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, sparking a new era in New York basketball. Unlike the Billy King and Phil Jackson moves of the past, this delivered a real buzz around Brooklyn, one that brings title aspirations to a city that is in desperate need of a championship parade. Since joining his childhood team, Kyrie Irving has put up MVP-caliber numbers in the first month of the season, despite battling a shoulder injury. Unfortunately, Nets fans will have to wait until 2020 to see Kevin Durant on the court, as he recovers from an Achilles injury suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals. However, that isn’t stopping Nets fans from getting excited for what’s to come.
Attendance for Nets home games is up from 84 percent last season to 92 percent this year, and merchandise sales are through the roof. The media is now putting a lens on Brooklyn, more than doubling Brooklyn’s nationally televised games from last season. Barclays Center has quickly turned into the place to be, with a Chick Fil-A and Insomnia Cookies opening across the street last month. New York City is quickly transitioning from being a blue and orange town to black and white.
As for the actual basketball side of things, the Nets are exactly where people expected them to be without Kevin Durant: at or above .500, in the middle of the playoff race with lower expectations until Durant returns. The Nets have brought back New York basketball: game-winners, three-pointers, alley-oops, dunks and crisp passing. Brooklyn is now a must-watch team, so if you’ve been in and out of the basketball scene since Ewing left, head to Barclays Center and catch what Sports Illustrated called “The coolest team in basketball.”
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