NEW YORK'S FINEST!
City’s two franchises will battle in summer over free agents, too
FOR A dead rivalry, this was compelling theater.
In a thrilling second half, the Knicks rallied from an 11-point hole with a thirdquarter blitzkrieg. They exchanged leads with the Nets in the final minutes, as Knicks rookie Kevin Knox snapped out of his funk, grabbing clutch offensive rebounds and sinking big buckets down the stretch.
As it should, Barclays Center sounded like a 50-50 fan split — different from recent times, when Knicks fans ruled. Nets nemesis Enes Kanter drove for a conventional three-point play to tie it with 15.9 seconds left, before Caris Levert blasted through for the game-winner — a driving bucket past former Michigan teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. with one second left.
The Knicks are 1-1 — likely on the way to a 1-5 start judging by the stiffening schedule (Boston, Milwaukee, Miami and Golden State).
“We didn’t put our heads down,’’ Kanter said. “It’s a tough loss, but Boston isn’t going to feel sorry for us [Saturday].”
Friday’s 107-105 last-second scrap is really what the Knicks-Nets rivalry should be about all the time — especially into April when the teams position for the playoffs.
But that won’t be the case this season. Both New York teams likely will strive just to reach 30-win seasons. Both are expected to miss the playoffs together for the fourth straight year, which has never before happened.
“I think both of our teams have to start winning a lot more before we start calling this a serious rivalry,’’ Knicks coach David Fizdale said beforehand. “You got to earn that.”
No one gets it more than the Nets’ coach, Long Island-bred Kenny Atkinson.
“Mets, Yankees, Rangers, Islanders, there’s only a few cities you got a couple of pro teams,’’ Atkinson said. “I hope as we keep growing, both programs keep growing and we’re both good and it becomes even more fierce and important.’’
They will have to settle for larger stakes in May, June and July — the offseason.
The Nets, after being in ping-pong ball prison following the trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, have been released and will be allowed onto the lottery dais in Midtown.
Nets general manager Sean Marks and Knicks GM Scott Perry will battle for ping-pong balls combinations in May, then try to make the better pick in June. Then comes July’s free-for-all. The Nets will have room for two maximum players — if they don’t place cap holds on Spencer Dinwiddie, D’Angelo Russell and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
The Knicks should have room for one maximum contract and should be able to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis and go over the salary cap. As a fallback, the Knicks could go after Dinwiddie. They inquired about the point guard at last February’s deadline, but found the cost too high, according to a source. They settled for Emmanuel Mudiay.
What would really incite the rivalry is if the Nets make a play for Porzingis — at least getting the 7-foot-3 Latvian to visit their practice campus alongside Buttermilk Channel. The Nets have one Latvian big man already in rookie Rodions Kurucs, a second-rounder who showed a lot of promise Friday (11 points, five boards).
Can you imagine owner James Dolan’s heart breaking if Kyrie Irving, who visits the Garden on Saturday, signs with Brooklyn in July, a disgruntled Porzingis signs a one-year deal with the Knicks and then joins Irving in Kings County in 2020 as an unrestricted free agent?
More likely, the Nets and Knicks will compete for Irving and Kevin Durant. The Knicks and Nets travel this same uncertain path of learning through losing, looking at the lottery and free-agent glitter.
It’s tough to say who has the better young corps to attract free agents. If Porzingis were healthy, there would be no question, but this kid LeVert (28 points) is turning studly.
There’s no way to predict when Porzingis will play again. The Knicks expect it to be this season, and it’s important for that to happen so he can grow his game and become + as Mills said — “a magnet’’ for free agents.
Missing the season still seems unlikely. Just as unlikely as Porzingis bolting for Brooklyn — a stunner that would certainly enliven a dead rivalry that on Friday night showed some life with both teams’ young prospects.