New York Magazine has already done a big piece on the Nets, which featured a quote on James Dolan's height from Mikhail Prokhorov and a review of the arena's architecture which was an unfettered rave. Now, the occasion of the arena opening is the rationale for a very lengthy essay on Brooklyn, past,present and future.

Although the Nets and the arena are only part of the story, it's Barclays Center's rusty sheath that pops on the cover. Mark Jacobsen, a Brooklyn native, gets what is probably the best interview yet of Bruce Ratner and his first real comments on Daniel Goldstein, "I wish he’d have done something like that against the Iraq War or something," and a classic line from a member of the borough's Satmar Hasidic sect on the Nets' billboard campaign, ""Vat is this razorback?"

• Comparing the New Barclays Center Brooklyn to the Old Brooklyn - Mark Jacobsen - New York Magazine
• Brooklyn's New Barclays Center Opens Friday: Will It Give Madison Square Garden A Run For Its Money? - Ray Waddell - Billboard