I'm not quite sure how Nets fans should feel about this one. When LeBron James told NBA.com that he didn't think the Nets-Heat rivalry will have the same intensity as the Heat-Celtics rivalry had over the past few years, he said the reason was essentially because the fans in Brooklyn weren't as loud and intense as the fans in Boston. A total diss, right? Well, sort of.
Read:
"With the Boston rivalry, not only were you playing against those guys, you were playing against their fans, too," the Heat star said. "And there are not too many fans that can compete with Boston. Probably the Palace of Auburn Hills when it was rocking, as far as animosity or hatred.
"Brooklyn doesn’t have that. Obviously, they have great fans, but Boston has that hatred. You kind of inherit not only going against those guys, but you inherit going against those fans as well."
So, here, Brooklyn fans, in this just their second year of existence are "great," but they aren't haters and don't have that history of being loud and raucous.
Let's be clear; most Nets fans are not new NBA fans -- of course not. Many are long-time basketball fans, some of the most passionate in the game. But, of course Brooklyn Nets fans don't have the history of being rowdy, obnoxious haters. I mean, last year was the first year basketball was played in Brooklyn! What did Brooklyn Nets fans have to be loud and obnoxious about? They won 49 games in their first season in Brooklyn, had the NBA Draft, have already gotten All-Star Weekend on their schedule, and now have arguably the best starting five in the NBA -- on paper, of course. So, what's there to be loud, angry, obnoxious and hater-y about?
Geez. Give it time, LeBron.
- LeBron James disses Nets fans, say they do not have 'hatred' of Celtics fans - Roger Rubin - NY Daily News
- Inside the NBA: TNT Crew Praises Nets' Potential - Ben Couch - The Official Site of the Brooklyn Nets
- The King's revolution: How things have changed since LeBron James made The Decision - Tom Ziller - SBNation.com