Not to be outdone by New York papers, two of which devoted their Saturday front pages to the Nets, USA Today has a special section this weekend on the Nets, a dozen pages on the team's arrival in Brooklyn and what it means to the borough and city

The off-season is over. It's now pre-season. The Nets are healthy, enthused, optimistic and talented. They've been in East Rutherford for weeks playing informally, but after another media event Monday, the coaches' whistles will start to blow.

Various images of the practice court at Barclays Center emerged Saturday following the first Jay-Z concert. In one image, the court was being polished. Its floor is a deep brown, but without the herringbone design on the arena's main court.

we look at numbers from Friday re: the lack of congestion and unruly behavior; share what we hear about who's doing well; update roll-outs; congratulate Jake Appleman on his book contract to pen the definitive history of the Nets; plus a final note.

Avery Johnson tells USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt that the Nets are "a hungry team," but they can't waste any time, because their core is primed to win now, with a rotation that has a "3-5 year window."

The final schedules are out and two of the Nets pre-season games, both vs. Boston, will be on national television: the October 16 away game will be on NBA TV and the October 18 home game will be on TNT. Five of the six pre-season games will be on TV.

Jay-Z didn't just introduce the Nets new uniform Friday night. He didn't just open Barclays Center. He marked an occasion when the Brooklyn Nets arrived on so many different levels. We offer a (very tired) fan's appreciation of September 28.

The Brooklyn Nets will play their first regular season game against the New York Knicks on TNT, meaning that Brooklyn native Marv Albert will be there to call the play-by-play. And you bet that Albert is excited for the opportunity.

Two hours after the uniform debut, midnight Saturday, the NBA Store opened access to the sale of Nets road and away uniforms. Fans who attended the Jay-Z concert were able to purchase them at the new Nets Store within the Barclays Center.

As expected, the Nets' new jerseys were revealed on stage at Jay-Z's concert to open Barclays Center on Friday night. The MC and minority owner took the stage wearing a black road jersey (No. 4) for the first of his eight concerts to open the arena.