Brooklyn Buzz and Nets vs. Knicks

The latest aerial photos of Barclays Center are posted, showing precast seating sections climbing into the uppermost levels; Sly, the Nets Dancers and Darryl Dawkins were in Ft. Greene Park Friday planting the first of 300 trees; and the team announced both that Avery Johnson will throw out the first pitch for the Brooklyn Cyclones Tuesday and the Nets Dancers will hold a Brooklyn audition next weekend.

It's all about the buzz in Brooklyn and now slowly, bloggers and reporters are raising the possibility that the Nets could mount a real challenge to the Knicks. Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld concludes his piece by noting, "For basketball fans fed up with the Knicks and/or those coming-of-age in and around NYC, all roads no longer lead to MSG…"

As Tom Ziller of SB Nation writes, "Cannons are firing, y'all. The New York rivalry is real, and it's here."

• Are The Nets A Threat To The Knicks? - Tommy Beer - HoopsWorld
• Ziller's Favorite Things: Knicks Vs. Nets, Kahn Vs. Webber, Chris Bosh Vs. Everyone And More - Tom Ziller - SB Nation
• Dig this! Nets bringing Brooklyn 300 trees - Rich Calder - New York Post
• Nets Launch Tree Planting Program In Fort Greene (Video) - Jeanine Ramirez - NY1
• Barclays Arena rising in the sky - Marcus Henry - Amsterdam News