More than a prelude, Wednesday is a test of Brooklyn Nets confidence

When the marketing people choose "Of course, it's personal" as a slogan, it's hard for the basketball people to deny there's a rivalry. And with Wednesday's preseason game between the Nets and Knicks prefiguring the city's hottest sports ticket in years, there are fewer and fewer people inside the locker rooms denying it ... at least in Brooklyn.

The main reason for the intensity that's driving the average ticket price for next Thursday closer and closer to $1,000 is of course the Nets emergence as a city team. The Nets, with their new arena new colors and new team, are cool, but they have yet to be tested. Wednesday night in Nassau Coliseum is the prelim. It may not mean anything in the standings, and whatever it means in bragging rights has a one-week shelf life. Still, fans understand it's going to be seen as a test of whether the Nets, in particular, can handle the pressure.

"Obviously that [the pressure] comes with the territory. There's been a lot of pressure, a lot of excitement, a lot of attention," Brook Lopez told AP, "but we're very confident in ourselves."

The game airs on MSG at 7:30 p.m.

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes - Brooklyn Nets
• New York Knicks Game Notes - New York Knicks
• Knicks-Nets Preseason Game Has Symbolism, if Not Meaning - Howard Beck - New York Times
• Wallace Hopes to Scrimmage by Friday - Nate Taylor - New York Times
• Nets are cool, and think they'll be a winner, too - Brian Mahoney - AP
• Knicks hope old guys can help Amare, Carmelo win - Brian Mahoney - AP
• Talk of rivalry with Knicks intensifies around Nets - Rod Boone - Newsday
• Rasheed Wallace almost good to go - Steve Zipay - Newsday
  
• Knicks battle clock & calendar - Frank Isola - New York Daily News
• Williams motivated by snub in NBA GM poll as Chris Paul named top point guard - Kristie Ackert - New York Daily News
  
• Avery: Knicks-Nets rivalry now stronger - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
  
• Nets star not bothered by dropoff in GMs' poll - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Barkley: Knicks would be title favorites 'if it was 2000' - Justin Terranova - New York Post
  
• Wallace finally hits practice floor for Knicks - Marc Berman - New York Post
• J.R., Camby, Wallace to sit vs. Nets - Ian Begley - ESPN New York
  
• Knicks' Marcus Camby back to practice, but likely out for the regular season opener - Tony Williams - Star-Ledger
• Rasheed Wallace another step closer for Knicks - Andrew Gross - The Record
  
• The most important Net no one is talking about - Gregory Hrinya - Examiner
  
• Brooklyn Finally Nets A Team Of Its Own - Frank Deford - NPR
• Nets Prep for Final Preseason Game (Video) - Ben Couch - Brooklyn Nets
• Meet the Brooklyn Nets' $312 Million Starting Lineup - Mike Conklin - Brooklyn Magazine
  
• Brooklyn Nets: Battle For The City Begins - Mike BTB - Brooklyn Trolley Blogger
• Islanders Move to Brooklyn Will Not Make It Any Easier for You to Move to Atlantic Yards - Matt Chaban - New York Oberver