The Battle For New York Engaged

Two-thirds of the front page of the New York Times sports section Saturday --and two inside pages-- were devoted to a photo spread of how the Nets brand has begun dominating Brooklyn's streetscape. The team's multi-million dollar marketing campaign is paying off.

Also, this weekend, there was a column in the Times about New York basketball that didn't mention the Nets but was just as relevant. Howard Beck covers the Nets and NBA for the Times. He wrote about how a month after the Knicks let Jeremy Lin walk, antagonizing a significant segment of Knicks fans in the process, the team has yet to explain its thinking.

It's no surprise, Beck writes. That's how the Knicks treat their fan base, with an arrogance that's also "bad business." Left unsaid but looming over the issue is that the Knicks now have competition not just in Brooklyn but elsewhere in the city. Mikhail Prokhorov's promise that "we will turn Knicks fans into Nets fans" is looking a lot less foolish.

• Knicks Remain Silent on Jeremy Lin's Move to Rockets - Howard Beck - New York Times