Who owns New York? Everyone has an opinion

The season begins in a few days and local sportswriters and bloggers are looking forward to big doings on basketball courts in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The Times, Daily News and AP all take a shot at the rivalry with the Times the most ambitious.

The Times asks a wide variety of basketball aficionados for their opinions, everyone from Kenny Smith to Howard Beck to Jason Conception (aka @netw3rk) to the very annoying Jeff Van Gundy, all curated by Scott Cacciola. The opinions are varied although some are shake-my-head predictable.

Beckley Mason offers an interesting opinion, and one that Nets fans may find the most palpable.

"The Nets are old and might sacrifice a couple of victories in the regular season to guarantee their playoff health. But they have depth and will be able to spread the minutes around a team that is full of competent, savvy veterans. That is impressive when you consider some of the Nets who played substantial minutes last season.

"By the playoffs, the Nets should be rounding into a physical, smart team that no one will be excited to meet in a seven-game series."

Of course, it's not about the city, it's about the championship. We'll have to wait for that punditry.

• Pick a Side - Nets or Knicks? - Scott Cacciola - New York Times
• N.B.A. Preview - The Haves and the Have-Nots - Tony Gervino - New York Times
  
• Kings of the city: Knicks-Nets rivalry raises bar - Brian Mahoney - AP
• Knicks motivated by talk of Nets being best team in New York - Mitch Lawrence - New York Daily News
• Nets comedian Andray Blatche shooting jokes and 3-pointers - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Jason Kidd ushers in open era for Nets' offense - Rod Boone - Newsday
• Nets Rewind: Offense can be formidable - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Nets still want to see full squad on the floor - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Will Leitch on the Knicks-Nets Rivalry - Will Leitch - New York Magazine