EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, 18 April 2004 — The “Lincoln Tunnel Series” gets under way as the New York Knicks take on cross-river rivals the New Jersey Nets for just the third time in the National Basketball Association playoffs.
The Knicks make their home in venerable Madison Square Garden in glittering Manhattan, where movie director Spike Lee is among the team’s galaxy of star fans.
The Nets may play just across the Hudson River, but their faceless Continental Arena in the Meadowlands sports complex is a world away. The Knicks have won two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973. The Nets won two titles with the now-defunct American Basketball Association, but that didn’t earn them the kind of adulation the Knicks enjoy — even among New Jersey dwellers.
But the arrival of Jason Kidd in New Jersey in July 2001 has turned the Nets into a true powerhouse in the Eastern Conference these past three seasons. Under his leadership, the Nets clinched their third consecutive Atlantic Division crown this year, piling up a 47 wins and 35 losses record while New York finished the season 39-43.
“I think our record speaks for itself. We’ve accomplished a lot in those three years,” said Kidd, who captured his fifth overall assist title this year, finishing with a 9.2 average.
“We would love to get back into the NBA finals. We’ve done that two years in a row. The clock is always ticking and we understand how tough it is to get back there.”
The Nets won 12 of the last 14 games against the Knicks and captured three of the four regular series contests this season with the Knicks’ lone victory coming on March 20.
The Knicks and Nets have faced each other only twice before in the playoffs. Their last postseason meeting came in 1994, when New York beat New Jersey 3-1 in a best-of-five first round series.
“How can we call this a rivalry?” said Nets shooting guard Richard Jefferson. “Rivalries aren’t built overnight. It’s something you build over the years. We need to play more against each other in big games to call it a rivalry.”
But there’s no doubt the Nets hunger for respect in their Knicks-crazed region, and a head-to-head match-up could be one way to get it. “It’s great for the area. You can feel the excitement in the air. That’s what the game is all about, and that’s what the fans come out and see,” Kidd said.
“But we are trying not to get caught up in all of this. Our big concern is to try to win the series.”
