The Top 10 Reasons why New Yorkers Should Be Nets Fans, Part II
By Jonah Mars
This is Part II of the top 10 reasons why New Yorkers should be Nets fans. If you missed Part I of this list, click here.
5. Ian Eagle is the best play-by-play announcer in the NBA.
Ian Eagle
If your team is playing on the road or you cannot attend a home game, you watch on TV. For the Knicks, Walt Frazier is not terrible, but he gets off topic way too often and is sometimes too biased to express correct opinions. With Ian Eagle and the YES network, you will never have either of those problems. Eagle is as good as they come and he makes watching games more enjoyable. He is intelligent, funny, and is always fair to both teams. I believe that he is the best announcer in the entire NBA.
4. Carmelo Anthony is not a likable superstar.
Carmelo Anthony
Of course Nets fans do not find Carmelo Anthony likable after he refused to be traded to the team two years ago, but he is just not a very likable guy period. On the basketball court, he is very selfish and takes way too many shots. Even though he scores a lot, he is averaging about 2 assists per game in his career. Also, many Knicks fans don’t remember than when Anthony was on the Nuggets in 2006, he got into a brawl with the Knicks and was suspended for 15 games. He is among the NBA’s leaders in technical fouls this season, which shouldn’t be happening for a first place team. Off the court, Anthony has been arrested a couple of times for marijuana-related reasons. He is also married to Lala Vasquez, a pretty trashy television star. The two were married live on VH1. Meanwhile, both Gerald Wallace and Deron Williams are quietly married with 4 children and Joe Johnson has never been in the media for anything other than basketball.
3. Brooklyn is very cool.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is probably the hippest place in the country right now, so the Nets moved to the borough at the perfect time. It has a very wide range of people and interests and hasn’t had a professional sports team since the 1950’s. The Nets should be able to attract many different kinds of people to their games, while the Knicks only attract New York’s richest. Also, Brooklyn has cooler celebrities, highlighted by Nets part-owner Jay-Z.
2. Mikhail Prokhorov is a better owner than James Dolan.
Mikhail Prokhorov
This one is obvious. James Dolan is probably the worst owner in professional sports. Since Dolan purchased the Knicks in 1999, they have been one of the worst franchises in the NBA despite spending the most money. Dolan has made unpopular decision after unpopular decision, from the continued support of Isiah Thomas until the letting go of Jeremy Lin last summer. Meanwhile, Mikhail Prokhorov is an awesome Russian billionaire who has done everything right since purchasing the team two years ago. He has turned the Nets from the worst team in the NBA to a playoff team this season and they are still getting better. He built the nicest arena in the NBA and has gotten superstar players to play in it. Check out this video comparing Dolan and Prokhorov.
1. The Barclays Center is a better arena that Madison Square Garden.
Barclays Center
Knicks fans can say what they want about the history and passion at Madison Square Garden. But despite its recent “transformation”, it will never compare to the Barclays Center. The arena is built on top of Penn Station, probably the dirtiest train station in the world. There are rats running around everywhere and very little maintenance. The arena itself isn’t much better. The hallways are cramped and many of the seats are very far away from the court. Meanwhile, Barclays Center is brand new and is the best arena in the NBA. It is also located at a very easy-to-get-to location from anywhere in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Long Island. All the seats at the arena have a great view of the court, even if you are sitting in the very last row. Additionally, Barclays Center is much cheaper than MSG, even though it is a nicer arena and may have a better team. The Knicks continue raising their ticket prices every year, even when the team is bad. The Nets offer $15 seats for nearly every game. Barclays Center is clearly the better arena.