Just like that, basketball is back in Brooklyn.
After years of construction, lawsuits, protests and concerts, a professional team is back in the borough of Brooklyn. Over 50 years after the Dodgers left for Los Angeles, the Nets hosted the Wizards at the brand new Barclays Center, which rests on nearly the same spot where former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley tried to get a new stadium built. Oh, the irony.
Deron Williams led the Nets to a 98-88 victory to christen the new arena, scoring 11 points and dishing out nine assists. He played for 31 minutes, including the final three as the team closed out a ten-point win.
"I just thought it was important," Johnson said. "I thought it was nice that our fans would go home with a good feeling about our team."
The Nets showed off some of the team's new faces, including Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace, but were anchored by the players who had been there before.
Brook Lopez had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Kris Humphries had 11 points and five rebounds in just 22 minutes of play. The Nets improved to 2-0 so far this preseason with the win.
Although they played home, the Nets wore their road black jerseys for the first time.
"I think this city of Brooklyn is a proud city. They back anything that comes from their city. They rep it. They love it. It's their heart. They show support to it," Washington's Trevor Ariza said. "It's fun to play in. The floor is dope. The arena is dope. It's a cool place to play."
According to the Associated Press, the arena hosted over 14,000 fans for the first Nets game.
"It feels great on all levels to finally be here," Avery Johnson said before the game. "You know, I left the building for two hours today, two or three hours, and just was kind of anxious to get back."
Williams was the vocal leader during the game and took charge at the end after getting testy with Wizards guard A.J. Price. The two were called for technical fouls with under a minute left, firing up the crowd.
"I think this atmosphere is going to be great come Nov. 1 and hopefully for the rest of the year," Williams said, "especially if we're taking care of business at home."
Johnson added 14 points for the Nets while Andray Blatche had 16 points and eight rebounds.
The team also got solid production from the bench, including nine points and two assists from C.J. Watson and three rebounds for both Reggie Evans and Josh Childress.
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov feels the team can be just as big of a draw as the New York Knicks and if the team plays as well as it did on Monday night, they could make a run at the playoffs. Last season, while playing its last in New Jersey, the Nets were only 22-44 and finished 5th in the Atlantic division.
But by moving to a new arena, the team feels that it is getting a new start; a clean break from last year.
Williams was a free agent after last season and some feared he might sign with his hometown Dallas Mavericks after another disappointing season in New Jersey. But instead he took the leadership of the team head on and is the clear face of the franchise now that the team is firmly settled in Brooklyn.
The Wizards are coming off of a disappointing season themselves and halve been without star point guard John Wall for the beginning of the preseason due to an injury. Last year the team was 20-46 and finished 26 games behind the first place Miami Heat.
Martell Webster had 18 points to lead the team and also added four rebounds and three assists. Center Emeka Okafor had a solid game, adding 12 points and six rebounds. He also scored the first two points at the Barclays Center to start the game.
Trevor Ariza and Jordan Crawford added production from the bench, scoring 10 and 12 points respectively. Crawford shot 50 percent and added three assists.
For fans who want to keep tabs on the team this season: according to the Associated Press: "The Nets are the featured team this season on NBA TV's 'The Association,' a series offering behind-the-scenes access to the team. The debut episode is Tuesday night at 10 p.m. EDT."
