As the standings show, the New York Knicks are no longer the only relevant team in NY as the Brooklyn Nets are off to a great start this season. Both teams face off for the first team this season and the Knicks look like they have the advantage in this matchup.
The Knicks simply feature more scorers than the Nets and that is why they have the advantage.
Carmelo Anthony is probably the best scorer in the first quarter, proving this in recent games as he has dropped double digits on teams in the first 12 minutes of play.
Following Anthony, veterans like Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith can create havoc around the hoop for their opponents. Tyson Chandler can finish at the basket too when the Knicks' pick and roll is working, though his specialty is not on offense.
The Nets have great scorers without a doubt, but they need more support. Deron Williams doesn't cease to impress and Brook Lopez is one of the top scoring centers in the league, if they want to win this one, Joe Johnson has to not play shy basketball and have his presence felt in this game.
The Nets also have a solid defense allowing just 91 points per game, but once again, I think the Knicks offense can trump those figures with their 103 points per game through their first 12 games of the season.
The Knicks have the great balance of the outside shot and penetration. Steve Novak found his stroke on Sunday against the Pistons which is not good news for the Nets. Novak went 5-7 from beyond the arc scoring 18 points.
Keys to the Game
With that being said, my keys to this matchup are the bench players. Novak is their three-point specialist which symbolizes the Knicks superiority on offense, but the Nets have scrappy bench players like C.J. Watson who can guard and Reggie Evans who can rebound. The Knicks have Rasheed Wallace and J.R. Smith to combat these guys. It will come down to which bench executes better on both ends of the floor.
Score Prediction: I see the Knicks starting strong and finishing strong against the Nets. Finishing has been an issue for Brooklyn early on in the season. Expect the Nets to win the battle of the boards, but the scoreboard will have the Knicks on top.
105-97 Knicks win.
