Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News reports that Nets coach Byron Scott should avoid providing bulletin board material for his opponents. Scott inferred that the Nets/Knicks matchup is not a rivalry because his team is so much more talented than the Knicks.

According to Scott, the games are more of a formality than a rivalry.

Bondi writes, "Those weren't his words, exactly, but Scott discarded 25 years of Knick dominance when he said, ?Normally, the rivalry takes two strong teams. ... We've won the last six games against them.?"

Bondi reminds the Nets that this summer will decide whether they continue to be a top-tier team or not. With Jason Kidd becoming a free agent, there is a chance that he will fly the coop and leave the Nets to continue without him.

Meanwhile, Frank Isola of the Daily News agrees that there is no rivalry between the Nets and Knicks. He believes that there is no rivalry until the fans care. He points out that the Knicks continue to beat the Nets attendance numbers.

Isola writes, "Despite their respective records and entertainment value, more people still pay to watch the Knicks lose than pay to see the Nets win. So Byron Scott is right about one thing: Knicks-Nets is not a rivalry."

"The Knicks are still New York's team," Allan Houston said yesterday. "It's always been like that. One or two years isn't going to change that. It will always be that way. It's New York."

Said Latrell Sprewell: "No matter what they say, we play in the Garden. That's the place to play. I know a lot of players who would love to play for our organization. We have a lot of history here. It's one of the reasons I love being a part of this team. You guys always ask me the question, 'Do I want to leave?' No. Because being a Knick is special. The fan support we have here and being able to play in the Garden every night is special."