New York Knicks: Ranking the regular season games for October 2019

1. Oct. 25 at Brooklyn Nets

Well, here is one situation that will not disappear anytime soon, maybe not for the next three or four NBA seasons.

This is the first game of the revitalized Brooklyn Nets vs. the New York Knicks, the forced basketball rivalry that may actually morph into something. So far, the latter has not said much, if anything, on their crosstown squad, but if someone like Spencer Dinwiddie says something, or if Kevin Durant is candid for a second time, it becomes a different story.

Durant and Kyrie Irving joined the Nets in simultaneous, high-profile signings, thus changing the franchise’s perception in one fell swoop. They took the headline mantle from the Knicks for a second time, after surprisingly making the playoffs in April, behind D’Angelo Russell and Joe Harris.

While there is a separation between these teams, their first post-offseason matchup is still the game to circle on the October calendar.

From the potential animosity to DeAndre Jordan facing his old team, the hype the Nets received and the criticism the Knicks took for not signing these same superstars, it makes for a nationally-covered game on a local broadcast. Eyes will be on these in-game storylines and who takes the Battle of New York, Part 1, early in the season or not.

One day, the Knicks and Nets will have a more meaningful game, when both teams are positioned for the playoffs; that may not happen in 2019-20, but if circumstances change within the next 1-2 years, and Brooklyn has a healthy Durant, it will make for must-see basketball.