Gangs of New York

Who is the Big Apple's Best Team? 

Now that basketball is in Brooklyn, the Knicks are not the only team in town. With both the Knicks and Nets making offseason splashes, the question of New York's finest looms. Is it the talented, but dysfunctional Knicks, or the brand new Brooklyn Nets? 

The NBA is a superstar league and while both the Nets and Knicks have multiple All-Stars on the roster, the Knicks get the edge in star power because of Carmelo Anthony. With all due respect to Deron Williams, Carmelo is the best player in the city of New York. He is top-five scorer in the league and arguably the best one-on-one player in the NBA. Anthony is also playing with more pressure this season, as he has only won one playoff series in his career. 

Basketball is a chemistry sport, and the Knicks also have the edge there. Carmelo is an ideal fit for Mike Woodson's isolation offense. While he does not necessarily make his teammates better, the rest of the Knicks can function and help win games around Carmelo. Raymond Felton returns in a second stint as Knick point guard, where he played his best basketball in the NBA. Amar'e Stoudemire needs to stay healthy for the Knicks to have an offensive presence inside. JR Smith will be on the outside, hitting timely three's and making athletic plays. But for the Knicks, the chemistry starts with center Tyson Chandler. He is an NBA champion and the Defensive Player of the Year. Deron Williams will have a great year for Brooklyn, but how will Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace fit together? There's only one ball for those three to share. Brook Lopez should have a nice season with his new contract, but overall, the Knicks are more proven and have a slight edge in terms of chemistry. 

The Knicks and Nets will both be finishing with about the same record and probably come in around the 3-5 seeds in the East. This year New York will be buzzing with basketball fever and Nets-Knicks could become a great rivalry by the end of the season. For now, the Knicks are the better New York team. They have the best player, the better coach and better defensive presence. While the Nets will surely christen the Barclays Center with their share of great moments, expect the fans in the Garden to be cheering louder this year.