The confetti from the Canyon of Heroes parade had barely been swept up. The New York Knicks had just ended a 53-year championship drought, and across the East River, Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai was already facing a question that was impossible to dodge: what does it feel like watching your crosstown rival hoist the trophy? He didn't reach for diplomatic spin.
In an exclusive interview with NetsDaily, Tsai didn't mince words: "Every year some team wins the championship, it just so happens this year that team is in the same city. That doesn't feel great, it upsets our fans, and it is embarrassing." That admission alone might be the most honest part of this whole story — a team owner willing to say "embarrassing" on the record instead of hiding behind boilerplate.
But right after owning up to it, Tsai drew a clear line: "Whether it's business, sports, or anything else, you can't let that kind of embarrassment affect your own performance. We have a plan in place, we're in the middle of a rebuild, and I think the team is on a good track right now." Feelings are feelings, decisions are decisions — that distinction was really the point he wanted to get across.
GM Sean Marks echoed that stance: "We're not going to gain or lose motivation based on what someone else does — we can only control our own path." He specifically praised coach Jordi and the coaching staff for their work developing the young roster, effectively steering the conversation away from the emotional angle and back to the Nets' own rebuilding project.
Interestingly, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment CFO Peter Stern came at it from a completely different angle. He told CFO magazine that the Nets are actually "happy for the Knicks," because the Knicks' title run has drawn in a huge wave of casual New York fans who don't usually follow the sport closely. This year plenty of them started joining watch parties and getting swept up in the playoff buzz — "which is actually a good thing for a Nets team growing in Brooklyn, and for the New York Liberty too." The owner talks about pride, the CFO talks about eyeballs — both realities exist at the same time.
The numbers spell out where the Nets stand right now: a 20-62 record last season, third-worst in the league, missing the playoffs for a third straight year, with one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. For 2026-27, the Nets are adding three rookies, including Mikel Brown Jr., taken sixth overall in the draft. This season's "New York civil war" features four matchups, kicking off November 3 at Madison Square Garden, with the first Brooklyn meeting between the two teams set for February 2 the following year.
