The Brooklyn Nets are more popular than the New York Knicks, at least that's what merchandise sales data via NBA Store and NBA.com indicates this season.
Nets GM Sean Marks joined the club in 2016 and the team motto became, "If you build it, they will come."
They, being Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. The trio is among the leading vote getters ahead of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game and undoubtedly the most talented combination playing for one team.
The NBA's top-selling team merchandise list... based on https://t.co/I0ypSvyq5i sales from the first half of the 2021-22 season! pic.twitter.com/Hg14EqdBKV
— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2022
As for the Knicks, a team that came into to the season like a lion and went out like a lamb in last year's playoffs. Julius Randle, the NBA's Most Improved Player a season ago, scored just four points on Thursday in an embarrassing loss to New Orleans.
RJ Barrett has shown flashes, but has also struggled for stretches of the year. New York doesn't touch the star power or staying power assembled in Brooklyn.
For two franchises competing in the same market, the big brother Knicks are taking a backseat to the title contending Nets.
Not helping the Knicks' cause is MSG Network's dispute with Comcast which prevents cable subscribers from watching the team play on the local network and is subject to blackout rules for nationally televised games.
The reality is sinking in that the Nets are simply better in every factet and more popular than the Knicks.