New York's G-League Rivalry - Westchester Knicks vs Long Island Nets

by Warren Rosenberg, MetroSports Magazine - March 11, 2025

The New York Metro region is a mecca of professional, semiprofessional, collegiate, and high school sports rivalries. In Major League Baseball it’s the Yankees vs Mets, in the National Hockey League it’s the Rangers vs Islanders, in the National Football League it’s the Giants vs Jets, in Major League Soccer it’s the NYCFC vs Red Bulls, at the NCAA level its St. Johns vs Seton Hall, and in the National Basketball Association it’s the Knicks vs Nets. Over the course of the past nine years and following in the footsteps of their major league franchise partners, a new rivalry has emerged between the NBA G-League’s Westchester Knicks and the Long Island Nets.

*Above: Opening tip-off of the Metro Area rivalry between the Westchester Knicks and Long Island Nets*

If the Yankees/Mets rivalry can be referenced as the Subway Series, and the Knicks/Nets rivalry referred to as the Battle of the Boroughs, perhaps the Westchester Knicks/Long Island Nets rivalry should be called the TBTA Series, reflecting the Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority’s role in team travel between the two home courts or the Battle of the Suburbs (Westchester vs Nassau).

One of the Westchester Knicks super-fans frequently found on a courtside seat, perhaps the County Center's equivalent of Spike Lee, Westchester realtor Adam Eliassof accuratley sums up the importance of this kind of rivalry. "Whenever any two sports teams located in such close proximity play each other you know you are in for a good time, but when the game on the calendar is the Westchester Knicks vs the Long Island Nets you are in for an intense rivalry. The competition doesn’t stop on the court, it’s between fans of both nearby NY counties as well. G-League fan bases are a devoted bunch and feel like they are part of the game due to the size of the arenas and the players hearing us cheer them on, so we go all out! After all Westchester wins over our rival, I always call my Long Island Net’s fan friends and rub it in. Go Westchester Knicks!"

*Above: Over 3,400 were in attendance for a rare day-time game attended by school students from throughout the region.*

On March 11, 2025, the two NY Metro area teams in this NBA G-League rivalry squared-off against eachother at the Westchester County Center, home court of the Westchester Knicks. Since their 1st meeting on December 26, 2016 and through to their last contest on February 25, 2025, the Long Island Nets hold a two game lead over the Westchester Knicks, 12-10, in their 22 game history. In their first meeting, the Nets prevailed by the final score of 118-114. In their most recent meeting prior to this game, the Nets once again prevailed by a score of 119-117. Coming into today’s contest, the Knicks had something to prove.

*Above: Westchester Knicks head coach, DeSagana Diop, motivating the team during a productive third quarter. Below: Westchester's Jamal Bey (#5) going for the score against double coverage.*

The game started with both teams performing comparably with a first quarter score putting the Nets ahead by a single point, 23-22. The Knicks outscored the Nets by 3 points in the second quarter, 25-22, giving the Knicks a 47-45 advantage at the half. Knowing that this game on their home court before a crowd of cheering school students was must win, Westchester took control in the third quarter, outscoring Long Island 38-16. The Knicks production slowed in the fourth quarter but the prevailed, winning the game by a final score of 110-93 and bringing this G-League rivalry closer to even with the Nets now just one game ahead in the record book, 12 games to 11.