James Harden's Nets are battling for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and will be viewed as the favorites to reach the NBA Finals if the team's trio of superstars can stay healthy, but the Knicks have been the talk of the city with their surprising surge towards a postseason berth of their own.
Knicks standouts Julius Randle and RJ Barrett are featured on the cover of the latest issue of Slam Magazine, while the duo can also be found on the latest issue of The New Yorker. The two are depicted as chasing down Brooklyn's big three of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, in a story signifying the return of basketball in New York City.
Well, you'll see Randle and Barrett on the actual cover, but not on Harden's Twitter account.
Harden tweeted a photo of the cover, only cropping it so Randle and Barrett are nowhere to be found, showing only his Nets teammates. Harden did so without a caption, adding fuel to a growing rivalry as both teams are now playoff bound.
Harden's Nets have beaten the Knicks in three close games this season, with Harden saying that the Barclays Center had a lot of Knicks fans in attendance during Brooklyn's last home win against New York, when artificial "Brooooklyn" chants were pumped through the arena after the Nets victory. Brooklyn, assuming Harden can overcome his hamstring injury and be ready for the playoffs, will be the top dogs in the East come postseason time, while the Knicks are the plucky underdogs who nobody expected to record their first winning season in eight years.
Talking to rapper Fat Joe last week, Randle said that he felt New York belonged to the Knicks regardless of which team had more wins. Needless to say, the rivalry is heating up as the playoffs draw closer.
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