Nets creating a stir in The Black House

The most high profile rebranding of a US sports team of the past decade needs all the help it can get and the Brooklyn Nets ticked two important boxes this week: they beat the New York Knicks on Monday night and got into a fight in Boston on Wednesday.

New York, no matter what the borough, thrives off wins. But it also cherishes its intense rivalry with Beantown and if their millionaire players want to get down and dirty once in a while, it’s all the sweeter no matter if it happens in Fenway or Foxboro or the other Garden. The relatively harmless scuffle — handbags really — was the highlight of the first half of what would end up being their second win over the Celtics in November. More importantly, it was exactly what the hype machine needed to push this project onto the next level.

The Knicks game, meanwhile, was played with an energy never normally seen prior to Christmas when the long season has yet to really get going.