NEW YORK -- This time, the Nets cross the Hudson River. This time, Marcus Camby will wear a uniform, not a suit. This time, instead of Jeff Van Gundy tearing up his game plan in disgust on the bench, Don Chaney now sits in his hot seat. Nets-Knicks tonight at Madison Square Garden should be quite different than a month ago, when the Nets defeated the Knicks 109-83 in a game they acknowledge was a statement about their place in the metropolitan area's basketball food chain. The Nets also acknowledge they'd like to expand on that statement tonight, not only about their place in the cross-Hudson rivalry but also about the legitimacy of their Atlantic Division lead. Yet the Knicks would also like to get a word or two in, edgewise. "All the hoopla, all the talking they were doing in the papers," is what Camby said he remembers about the Nov. 16 meeting. "But it's a different ballgame now. We're back to being healthy. We have all our guys. "I hope guys took the last game against them personally," the Knicks' Latrell Sprewell said.

"They talked a lot of trash and they backed it up." Kenyon Martin, though, had this to say about all that talk, "I don't care, man." And that wasn't all from the Nets' none-too-shy forward. "Everybody talks about how the Knicks are the team here, and we've been on the bottom end for so many years," he said. "It's good to have the upper hand." "I still think we're the team that has something to prove," Nets coach Byron Scott countered. "I think that team is going through a hard time right now . . . so I don't look at them and say they have something to prove to us. We're still the team trying to be on the rise." Actually, after running their record to 7-1 with that Nov. 16 victory, the Nets have gone 7-6, although they have won four of their past five. The Knicks, however, have lost three in a row after winning their first game under Chaney -- against the Indiana Pacers. Camby's presence, however, could change a lot tonight, with the energy he brings and how he deals with a matchup against Nets center Todd MacCulloch that's the basketball equivalent of yin vs. yang.

All i have to say is they're pumped for this game so it should be a good one. Look for a big one from Camby.

Posted by MCfan23:

What will it be, 34 rebounds for Marcus?

Thats a lot, but don't be surprised if he does that this season.