SNY's The Warm-up: A new era in Brooklyn? — Jets & Giants buzz — Latest on LeMahieu, Springer

Get Today’s New York Sports Here Tweet of the Day --------------------------------------------------------------- Good morning. James Bradberry and Evan Engram [were named]( to the Pro Bowl yesterday. (No Jets were named) --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's sports schedule... - No. 3 UConn women at Villanova, 7 p.m. on SNY 🏀 - Warriors at Nets, 7 p.m. 🏀 Word count: 801 words (about seven minutes) --------------------------------------------------------------- SNY originals... Like We Never Left - [The 2006 Mets reunite]( Baseball Night in New York - [How should the 2006 Mets be remembered?]( What are the Odds? - [How many games will the Knicks win this season?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- SNY continues its UConn women’s basketball coverage tonight at 6:30 p.m. as the Huskies take on Big East foe Villanova. After Post Game, tune in to UConn Undefeated: 1995, presented by Cadillac, as Geno Auriemma hosts a virtual reunion with members of the 1995 championship team. 1. 45 years in New York's shadow ends ... tonight? Wendell Cruz/USA Today The Brooklyn Nets begin the 2020-21 season at home tonight against the Warriors, and you don't need a snappy marketing campaign to know this opener feels a little bit different for the historically forlorn "big market" franchise. - Long in the shadow of a region dominated by the Knicks, these Nets have the star power to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals, and perhaps a bigger piece of the NYC pie -- something they haven't done in seven years in Brooklyn and several decades in New Jersey. A brief history: - Conceived as the ABA's [New Jersey Americans]( in 1967 -- they became the Nets of Long Island a year later -- the team won two titles in their former league with Julius Erving and Co., before being accepted into the mainstream league during the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. - The team moved back to New Jersey in 1977, where it stayed, uneventfully, until its move to Brooklyn in 2012. - Its stay in the Garden State yielded 15 playoff appearances in 34 years, one 50-win season, [12 All-Stars]( one prime Hall-0f-Famer (Jason Kidd), and zero titles. There were good moments -- the short-lived buzz of the back-to-back Finals trips in the early 2000s -- but mostly there have been decades-long stretches of bad teams and [even worse attendance]( in the Meadowlands. As Jersey native Bob Ryan, the unofficial historian of the NBA, [wrote]( on the eve of the New Jersey Nets' final game: - "The New Jersey Nets were born in ennui and tonight they will die in ennui. Brooklyn, they're all yours." The Nets have been Brooklyn's since the 2012-13 season. A failed 2013 win-now trade aside, they've yet to make much hay. The crux: Tonight's game could usher in a new era of relevance for the eighth team in a city that hasn't seen a professional basketball title since 1976, when the New York Nets claimed the ABA's final championship over the Denver Nuggets. On SNY.tv: [Kevin Durant discusses facing the Warriors for the first time as a Net]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Monday's Jets and Giants headlines Kirby Lee/USA Today 1. Adam Gase has been in the NFL for a long time. Sunday's locker room after avoiding another loss, and a place in lowly history, was totally unique, he said Monday: - "Been through a lot of different things in my career, I don’t think I’ve seen a group more excited after a game than what I saw last night,” he [said](. - ... "Nothing’s really gone right this season and they’ve been through a lot of adversity." 2. Joe Judge [was asked]( on Monday if making the playoffs would determine whether or not this season has been a "success." - "I'm not downplaying the playoffs. Look, it's the National Football League," he said. "... At the same time, I'm a firm believer in keeping our sights on what the immediate goal is, and the long-term goals will take care of itself." 3. Life after Trevor Lawrence might be on the horizon. Should the Jets wind up with the No. 2 pick instead of No. 1, [here]( are three scenarios from SNY's Ralph Vacchiano that could play out. On SNY.tv: - [These stats show just how good the Jets' defense was against the top 10 Rams offense]( --------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY TRIVIA The AL East's first season was in 1969. Can you name its original six teams? 3. The Blue Jays could play heel for both the Yankees and Mets Vincent Carchietta/USA Today The Yankees have repeatedly said their top priority is re-signing DJ LeMahieu. The Mets have been tied heavily to George Springer. The Blue Jays are angling for both players. - MLB executives believe the courting of Springer has turned into a two-team race between the Mets and Toronto, [reported]( ESPN's Jeff Passan yesterday. Even if the Mets do end up with the center fielder, another serious suitor could drive up Springer's price. - Also [according]( to Passan, the Blue Jays are "significant players in the LeMahieu sweepstakes," and the Yankees' "biggest threat." LeMahieu and the Yanks were reportedly more than $25 million apart in discussions last week. The Mets, meanwhile, have long been considered the favorites to land Springer. On SNY.tv: [Should the Mets sign Tomoyuki Sugano?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 4. By the numbers Catalina Fragoso/USA Today No. 11 Rutgers basketball was ranked No. 11 in yesterday's AP Top 25 poll, the Scarlet Knights' highest ranking since they climbed all the way to No. 3 during the 1976-77 season. 10 percent The Giants' playoff odds via [FiveThirtyEight]( have dipped from 54 percent two weeks ago to 10 percent this week. The Cowboys have a five percent shot and the Football Team sits at 75 percent. For more on New York's playoff hopes, visit [our live tracker](. -7.5 The Nets are 7.5-point home favorites today against the Klay Thompson and Draymond Green-less Warriors, according to PointsBet. --------------------------------------------------------------- 5. The New York Minute - [READ]( Five things that should be on the Mets' holiday wish list. - [WATCH]( Greg Schiano reflected on his first year back coaching Rutgers football. - [READ]( The Nets and Jarrett Allen were unable to reach a contract agreement yesterday, meaning he'll enter unrestricted free agency in 2021. - [READ]( According to his agent, the Islanders have resumed discussions on a contract for Mathew Barzal. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trivia answer: Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Senators, Orioles, Cleveland That's the buzzer, folks. Stay safe and enjoy your Tuesday. (Have feedback for The Warm-Up? Click [here](mailto: SNYfeedback@gmail.com?subject=)) This email was sent by: SportsNet New York (SNY) 150 Greenwich st 50th floor New York, NY 10007 US [Unsubscribe]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Facebook](