NEW YORK _ At some point in the future, the Knicks and Nets might be able to build a legitimate, heated rivalry. They could eventually become two quality NBA teams sharing a city and battling for the spotlight and attention.
For now, both teams are rebuilding and developing, planning and hoping. Both teams are almost certainly headed for losing seasons, once again.
Still, flashes of what this rivalry could be were on display Friday night.
Barclays Center roared in the final minutes of the game before Caris LeVert hit a last-second layup as the Nets pulled out a 107-105 win over the Knicks, who will play the Boston Celtics on Saturday in the second half of a back-to-back.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter each had 29 points for the Knicks, while Kevin Knox had 17 on 7 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 4 from the perimeter.
The game went down to the final second.
With the score tied at 86, Kanter was called for a flagrant 1 foul when he took down LeVert as LeVert went for a transition basket.
LeVert, who finished with 28 points and five assists, made both free throws to put Brooklyn ahead.
The Nets pushed their lead to five points before Kanter made a layup and Knox nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing on a feed from Trey Burke to tie the game at 93 with 4:21 remaining in the fourth.
Hardaway and LeVert then began trading baskets.
LeVert hit a 3 to make it 103-100 Nets before Hardaway drained a jumper. A pair of free throws from LeVert with 1:13 left in the pushed the Nets lead back to three.
But then Kanter, who was a force in the low post all game, again delivered for the Knicks, fight to the basket for a layup and drew the foul. He converted the three-point play with 15.9 seconds remaining to tie it at 105.
LeVert then made a tough layup with one second left to give the Nets the decisive lead.
After a poor offensive showing in the first half, the Knicks came out of halftime and started making shots.
The teams exchanged leads before Knox, who looked more comfortable offensively Friday night than he did in the opener, hit a 3 to give the Knicks a five-point lead. They led, 76-74, at the end of the period.
The Nets were just 7-for-20 from the field (2-for-8 from the arc) in the period.
The Knicks started off slow against the Atlanta Hawks in their season-opening win on Wednesday but eventually recovered to score 49 points in the second quarter.
That didn't happen against the Nets.
The Knicks shot 37.5 percent in the first half and went just 4 of 14 from the perimeter. They had only two fast-break points and were beat on the boards, 31-16.
Yet they managed to keep the score close and went into halftime trailing, 57-50.
Time will tell whether this can ever become a heated rivalry. Knicks coach David Fizdale said before the game that there is still plenty to be done before that transpires.
"I think both of our teams need to start winning a lot more before we call this a serious rivalry," Fizdale said. "You've got to earn that."
Both teams are in similar spots _ rebuilding with an eye toward free agency next summer when Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and Kemba Walker could all be available.
They'll be competing for free agents, though the Nets could end up with an advantage with a potential opportunity to create enough salary cap space for two max contracts.
In the meantime, both teams are trying to develop a young core. The Knicks with Knox, Frank Ntilikina and Mitchell Robinson. The Nets with Jarrett Allen and LeVert.
The Knicks, though, also have a superstar-level talent already in place in Kristaps Porzingis, a benefit the Nets lack.
Regardless of both teams' future, the present is likely going to include a lot of losses.
Some prognosticators believe the Nets could work their way into the playoff picture in the weak Eastern Conference, but that's far from a sure thing. A 50-loss season could be much more likely.
For now, both the Knicks and Nets are hoping brighter days are ahead.
