Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis has taken New York by storm this season, and the same fans that booed him on draft night have nicknamed him “Porzingod.” Porzingis is definitely feeling the love, and returning it in the form of heckling Nets fans.
“Sometimes I see someone with a Brooklyn hat on, I say, ‘What is that? You need a Knicks hat,’” Porzingis said. “I joke around with them. Sometimes I see them. Not as many as Knicks fans, though.”
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Perhaps that’s why the Knicks-Nets rivalry has failed to take off—there’s not enough Nets fans. Or maybe it’s because the Nets are 5-13, and their best player is the sloth-like Brook Lopez, who, while productive, has as much flair as rust.
Porzingis seems to think it’s because the Nets just don’t have a recognizable brand. The young Latvian was spitting hot fire before this matchup. “Everybody knows Knicks but not really the Nets,” Porzingis told Newsday.
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“I remember more of the New Jersey Nets than the Brooklyn Nets growing up. But yeah, it’s Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, those kind of teams.”
Porzingis has played well enough to back up his smack talk, and even has the respect of the Nets players. Starting point guard Jarrett Jack made the case for Porzingis as the front runner for Rookie of the Year.
“Clearly, I think he’s the clear case for Rookie of the Year right now. I would believe so, with all the naysayers in the beginning, and then him coming out and just playing hard,’’ Jack told The New York Post. “Sure, he has some skills to go with it, but from what I’ve seen, he puts himself in position to get tip-dunks. I’ve seen him in situations where he’s gotten steals on the break, making plays. I think that’s just a product of playing hard.”
For all his bravado, Porzingis was careful to not take the Nets too lightly.
“It will be a good game. Brooklyn, they’re struggling this season. But they will try to win the rivalry as we want to win.”
His stat line will ultimately prove whether he means it, or is just paying lip service.
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