Yahoo Finance Nets poke fun at Knicks with Spike Lee-Kevin Durant handshake picture
The Brooklyn Nets know an opportunity when they see one. With Spike Lee out on the New York Knicks after Monday’s nights kerfuffle, the Nets jumped all over the chance to lure Lee to their side.
How? With a joke and a picture.
So, as the Nets asked (before they conspicuously deleted the tweet), “What’s this about a handshake photo?” Well, if you’ve avoided the NBA on Tuesday for some reason, James Dolan, Lee and the Knicks are in a pretty huge fight.
How did Spike Lee’s feud with the Knicks start?
The whole issue began Monday night, when video emerged of Lee arguing with a Knicks security guard. While that sounds pretty bad, things appeared to cool when Lee was spotted in his usual seats for Monday’s game. When asked, a Knicks spokesperson downplayed the incident.
How did Spike Lee’s situation with the Knicks escalate?
Lee disagreed with the Knicks PR spin. In response, Lee went on ESPN’s “First Take,” where he told his side of the story.
That drew the ire of the Knicks, who then released a statement calling Lee a liar. In that statement, the Knicks mention Dolan and Lee met and shook hands. The team even included a picture of Dolan and Lee shaking hands.
Lee — still furious with the Knicks — declared that he was done with the franchise.
Why did the Nets get involved in the Spike Lee-Knicks drama?
The Nets had a few reasons for inserting themselves into this mess. First off, they get to make the Knicks look bad. And while that hasn’t been hard lately, it means more to the Nets, who play in the same city.
Second, the Nets may see an opportunity to woo Lee, a die-hard basketball fan who has spent an absurd amount of money on the Knicks over the years. Getting Lee to turn to the Nets would be a big add for the organization, not just for the team’s brand, but also for its pocketbook.
Is Spike Lee going to root for the Nets now?
Presumably not. Lee has been one of the biggest Knicks fans — if not the biggest — over the past 30 years. You can’t expect him to completely change his allegiance in the course of 12 hours. He likely needs more time to fully break away from the Knicks.
That process could start now, though. Lee did say he was done with the Knicks for this year. He could easily change his mind and return to the team’s sideline next season.
Or, who knows, maybe the pull of Durant and Kyrie Irving will be enough for Lee to show up court side at Nets games from now on. It would make for quite the surprise ending to this saga.
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