Well this isn’t a good way to kick off a new season and arena. The highly anticipated regular-season opener between the Brooklyn Nets and theNew York Knicks could be postponed due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.
The game is scheduled for Thursday night at the Nets’ $1 billion Barclays Center.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank tweeted Tuesday that the league is “assessing the situation,” and Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz also was uncertain of the game’s status.
“Right now, our biggest priority in Brooklyn is helping with the recovery from this terrible storm,” Markowitz said in a statement to ESPNNewYork.com. “I am confident that the NBA, in conjunction with the MTA, the NYPD and all of the necessary city agencies, will make a decision that represents the best interests not only of sports fans but of all of our citizens in New York City.
“If the game is played Thursday, I certainly encourage fans to carpool and to take city buses — which will begin running with limited service at 5 p.m. today. … I expect that adequate numbers of traffic agents will be employed to move traffic swiftly, as has been the experience with the previous events at the Barclays Center.”
Reaching the Barclays Center could be a problem for Nets rookie point guard Tyshawn Taylor, who tweeted on Tuesday night that hes currently stranded at his Hoboken, N.J. apartment building as a result of the hurricane.
“My building is literally an island .. flooded by water on all sides !!!” Taylor tweeted.
He later tweeted, “no power and I can’t call out ..,” and “this s— is real …”
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said during a news conference Tuesday that he hopes the game will be played as scheduled, and will be in attendance if it occurs.
But mass transit in the city is closed due to the hurricane, and it is unknown if it will be up and running by Thursday, making game-day travel extremely problematic for fans.
The Nets will practice at the Barclays Center on Wednesday afternoon because power is out in their East Rutherford, N.J. training facility, a team spokesman confirmed.
The Barclays Center did not sustain any damage due to the hurricane, the spokesman said.
WRITTEN BY Mike Mazzeo and Ian Begley are regular contributors to ESPNNewYork.com & FULL STORY HERE
