On the Ice
The Islanders will be in Winnipeg tonight to finish off their west coast Canadian road trip where they have thrived. After losing to the Capitals in overtime two weeks ago the Isles have bounced back nicely. Immediately after that loss, they won in Newark against the Devils and they have been tearing it up against the competition from Minnesota to Vancouver. Tonight, they will try and make it their sixth win of this seven game road trip.
This weekend, their road challenge continues as they will face off with the Rangers for a possible playoff preview on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The way that both of these teams are playing, they are almost certain to make the playoffs and they could very well likely match up against one another.
It will be good for this team to get back to the big apple after traveling these last two weeks. With a win tonight, against a sub-par Jets team who has been inconsistent all year, the Islanders will continue to show that they have what it takes for their playoff push.
On the Court
The Tinsletown two-step did not fare so well for our Brooklyn Nets. Losing on back to back nights to the Clippers and the Lakers, the Nets now have a very rough record of 17-44. They will be in Denver and Minnesota this weekend to close out their week.
While Nets fans are suffering continuous letdowns, there has been some news lately that should bring a smile to their faces. Next season, Brooklyn will not have to spend big bucks on basketball. The Nets made the announcement last week that their ticket prices are going to decrease dramatically. In a time where people are being asked to spend astronomical amounts of money on sporting events, this should bring a smile to all of Kings County.
In what has been a dismal season for the Nets, this ticket announcement is not the only good news here in Brooklyn. Just two weeks ago, the Nets solidified their their transition into becoming fully ingrained in the borough. Relocating their practice facility to Industry City has been welcome in the borough with open arms.
The day after their Nets had their press conference to unveil their training center, they announced that Sean Marks would be come their general manager. In a season filled with doubt and lots of letdowns this actually helped bring some stability to a franchise that needs it. Now with Marks at the helm the Nets are in a direction. As far as where Marks will lead them is definitely unknown, but it is certainly better than before because this team was headed nowhere fast.
In the past ten days, the Nets have made some major roster changes that will benefit this franchise in the long run. Their biggest move of all was waving Joe Johnson who then went on to sign with the playoff bound Heat. Certainly, this move will free up some cap space in the long run and allow the Nets to go after some top notch free agents in the offseason.
At this point, fans are looking for this season to end as soon as possible. However, with Sean Marks at the GM, folks are hopeful good things are on the way for this franchise. And by decreasing their ticket prices for next year, the Nets are showing that they want their fan base to be happy. They are also letting Brooklyn know that the product on the floor right now is unacceptable and better things are on the way, with affordable ticket prices.
