While much has been made about the new, cross-city rivalry between the Nets and Knicks, the Atlantic Division's fiercest rivalry might be between the Nets and Celtics. Things got scrappy between the two teams last night, with Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Wallace among the players involved in a scrum that spilled off the court below the Nets' basket. While we wait to see what sort of fines or suspensions are in store for the players involved, let's round up a few other items out of the Atlantic….
- As the Celtics' star, Rondo should be avoiding confrontations like last night's, not instigating them, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Appearing on WEEI this morning, Celtics coach Doc Rivers expressed some disappointment in Jeff Green's play so far (link via ESPNBoston.com). As Grantland's Zach Lowe tweeted this morning, Green's PER (8.3) and salary ($8.385MM) are nearly identical, an indication that big four-year deal Green signed this offseason isn't off to a great start.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com wonders what the Knicks' best offseason move was, with a number of the team's decisions paying dividends already.
- One of the Knicks' summer additions, Jason Kidd, continues to be sidelined with back spasms, but Tyson Chandler recognizes that it's important for the team to have a healthy Kidd later in the season rather than rushing him back now. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News has the story.
- Sixers center Kwame Brown tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he's modeled himself after players with longevity rather than continuing to try to live up to the expectations of being a first overall pick.